Joint (Cotutelle) PhD Scholarship in AI for Public Health Misinformation – National Tsing Hua University & Macquarie University
Summary
A fully funded Joint (Cotutelle) PhD opportunity is available between National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), Taiwan, and Macquarie University (MQ), Australia, for the late 2027 intake. The research will focus on using Artificial Intelligence to detect and combat public health misinformation on social media through Multimodal AI, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Graph/Network Analysis, and Conversational AI.
The successful candidate will pursue a 3-year joint PhD program, spending time at both universities and receiving PhD degrees from NTHU and Macquarie University, subject to competitive scholarship approval.
Designation
PhD Research Candidate – Joint/Cotutelle PhD
Research Area
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- Deep Learning
- Natural Language Processing (NLP)
- Multimodal AI
- Graph and Network Analysis
- Conversational AI
- Social Media Analysis
- Public Health Misinformation Detection
- AI-based Health Education
Proposed Research Topic
AI Against Public Health Misinformation: Social Media Detection and Health Education
Location
National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), Taiwan 🇹🇼
and
Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia 🇦🇺
The 3-year joint program will be divided between Taiwan and Sydney.
Eligibility / Qualification
Applicants should preferably meet the following requirements:
- Hold a Master’s degree, or be nearing completion, in:
- Computer Science
- Artificial Intelligence
- Data Science
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS)
- A related discipline
- Current or prospective NTHU PhD students may also be considered.
- Strong research interests or background in Machine Learning / Deep Learning.
- Interest or experience in one or more of:
- NLP
- Multimodal AI
- Graph/Network Analysis
- Conversational AI
- Meet the English language requirements of Macquarie University, such as IELTS/TOEFL requirements.
- The selected candidate must work with the supervisory team to obtain formal admission offers from both NTHU and Macquarie University before late February 2027.
Job / Research Description
The PhD candidate will investigate AI-driven approaches to identifying, analyzing, and addressing public health misinformation on social media.
Potential research directions include:
- Developing machine learning and deep learning models for misinformation detection.
- Applying NLP and multimodal AI to analyze textual, visual, and potentially other social-media content.
- Using graph and network analysis to understand the spread and structure of misinformation.
- Developing Conversational AI approaches for health education and misinformation intervention.
- Designing AI-based systems that can support reliable public health communication.
- Conducting interdisciplinary research at the intersection of AI, social media, and public health.
- Publishing research findings in high-quality international journals and conferences.
Supervisory Team
- Prof. Cheng-Hsin Hsu – National Tsing Hua University, Computer Science
- Prof. Yipeng Zhou – Macquarie University, Computing – Principal Supervisor
- Prof. Mark Dras – Macquarie University, Computing – Co-Supervisor
Scholarship Benefits
Subject to competitive approval, the scholarship package includes:
- Two PhD degrees from NTHU and Macquarie University.
- 3-year joint PhD/Cotutelle program across Taiwan and Australia.
- Full tuition fee waiver at both universities.
- Tax-free living stipend of AUD $40,900 per year during the candidate’s stay at Macquarie University, for up to 24 months.
- NTHU scholarship support, subject to applicable scholarship arrangements.
- Up to AUD $4,000 airfare allowance.
- Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
- International research experience in both Taiwan and Australia.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should prepare:
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Academic transcripts
- A brief Statement of Research Interests / Statement of Purpose (SOP) – maximum 1 page
Send the application materials by email to:
Prof. Cheng-Hsin Hsu
National Tsing Hua University
📧 chsu@cs.nthu.edu.tw
Applicants should apply as early as possible because the selected candidate must obtain formal admission offers from both NTHU and Macquarie University before late February 2027.
Last Date for Apply
Before late February 2027 – the candidate must secure formal admission offers from both universities by this timeframe.
Note: The scholarship is subject to competitive approval, and the information provided should be verified with the supervisory team and universities before applying.
