CTS Researcher Development Scheme
Extending Researcher Development Beyond the University.
A six-month researcher development program providing researchers with ongoing access to mentoring, multidisciplinary expertise, practical development and community alongside their existing university support.
The CTS Researcher Development Scheme is designed to complement supervision and institutional researcher development initiatives, helping researchers build the capability, confidence and direction needed to progress through research and into their next stage.
6 months
Structured, sustained researcher development
$2,700 AUD
Per researcher
From thesis to early career
For Masters and PhD researchers, researchers approaching submission, recent graduates, and early-career researchers.
Apply as an organisation & Individual
Explore sponsorship and cohort options, or apply independently.
Researchers Are Navigating More Than the Research
Researcher development is no longer simply about producing a thesis or completing a research project.
Researchers are navigating increasingly complex demands across:
Research practice
Writing, methodology, analysis, publishing, research communication and emerging technologies.
Personal development
Confidence, motivation, decision-making, resilience and sustainable ways of working.
Professional development
Leadership, collaboration, networking, career planning and developing a professional identity.
Transition
Moving from Masters or PhD candidature into the next stage of academic, research or professional life.
Universities provide essential environments, supervision and development opportunities to support researchers through these demands.
But researchers can still benefit from an additional, ongoing development environment beyond their immediate research setting.
The CTS Researcher Development Scheme creates that environment.
A Development Environment around the Researcher
The research project may have a defined beginning and end.
Researcher development doesn't.
The CTS Researcher Development Scheme provides six months of sustained support around the researcher — creating space to develop skills, work through challenges, access expertise, connect with peers and consider what comes next.
Rather than another standalone workshop or short-term intervention, the Scheme provides an environment where researchers can:
📖 LEARN
Develop practical research, professional and personal capabilities.
📝 APPLY
Bring new knowledge and skills into their current researchand professional context.
🔄 REFLECT
Step back from the immediate demands and consider what is working, what isn't, and what needs to change.
🌱 DEVELOP
Build greater independence, confidence and capability over time.
🚀 MOVE FORWARD
Use that development to create momentum in research and beyond.
Six months. One ongoing development environment. A stronger researcher.
Why Extend Researcher Development
Universities invest significantly in creating strong research environments, developing supervisors and providing researchers with training and support.
The CTS Researcher Development Scheme provides an additional layer of sustained research development that complements those existing investments.
By sponsoring researchers to participate, institutions can support priorities including:
☑ RESEARCHER EXPERIENCE
Provide researchers with an additional source of connection, community and support throughout demanding stages of the research journey.
☑ RESEARCHER CAPABILITY & CONFIDENCE
Support researchers to become more independent, capable and confident in navigating the practical and professional demands of research.
☑ PROGRESS & COMPLETION
Help researchers identify barriers, maintain momentum and develop sustainable approaches to their research.
☑ RESEARCH QUALITY & IMPACT
Strengthen capabilities across research practice, methodology, writing, publishing, communication and emerging areas such as AI and innovation.
☑ SUPERVISORY CAPACITY
Provide another source of mentoring and researcher development around the supervisory relationship.
☑ CAREER READINESS
Support researchers to develop the capabilities, confidence and direction required for the transition beyond the thesis.
☑ A STRONGER RESEARCHER DEVELOPMENT ECOSYSTEM
Extend the range of support available to researchers without replacing or duplicating the role of existing university services.
The aim isn't to replace what universities already provide.
It is to add another valuable layer around the researcher.
Complementing University Support
The CTS Researcher Development Scheme is designed to sit alongside existing university structures.
Different roles. One stronger support ecosystem around the researcher.
UNIVERSITY
Provides the institutional research environment, disciplinary context, supervision and formal candidature support.
CTS
Provides an additional development environment focused on the researcher – their capabilities, confidence, decision-making, professional development and transition beyond the thesis.
RESEARCHER
Brings that development back into their research, relationships, career, and professional life.
Insight Beyond the Individual Researcher
Program-level reporting and insights can also be provided to participating organisations, including information on participation, engagement, common development themes and researcher-reported progress while maintaining appropriate confidentiality.
This allows the Scheme to support individual researchers while also giving institutions greater insight into the challenges, priorities and development needs emerging across their researcher community.
Sponsor One Researcher or Build a Cohort
Universities and organisations can enquire about:
- Sponsoring an individual researcher
- Nominating researchers for the Scheme
- Supporting several researchers across a faculty, school or research group
- Exploring a cohort arrangement
- Discussing a shorter pathway where funding cycles or development needs require it
Your Six-Month Exeperience
Researchers are supported to take what they are learning and use it in the research, decisions, challenges and opportunities they are navigating now.
╰┈➤ Community Hub
Connect with researchers navigating similar stages across different fields, institutions and countries. Share experiences, learn alongside others and have a consistent research community beyond your immediate supervisory relationship.
╰┈➤ Training & Resources
Participate in regular researcher-development sessions, Q&As, and practical learning opportunities covering the skills and challenges involved in successful research.
╰┈➤ Individual Mentoring
Access one-to-one support to clarify priorities, work through challenges, identify what is getting in the way and determine the next best steps.
╰┈➤ Expert Guidance
Draw on a multidisciplinary CTS team with expertise across research and academic development, methodology and statistics, AI and innovation, wellbeing, career development and sustainable success.
╰┈➤ A Development Pathway
Work towards clear development goals over six months, with support to move from where you are now towards where you want to be next.
What Could Six Months of the Right Support Change?
Every researcher enters the Scheme at a different stage, with different priorities.
