Dr Benjamin Hanckel awarded DECRA!

We would like to congratulate Dr Benjamin Hankel, our VC Fellow, on being awarded a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)! Ben's project will be examining Youth Digital Wellbeing in Australia and the Philippines.

“Digital technologies are being harnessed for their potential to enhance health and wellbeing. How digital health interventions provide support across national borders in the ‘real world’ and lives of young people are key questions in the realisation of global health,” said Dr Hanckel.

“Focused on sexual health and mental health interventions for marginalised young people, this project will examine the promise of transnational digital health interventions from the perspective of marginalised young people across Australia and the Philippines.”

Ben has received $434,212 for the Youth Digital Wellbeing in Australia and the Philippines project.

Professor Kevin Dunn, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and Vice-President (Research, Enterprise and International) at Western Sydney University also welcomed the funding.

“The DECRA scheme is vital not only in expanding Australia’s knowledge base and research capacity but also in developing research leaders of the future like Dr Hanckel," said Professor Dunn.

"The University welcomes the funding of their future-focused projects, which reflect the University’s commitment to research excellence and making an impact in the communities we serve.”

The Australian Government has, this year, awarded $85 million for projects under the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) scheme. The scheme allows researchers in the early stages of their career to develop and apply their research skills on projects that benefit Australians and help them progress through a career in research.

We're looking forward to sharing more with you about this project in the near future.