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5 Fully Funded PhD Scholarships in Australia for International Students

• Last Update: February 16, 2024
• March 18, 2021
• Post Views: 8,243 views
• Pareeshti Rao

Table of Contents

Australia has some of the world class research centers and highly ranked universities offering doctoral studies for international students. A typical PhD course in Australia takes about 3 years to complete. Most of the programmes include taught modules that focus on progression and professional development. The PhD structure in Australia is similar to that of the UK beginning with a literature review, moving on to analysing source materials, producing experimental results, and collecting survey data.  Keeping in mind the importance of tertiary education, the Australian government opens doors for students to pursue their research studies which is why there are many fully funded PhD scholarships in Australia for international students.

Studying PhD In Australia | Fully Funded PhD Scholarships In Australia For International Students

If you wish to pursue a PhD in Australia as an international student, as per the norms of the Australian student visa , you have to take up a full time PhD course which takes about 3 years to complete. At the end of your studies, you will be required to submit a written thesis that summarises your findings and includes the evidence for them. There is no viva voce required for an Australian PhD unlike other countries. Your PhD result is based on the recommendation of the examiners wherein you are either

• Awarded a doctorate degree without any corrections
• Asked to make changes to your thesis, or
• Denied the PhD

Cost Of Studying In Australia |  Fully Funded PhD Scholarships In Australia For International Students

The cost of studying in Australia is relatively high and includes tuition costs, costs of living like accommodation costs, travel and transport, and other miscellaneous expenses. While the average PhD tuition fees for international students is estimated between AUD $18,000 – AUD $ 42,000, the approximate cost of living in Australia is AUD $21,041. This is when fully funded PhD scholarships in Australia for international students come handy and enable students to divert their focus only towards their research studies.

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List Of Fully Funded PhD Scholarships In Australia For International Students

1. Australia Awards Scholarships 

This program is administered by the Department of Education and the Australian Agricultural Research Centre (ACIAR) and the Department of Foreign Affairs. It is one of the only fully funded PhD scholarships in Australia for international students that aims towards the betterment of developing and neighbouring countries by means of covering full tuition fees, providing for travel allowances, establishment allowance, living expenses, introductory academic program fees, and health insurance. In the year 2021, this program offered 818 scholarships to students from 20 developing countries around the world.

2. Adelaide Scholarships International

The University of Adelaide offers fully funded PhD scholarships in Australia for international students to outstanding graduate international students who will be commencing their Masters or their doctoral research studies. They provide a 100% tuition fee waiver for all the three years of the PhD course. Additionally, they also provide a monthly stipend towards living, health insurance and are exempt from tax payments. This program is available in all disciplines for international students from all countries except Australia and New Zealand.

Related and Important Blogs, You Must Definitely Explore :

• How to Apply for Scholarships in Australia
• Australian Scholarships you may Missed
• Government Scholarships to Study Abroad
• Guide to Commonwealth Scholarships Australia

3. Australian Government Research Training Program 

This program is available for both domestic and international students who wish to pursue their Master Research degrees or a PhD from any Australian university . This research training program (RTP) offers student funding in three ways:

• RTP Fees Offset that pays for the students’ tuition fees for higher degree education which would have otherwise been paid by the student. 
• RTP Stipend to assist students with their accommodation and other essential overhead costs. 
• RTP Allowances to help students with ancillary expenses such as travel and relocation. 

4. Flinders International Postgraduate Scholarships

Flinders International Postgraduate Research Scholarships (FIPRS) are awarded at Flinders University to suitably eligible candidates for a higher degree in full-time research, up to two years for a Research Masters degree, and up to three years for a Research Doctorate degree. The scholarship includes international tuition fees for students, living allowance, allowance for the establishment, cost of relocation, and airfares.

5. University Of Melbourne Graduate Research Scholarships

Established by the University of Melbourne, the Graduate Research Scholarship is awarded to highly qualified domestic and foreign research students. This is one of the fully funded PhD scholarships in Australia for international students that covers tuition fees, living expenses, housing allowance, relocation grants, and health insurance.

We hope you enjoyed reading this blog on Fully Funded PhD Scholarships In Australia For International Students. If you are interested in knowing more about scholarships in Australia like the ones mentioned in this blog, check out the different scholarships available on UniScholars and choose from a wide range of scholarships.

1. Can I get a scholarship for PhD in Australia?

For sufficiently outstanding applicants, Australian universities frequently have their own studentships and financed PhD positions available. International students may be eligible for special financing at some institutions.

