Talent Access Partnerships: connecting employers to disability workforce.

Talent Access Partnerships: connecting employers to disability workforce. Employer-led pathways to sustainable disability employment for autistic people.

Most disability employment programs focus on preparing jobseekers for work, yet only around one in five people placed through the mainstream system remain employed six months later. This PhD flips the lens: it studies employers.

The successful candidate will be embedded within the Talent Access Partnerships (TAP), a major South Australian initiative led by the Centre for Social Impact at Flinders University, creating 1,000 employment opportunities for people with disability across the retail, hospitality, and construction sectors (2026–2029). The PhD will investigate how employer confidence, job customisation, and industry-cluster networks produce sustainable employment outcomes, with a particular focus on autistic jobseekers and employees.

The project is structured as a thesis by publication, tentatively comprising approximately four studies: (1) a systematic review of demand-side approaches to disability employment; (2) a longitudinal quantitative study of employer confidence, knowledge, and behaviour across; (3) a qualitative investigation of job customisation and retention mechanisms using interviews and workplace observation; and (4) a mixed-methods synthesis producing a transferable, policy-relevant model of employer-led disability employment.

The candidate will be supervised by Associate Professor Nathan Caruana (HAVIC Lab; Flinders Autism Research Initiative) and Dr Jung Yoon (Centre for Social Impact), and will join a research group with established programs in autism, neurodiversity-inclusive design, and employment research, including several researchers with lived experience of disability. 

Applicants from any relevant discipline (psychology, human resources and business management, social sciences, disability studies) are encouraged to apply. Autistic and otherwise neurodivergent applicants, and applicants with lived experience of disability, are warmly encouraged.

The scholarship provides a stipend of $36,061, indexed annually, for 3 years full-time. 

The candidate will have access to a funded, ethics-approved data collection program through the Talent Access Project, a dedicated workspace and computer, and competitive HDR support for conference travel and research costs.

Applicants must hold (or expect to complete before commencement) an Honours degree (First Class or 2A) or a Masters degree with a substantial research component in psychology, human resource management, social sciences, disability studies, or a related discipline; meet Flinders University's admission requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy; and be able to commence by January 2027. Applicants with experience working in retail and/or hospitality sectors will be highly regarded. 

Applicants should be able to demonstrate an interest in disability or autism employment, organisational change, or neurodiversity research; quantitative and/or qualitative research skills (mixed-methods training will be provided); strong written communication skills, given the thesis-by-publication format.

Applicants should email the following to Associate Professor Nathan Caruana (**************@flinders.edu.au) by the closing date:

1. a CV including academic transcript.

2. a cover letter (max 2 pages) addressing their suitability against the eligibility criteria.

3. 1-3 writing samples authored by the candidate as lead/first author. This can be an honours/masters thesis or peer-review publication.

4. at least one reference letter.

5. contact details of two referees willing to be contacted by A/Prof Caruana. 

The preferred candidate will then be supported to apply for admission to the PhD program via the 'How to apply' page on the Flinders website, followed by a Scholarship Establishment Request.