The doctoral scholarships will be offered by the UTS faculty of law for the first time from 2011, with five scholarships on offer each year for the next three years.

The scholarships, which have a duration of three years, provide $25,000 each year with an additional $1500 research support fund provided to each successful scholarship recipient.

"UTS has an impressive record for research in law that has led to reform in important and emerging areas of modern life," said UTS associate dean of research in the faculty of law, professor Lesley Hitchens. "These new scholarships will contribute significantly to attracting some of the brightest and best new academics to UTS to continue this tradition."

Describing the Governor-General as an inspiration and a great role model, Hitchens said: "She has been a lawyer and an academic and maintained a strong involvement in advocating human rights.

While launching the inaugural National Forum on Building Literate Nations at UTS last week, the Governor-General said she was deeply honoured to have the scholarships named after her.

"Maintaining research in the law is essential," Bryce said. "It is wonderful that these scholarships have been created and I am honoured that they should bear my name."