2. Is PhD in Australia fully funded?

Most international PhD candidates will have to self-fund or rely on scholarships to cover the whole cost of their education.

3. Is PhD free in Australia for international students?

According to the Australian government, median foreign PhD fees range from AUD $18,000 to $42,000 (USD $13,065 to $30,485) per year. Only if you have a fully financed scholarship may you study for almost nothing.

4. How can I get a free PhD in Australia?

The University of Adelaide offers fully financed PhD scholarships in Australia to outstanding overseas graduate students who will be starting their master’s or doctorate research studies in Australia. They offer a tuition cost-free for the entire three years of the PhD programme.

1 thought on “Top PGDM Courses In Canada: Universities, Specialisations & Eligibility”

I have done Bachelor’s in Culinary Arts from India and completed my graduation in the year 2022 .I am 22 years old. After graduation, I have done 1 year paid internship from USA .Now, I would like to take occupational experience and learn culinary skills and also do masters in Culinary arts.How can I find the college n best course / country where I can persue studying further

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University of Sydney International Scholarship

Funded by the University of Sydney and valued at up to $143,881 this scholarship provides a living-costs stipend to support outstanding international research students.

How to apply

The University of Sydney International Scholarship runs on the same assessment timeline as the Research Training Program.

• If you wish to commence in Research Period 1 (1 January) or Research Period 2 (1 March),  you must submit your research degree application in September of the year prior.
• If you wish to start in Research Period 3 (1 July) or Research Period 4 (1 October),  you must apply in December of the year prior. 

Please check the table below for exact dates.

Current students can apply here . Applications are open all year round – the deadlines mentioned here apply. 

Commencing students should select the checkbox to be considered for research scholarships when completing the admission application for your postgraduate research degree. A separate application is not required.

Application and award timeline

Submission deadlines

The submission deadline refers to the date a student will need to meet, in order to be considered for an offer round.

New students can be considered for an RTP scholarship by completing the course application by the submission deadline. Current HDR students will need to submit a  separate application  by the submission deadline.

Current students must refer to the relevant submission deadline to be considered in the upcoming international offer round. For example, currently enrolled international students must submit their documents by 21 December 2023 to receive an outcome in February 2024.

If you are a prospective student and have elected to be considered for an RTP scholarship, as part of your application for admission, please ensure you submit and all mandatory documents by the submission deadline. For example, if you wish to receive an RTP scholarship outcome in February 2024 and are commencing in research period 1 or 2 2024, you will need to complete your submission by 21 December 2023. Any submission after 21 December 2023 may result your scholarship application being considered in the next international round in November 2024.

For 2024 awards, the scholarship is valued at $40,109 per annum. The scholarship assists with tuition fees and living costs.

Who's eligible

• be a commencing or enrolled international student
• have an outstanding record of academic achievement and research potential
• have an unconditional offer of admission or be currently enrolled in a master's by research or PhD at the University of Sydney.

Terms and conditions

Stipend scholarship.

Eligibility

1. Applicants must be an international student at the time of award.

2. University of Sydney International Scholarship holders are expected to enrol in a full-time postgraduate research degree. The relevant Associate Dean (Research Education) may approve a part-time Scholarship* where the University is satisfied that there are special circumstances beyond the student’s control (for example medical conditions, financial hardship, carer’s responsibilities).

*A part-time scholarship may have tax implications and student should seek tax advice from registered tax agents. International students will only receive approval to study part-time if it is permitted under their visa.

3. Applicants must apply to be considered for RTP Scholarships at the time of their application for admission to their HDR Course and must submit the required supporting material in the manner specified on the Scholarships Office website. Applicants who have already commenced their HDR candidature must apply by completing the application form available through the Scholarships Office website.

4. The Scholarship may be held for up to 14 research periods (full time) for Research Doctorate studies, or for up to 7 research periods for Research Masters studies. Periods of study already undertaken towards the degree prior to the commencement of the award will be deducted from the maximum tenure of the award.

5. No extension is possible.

6. A student is expected to commence the Scholarship by the census date of their commencing intake, and during the year the Scholarship is awarded. If a student has commenced their studies, the Scholarship may commence immediately. Deferment of the Scholarship to next calendar year is not permitted.

7. A recipient may defer their Scholarship for up to one research period with the approval of:

a. their supervisor, and b. the relevant Associate Dean (Research Education).

