COSMIC Top-up Scholarship 1
Making cognition comparable: developing and validating a harmonised cognitive constructs framework for international cohort studies of ageing
Population ageing worldwide is accompanied by a sharp rise in people with cognitive impairment and dementia. Although numerous longitudinal cohort studies have collected cognitive data over decades, meaningful cross-study comparisons remain limited due to heterogeneity in cognitive assessments, test batteries, and scoring approaches. This fragmentation constrains statistical power, limits generalisability, and restricts the ability to investigate global patterns and inequities in cognitive ageing.
COSMIC (Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium), hosted and led at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), brings together population-based ageing cohorts from diverse global regions with the aim of harmonising cognitive data and advancing international comparative research. COSMIC relies on retrospective harmonisation of cognitive measures, requiring robust conceptual, methodological, and statistical approaches.
CHeBA website: https://www.unsw.edu.au/cheba/research-and-impact/consortia/cosmic
This PhD project will contribute to the development and validation of COSMIC-HCOG - a harmonised cognitive construct framework designed to enable comparability of cognitive outcomes across international ageing cohorts. The project spans the full harmonisation pipeline, including conceptual alignment, expert consensus, and statistical harmonisation.
It is expected that the successful candidate will also apply for the standard scholarships (e.g., RTP, UPA) at the time of their PhD application.
Who we are looking for
We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with strong quantitative and analytical skills and an interest in data methods, cognitive ageing, dementia research, and international collaborative science.
The ideal candidate will have:
- A background in epidemiology, data science, biostatistics, psychology, neuroscience, or a related discipline.
- First experience working with longitudinal or large-scale observational data.
- Strong statistical skills and familiarity with software such as R, Stata, or Python.
- Interest in psychometrics, measurement theory, and data harmonisation methods.
- The ability to work independently while contributing to an interdisciplinary, international research team.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and demonstrated capacity for research.
Eligibility
Domestic PhD candidates.
Scholarship
$10,000 per annum for 3.5 years.
How to apply
Please email A/Prof Susanne Roehr s.roehr@unsw.edu.au a copy of your CV and academic transcripts by the deadline.
Further information on how to apply can be found here HDR Application Process
Application deadline: 17 April 2026
COSMIC Top-up Scholarship 2
Understanding social determinants of cognitive ageing and dementia risk in and across international cohorts
Social determinants of health (SDOH), including education, socioeconomic position, and social and structural aspects of environments, play a critical role in shaping cognitive ageing and dementia risk. While evidence increasingly draws on multiple population-based studies, cross-national comparisons remain methodologically challenging due to differences in measurement, social contexts, and welfare systems. As a result, understanding how social conditions shape cognitive trajectories across diverse cultural and structural settings remains limited.
This PhD project will largely use data from COSMIC (Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium), hosted and led at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA). COSMIC is a global collaboration of ageing cohorts that enables international comparison of cognitive ageing and dementia through harmonised data, hosted and led at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA). This allows for the investigation of how SDOH relate to cognitive trajectories and dementia risk in and across diverse international ageing cohorts, exposing social gradients in cognitive ageing across in diverse regional contexts. This work contributes to generating more equitable and context-aware evidence to inform dementia prevention and brain health policy across diverse populations.
It is expected that the successful candidate will also apply for the standard scholarships (e.g., RTP, UPA) at the time of their PhD application.
Who we are looking for
We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with strong quantitative and analytical skills and an interest in data methods, cognitive ageing, dementia research, and international collaborative science.
The ideal candidate will have:
- A background in epidemiology, data science, biostatistics, psychology, neuroscience, or a related discipline.
- First experience working with longitudinal or large-scale observational data.
- Strong statistical skills and familiarity with software such as R, Stata, or Python.
- Interest in psychometrics, measurement theory, and data harmonisation methods.
- The ability to work independently while contributing to an interdisciplinary, international research team.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and demonstrated capacity for research.
Eligibility
Domestic PhD candidates.
How to apply
Please email A/Prof Susanne Roehr s.roehr@unsw.edu.au a copy of your CV and academic transcripts.
Further information on how to apply can be found here HDR Application Process
How to apply
Please email A/Prof Susanne Roehr s.roehr@unsw.edu.au a copy of your CV and academic transcripts by the deadline.