For one researcher, progress might mean rebuilding momentum after months of feeling stuck. For another, it might be becoming more confident in their writing or methodology. Someone approaching submission may be thinking about publishing and what comes after the PhD. An early-career researcher may be trying to work out what kind of researcher, academic or professional they want to become.
Depending on their stage and goals, the Scheme can help researchers:
- Build confidence and greater independence as a researcher
- Clarify priorities and create momentum when progress has stalled
- Strengthen research, writing, communication and professional capabilities
- Develop more sustainable ways of working through the demands of research
- Grow their capability in areas including publishing, research impact, AI and innovation
- Make more informed decisions about academic and non-academic career pathways
- Navigate the transition from thesis researcher into the next stage of their career
- Develop a clearer sense of who they are as a researcher and where they want to go next
More capability. More confidence. More direction.
Who is the Scheme for?
The CTS Researcher Development Scheme is open to:
1. Current Masters and PhD researchers
2. Researchers approaching thesis submission
3. Recent PhD graduates and post-thesis researchers
4. Early-career researchers
Researchers can apply independently or participate through sponsorship or nomination by their university, faculty, research institute or organisation.
Applying as an Individual Researcher?
You do not need to wait for your university to approach CTS.
Researchers can apply directly to the Scheme.
You may choose to fund your participation independently or explore whether professional development, HDR, faculty or other institutional funding may be available through your university or organisation.
CTS can provide an invoice or receipt, as required, for institutional reimbursement or professional development funding.
When you complete the application form, let us know if you plan to explore institutional funding.
Investment, 6-month Researcher Development Scheme
Interested in joining the CTS Researcher Development Scheme
Tell us a little about where you are in your research journey and what you're hoping to get from the Scheme.
By submitting this form, you're expressing your interest in the CTS Researcher Development Scheme. We'll review what you've shared and contact you about the next steps.
Explore the Scheme for your researchers
Interested in sponsoring a researcher, supporting a group or exploring how the CTS Researcher Development Scheme could complement your existing researcher-development initiatives? Tell us a little about your organisation and what you're looking for.
A Multidisciplinary Team Around the Researcher
Researcher development rarely fits neatly into one category.
A researcher might need to talk about methodology one week, feedback from a supervisor the next, publishing after that and then find themselves thinking about AI, career direction, confidence, boundaries or how to sustain everything they are trying to do.
That is why CTS brings together expertise from across research and academic development, methodology and statistics, AI and innovation, wellbeing, career development and sustainable success.
Dr. Izelle Labuschagne
Founder | Thesis & Research Mentor | Success Strategist
With more than 20 years of research experience, publications in leading journals including Nature and The Lancet, involvement in multi-million dollar research projects, and extensive experience supporting PhD researchers through thesis completion, Izelle brings both depth and vision to every conversation. She is the mentor who has not only navigated the research journey at the highest level, but now dedicates her work to helping others rise through it too.
A/Prof. Alexandra Gorelik
Thesis & Research Mentor | Research Methodologist | Data & Statistics Expert
With 21 years of high-quality research experience as an analyst and research methodologist, Alexandra brings a rare combination of statistical depth, data science expertise, and quality assurance precision to every mentoring relationship. Holding an M.Sc. in Quality Assurance and Reliability, she has built an impressive career spanning data management, analytics, business intelligence, and the design and conduct of both qualitative and quantitative research.
Prof. David Penn, PhD
Research Professor | Academic Mentor | Research & Career Development Expert
Prof. David Penn is a distinguished researcher, academic, and mentor with decades of experience at the forefront of psychological science, research leadership, and scholar development. As a Research Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UNC-Chapel Hill, and formerly the Linda Wagner Martin Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, David has dedicated his career to advancing research, developing researchers, and contributing meaningful impact to the field.
Katherine Anderson
Mindset Coach | Wellness Mentor | Sustainable Success Guide
With more than 15 years of experience in the creative agency world, Katherine Anderson understands what it feels like to constantly perform at a high level while quietly running on empty. She knows the pressure, the perfectionism, the mental overload, and the exhaustion that so many ambitious researchers and professionals carry behind the scenes.
Dr Juliana Peloche
AI Literacy Mentor | Higher Education Specialist | Research & Teaching Innovation
Dr Juliana Peloche is a Senior Learning Adviser at Edith Cowan University, a Director at Women in AI Australia, and one of Australia's leading voices on AI literacy in higher education. With more than 20 years of experience in teaching and learning, she helps researchers, educators, and institutions embrace AI in ways that are practical, ethical, and genuinely beneficial.
Louise Syphers
Financial Empowerment Mentor | Mortgage Advisor | Wealth & Property Strategist
With more than two decades of industry experience, Louise brings both deep expertise and a uniquely human approach to conversations that often feel overwhelming, confusing, or emotionally loaded. Her work is grounded in the belief that financial independence is about creating choice, confidence, stability, and long-term freedom.
What Researchers Say About Working with CTS
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the CTS Researcher Development Scheme replace university supervision?
Can my university or organisation pay for my place?
Can I apply without university sponsorship?
Is the Scheme only for current PhD candidates?
What if our institution wants to support several researchers?
What if our funding cycle does not allow for a six-month program?
Will institutions receive information about researcher participation?
We Shouldn't Just Be Developing Better Research
We Should Be Developing the Researchers Who Create It
Whether you are a researcher looking for the right environment to support your next six months, or an institution looking to invest more deeply in the development of your researchers, we would love to hear from you.
Applications for the first intake close on 28 September 2026.