8. Stipends may be provided for the duration of an approved industry placement, research internship or professional practice activity (as stated in Clause 31 of this document) if:

a. the recipient already holds, and remains eligible for, a University of Sydney International Stipend Scholarship; b. no other income is received from these activities; and c. the maximum duration of the Scholarship has not been reached.

Stipend and Allowances

9. Holders of the Scholarship will receive a stipend of $40,109 per annum (2024 rate), indexed annually on 1 January.

10. Reimbursement of up to $420 for Masters candidates and up to $840 for Doctoral candidates will be made for eligible claims for direct costs of producing a thesis in accordance with the University’s thesis allowance claim information. The claim must be lodged with the Higher Degree by Research Administration Centre (HDRAC - [email protected]) within one year of submission of the thesis and no more than two years after termination of the Scholarship. Costs associated with printing a thesis are not eligible as a printed thesis is no longer required for submission and examination.

11. Holders of the Scholarship may receive a concurrent award, scholarship or salary to undertake their research degree provided such award, scholarship or salary provides a benefit less than 75% of the Scholarship. The Scholarship will be terminated if this limit is exceeded. Salary for work unrelated to the student’s research is not subject to this limit.

Selection Criteria

12. The successful applicant will be awarded the Scholarship on the basis of:

a. academic merit, b. research experience, c. availability of a high-quality research environment and resources to support the candidature, and d. availability of high qualify supervisory arrangements to support the candidature.

13. Preference may be given to applicants who:

a. identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person as per University of Sydney policy, b. have not previously received an Australian Government or University Scholarship to complete an HDR course at the same level, c. have not previously completed an HDR course at the same level of study.

14. The successful applicant will be awarded the Scholarship by the Higher Degrees by Research Scholarships Sub-Committee (HDRSSC) on the recommendation of the Faculty.

15. The University of Sydney will notify applicants of the outcome of their RTP Scholarship application by email to the student’s University email address (for current students), or the preferred email address contained in the student’s application for admission.

Leave Arrangements

16. Holders of the Scholarship receive up to 20 working days recreation leave every 12 months of the Scholarship and this may be accrued. Any unused leave when the Scholarship is terminated or completed will be forfeited. Recreation leave does not attract a leave loading. The supervisor's agreement must be obtained before leave is taken.

17. Holders of the Scholarship may take up to 10 working days sick leave every 12 months of the Scholarship and this may be accrued over the tenure of the Scholarship. Students with carer responsibility may convert up to five days of their annual sick leave entitlement to carers leave on presentation of medical certificate/s. Students taking sick leave must inform their supervisor as soon as practicable.

18. Holders of the Scholarship may receive additional paid sick leave of up to a total of twelve weeks during their Scholarship for medically substantiated periods of illness where the student has insufficient sick leave entitlements available under Clause 17 above. Students applying for additional paid sick leave must do so at the start of absence or as soon as practicable. Periods of additional paid sick leave are added to the duration of the Scholarship.

19. Subject to relevant visa conditions, once holders of the Scholarship have completed twelve months of their award, they are entitled to a maximum of twelve weeks paid parental leave during the tenure of the Scholarship. Students applying for paid parental leave should do so at least four weeks prior leave commencement date. Periods of paid parental leave are added to the duration of the Scholarship. Holders of the Scholarship who have not completed twelve months of their award may access unpaid parental leave through the suspension provisions. When applying for parental leave, applicants should include at least one of the following documents:

a. letter from medical professional related to pregnancy, b. a surrogacy agreement, c. birth certificate of the child, d. adoption documents, or e. documentation that substantiates the application.

Research Overseas

20. Holders of the Scholarship may not normally conduct research overseas within the first six months of an award.

21. Holders of the Scholarship may conduct up to 12 months (18 months for students of Anthropology and other special cases) of their research outside Australia. Approval must be sought from the student's supervisor, and Head of Department/School, and will only be granted if the research is essential for completion of the degree. All periods of overseas research are cumulative and will be counted towards a student's candidature. Students must remain enrolled at the University and receive approval to Count Time Away.

Transfer between Research Masters and Research Doctorate degrees

22. Holders of the Scholarship may transfer from a Research Masters degree to a Research Doctorate degree or vice-versa provided such change in candidature is approved by the Faculty/University School. A transfer from Research Doctorate to Research Masters may result in termination of the Scholarship. Should the Scholarship holder be approved to retain the Scholarship, the maximum duration of the Scholarship becomes that for the new candidature.

Transfer to another University, Faculty, School or Supervisor

23. The Scholarships are not transferrable to another university. Should the holder of the Scholarship transfer to another faculty, school or supervisor within the University of Sydney, the duration of the Scholarship will not be extended.

24. Holders of the Scholarship may not apply to suspend their award within the first six months unless

a. permitted by a legislative provision; or b. approved by the relevant Associate Dean (Research Education) on the basis of special circumstances^.

^Special circumstances include carer responsibilities or medical conditions and will generally be out of the recipient’s control. International students should check the terms and restrictions applicable to their visas before applying.

25. Subject to relevant visa conditions, after the first six months, holders of the Scholarship may apply for up to 12 months suspension for any reason during the tenure of their award. Periods of suspension are cumulative and failure to resume study after suspension will result in the award being terminated. Approval to suspend must be given by the relevant Associate Dean (Research Education). Periods of study towards the degree during suspension of the Scholarship will be deducted from the maximum tenure of the Scholarship.

26. The Scholarship will be suspended during any period of suspension of studies. International students should check the terms and restrictions applicable to their visas before suspending.

27. Subject to relevant visa conditions, holders of the Scholarship are entitled up to an additional 12 month suspension (less any period of paid parental leave) following holders becoming a parent. The Scholarship holder should apply for suspension within four weeks of the expected date of becoming a parent.

28. Whenever a student suspends their studies the university must report the suspension to immigration authorities and the student may be obliged to return to their home country for the duration of the suspension. Therefore, if a student wishes to remain in Australia during a period of suspension of studies, they must contact the closest Australian immigration office within 28 days of the approval notice to seek approval to remain in Australia during the suspension.

Changes in Enrolment

29. Holders of the Scholarship must notify the supervisor and Higher Degree by Research Administration (HDRAC) within 10 business days of any planned changes to their enrolment including but not limited to: attendance pattern, suspension, leave of absence, withdrawal, course transfer, and candidature upgrade or downgrade by written notice. If the award holder does not provide notice of the changes identified above, the University may require repayment of any overpaid stipend.

30. Students who obtain Australian Permanent Residence status during the course of their enrolment at the University of Sydney (or prior to enrolment at the University) must notify Student Fees, Student Administration Services Office, and HDRAC immediately when their Australian Permanent Resident visa is issued. In this case, students must bring their passport to the Student Centre as soon as possible so that the University can adjust their residency status. Subject to satisfactory progress, students will be eligible to continue with the Scholarship.

Industry placements, research internships and professional practice activities

31. Holders of the Scholarship may undertake industry placements, research internships, and professional practice activities of up to six months’ duration that are approved as part of their HDR course by:

a. their supervisor; b. the relevant Associate Dean (Research Education).

Acknowledgement

32. The University of Sydney contribution must be formally acknowledged when, at any time during or after completion of a relevant HDR course:

a. the recipient; b. the recipient’s supervisor; or c. any other party publishes or produces material (such as books, articles, newsletters or other literary or artistic works) relating to the recipient’s research project.

33. This requirement is met by including the following statement in any materials: “This research is supported by the University of Sydney International Stipend Scholarship.

Termination

34. The Scholarship will be terminated upon the Student’s: a. resignation or withdrawal from their degree, b. failure to enrol without approved leave or suspension, c. submission of their thesis or at the end of the award, whichever occurs first, d. acceptance of another scholarship that provides a stipend of higher value.

35. The Scholarship will also be terminated before clause 34 of this document if the University, after an enquiry, concludes that the Student has: a. not carried out the course of study with competence and diligence, or in accordance with their Scholarship offer, b. failed to maintain satisfactory progress, c. committed serious misconduct.

36. Stipend payment will be suspended throughout the duration of the enquiry/appeal process.

False or Misleading Information

37. The University of Sydney reserves the right to reassess a student’s Scholarship entitlements if it believes the student has provided false or misleading information to the university in relation to their application for admission or the Scholarship award.

38. The University recognises the right of any student to appeal to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Researcher-Training) against any decision affecting the award or tenure of the Scholarship.

Tuition fee scholarship

1. The Candidate must be an international student, who has either obtained unconditional admission offer for, or has already enrolled in, their Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) commencing in 2023, at the University of Sydney “the University”.

2. The Candidate must have been awarded a stipend scholarship of $20,000 or above per annum on merit following a competitive process.

3. The Candidate must discuss their eligibility with their supervisor in order to be considered for the University of Sydney International Tuition Fees Scholarship, the “Scholarship”.

4. The Candidate must provide evidence to substantiate their eligibility upon request. Failure to do so may lead to ineligible for consideration.

5. The Candidate must not have consumed more than one research period of their candidature at the time of consideration.

6. The Scholarship may be awarded for up to 14 research periods (full time), or for the duration of their stipend scholarship, whichever will conclude first. Periods of study already undertaken towards the degree prior to the commencement of the Scholarship will be deducted from the maximum tenure of the Scholarship.

7. The Scholarship would commence from the research period and year stated in the offer letter.

8. The holder of the Scholarship, “the Student”, may defer their Scholarship for up to one research period, subject to the deferred research period is within the same year of the original offer, and with approval of:

a. their supervisor; and b. the Associate Dean (Research Education).

9. The Scholarship may be provided for a duration of an approved industry placement, research internship or professional practice activity (clause 26 of this document) if the maximum tenure of the Scholarship has not been reached.

10. The Scholarship provides 100% tuition fee after relevant census dates as a credit to the Student’s tuition fee liability account for a duration as per clause 6 of this document. The credit will only apply to tuition fee liability.

11. No other benefits are payable.

12. The Scholarship is awarded by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Researcher Training) on the recommendation from the Associate Dean (Research Education).

13. The Scholarship offer will be issued by email to the Student’s university email address.

14. The Student may be approved to receive up to a total of twelve weeks of extended sick leave for medically substantiated periods of illness. Application for extended sick leave must be submitted to Higher Degree by Research Administration Centre (HDRAC) at the start of absence or as soon as practicable. Periods of approved extended sick leave are accumulative and are added to the tenure of the Scholarship.

15. Once the Student has received the Scholarship for twelve months (full time equivalent), they are entitled to a maximum of twelve weeks of parental leave. Application for parental leave must be submitted to HDRAC at the start of absence or as soon as practicable. Periods of approved parental leave are accumulative and added to the tenure of the Scholarship. When applying for parental leave, the Student must provide at least one of the following documents:

a. letter from medical professional related to pregnancy, b. a surrogacy agreement, c. birth certificate of the child, d. adoption documents, or e. relevant documentation that substantiates the application.

16. If the Student who has not received the Scholarship for twelve months, they may access parental leave through the Suspension provisions of this document.

17. The Student may not normally conduct research overseas within the first six months of the Scholarship.

18. The Student may conduct up to 12 months (18 months for students of Anthropology and other special cases) of their research outside Australia. Approval must be sought from the Student's supervisor, and Head of Department/School, and will only be granted if the research is essential for completion of the degree. Approved periods of overseas research are cumulative and will be counted towards the Student's candidature. The Student must remain enrolled and have received approval to Count Time Away.

Transfer from Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) to Master’s degree by Research

19. A transfer from a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree to Master’s degree by Research may result a termination of the Scholarship. Should the Student be approved to retain the scholarship, the maximum tenure of the Scholarship becomes that for the Master’s degree by Research.

20. The Scholarship is not transferrable to another university. Should the Student transfer to another faculty, school, or supervisor within the University, the tenure of the Scholarship will not be extended.

21. The Student may not apply to suspend their candidature within the first six months (full time equivalent) unless a. permitted by a legislative provision; or b. approved by the relevant Associate Dean (Research Education) for extenuating circumstances^ ^extenuating circumstances include carer responsibilities or medical conditions that are generally out of the Student’s control. Approval is subject to the Student’s visa conditions.

22. After the first six months (full time equivalent), the Student may apply for up to 12 months suspension for any reason during the tenure of the Scholarship, subject to the Student’s visa conditions and prior approval from Associate Dean (Research Education). Application for suspension must be submitted to HDRAC. Periods of approved suspension are cumulative and will be added to the tenure of the Scholarship.

23. Whenever the Student suspends their studies the University must report their suspension to immigration authorities and the Student may be obliged to return to their home country for the duration of suspension. Therefore, if the Student wishes to remain in Australia during their period of approved suspension, they must contact the Australian immigration office, within 28 days of the University’s notice, to seek approval to remain in Australia during their suspension period.

24. The Student must notify the supervisor and HDRAC within 10 business days of any planned changes to their enrolment including but not limited to: attendance pattern, suspension, leave of absence, withdrawal, course transfer, and candidature transfer from Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) to Master’s by Research in writing.

25. A Student who has been issued an Australian Permanent Residence visa during their studies, or prior to their enrolment, at the University must bring their passport to the Student Centre as soon as possible to adjust their residency status on their student’s records.

26. The Student may undertake industry placements, research internships, and professional practice activities up to six months that are approved as part of their course by: a. their supervisor, and b. the relevant Associate Dean (Research Education).

27. The Scholarship will be terminated upon the Student’s: a. resignation or withdrawal from their PhD, b. failure to enrol without approved leave or suspension, c. submission of their thesis, d. acceptance of another scholarship provides tuition fee, e. residency status changes to be a domestic student as defined by Higher Education Support Act, or f. Scholarship’s maximum tenure has been reached.

28. The Scholarship will also be terminated before clause 27 (f) of this document if the University, after an enquiry, concludes that the Student has: a. not carried out the course of study with competence and diligence, or in accordance with their Scholarship offer, b. failed to maintain satisfactory progress, c. committed serious misconduct, or d. been deemed ineligible as per Eligibility of this document.

29. The University reserves the right to reassess a Student’s Scholarship’s entitlements if it believes the Student has provided false or misleading information in relation to their application for admission or the Scholarship.

30. The University recognises the right of Student to appeal to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Researcher Training) against any decision affecting their Scholarship.  

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Doctor of Philosophy

As a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) candidate, you’ll complete a substantial program of independent and original research in your chosen field of study. A PhD prepares you for a range of careers - from academic to industry and is the highest degree qualification available. 

• 3–4 years (full time) minimum commitment of 35 – 40 hours per week or
• 6–8 years (part time) minimum commitment of 15 hours per week.
• Offered in all Faculties
• A thesis of no more than 100,000 words.

Entry requirements

Future careers.

• Fees & costs

UNSW undertakes world-class research that tackles some of the greatest challenges facing society today. When you join the UNSW research community, you join a passionate collective of people who are using research to transform minds, transform lives, and transform the world.

UNSW will support you to develop the skills and expertise you need to make a difference in your field. We are committed to providing you with an unmatched PhD experience that includes outstanding research training and mentorship, world-class supervision, and access to research environments defined by excellence and collaboration.

You will receive advanced specialist research training and produce a thesis that provides evidence for independent thought, critical analysis, and expert knowledge of the discipline in an international context. In some disciplines, creative work may form part of the thesis.

Find information about individual PhD programs and codes on the UNSW Handbook .

Learn about the graduate attributes and learning outcomes for UNSW higher degree research programs here . 

The minimum requirement for admission to a PhD is:

• A UNSW Bachelor degree with first or upper second class Honours from UNSW; or
• a completed Master by Research from UNSW with a substantial research component and demonstrated capacity for timely completion of a high quality research thesis; or
• an equivalent qualification from a tertiary institution as determined by the Faculty Higher Degree Committee (HDC)

The minimum requirement for UNSW Scholarship with admission to a PhD is:

• a four year Bachelor degree with first or upper second class Honours from an Australian institution or equivalent research qualification as above.

You may think of yourself as a student, but we think of you as a professional researcher in the early stages of a long and vibrant career.

UNSW will provide you with the skills and expertise to pursue a range of career pathways after you graduate, from academia to industry.

As a PhD candidate, you’ll have access to a wealth of opportunities to work with and alongside industry through industry PhD programs to internships and mentorships .

You’ll also have access to the most comprehensive student entrepreneurship program in Australia, that can help you develop your ideas, raise capital and launch a startup.

Fees and costs

The costs associated with enrolment in a research higher degree program vary depending on whether you are a domestic or international candidate. Learn more about the fees and costs here .

Have questions? Contact us

+61 2 9385 5500

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• Research degrees
• Your research options

International PhD opportunities

When you undertake a joint PhD you will access expertise, resources and training from two institutions. As well as the University of Melbourne, you will spend at least 12 months at an international institution. This means your research will benefit from a global perspective, enhancing your prospects for an international research career. Upon completion, your joint PhD will be recognised by two testamurs – one from each partner university.

Learn how an international joint PhD opportunity in chemistry helped fulfil both professional and personal ambitions for Dr Susi Seibt . Since completing her joint PhD in Germany and Australia, Dr Seibt has landed her dream job at the Australian Synchrotron.

Current joint PhD research opportunities

International joint PhD projects open for application are listed below. These projects are fully funded.

The latest opportunities are also searchable via the Find A Research Project Tool.

Find a Project

New alloy design approach for Mg alloys

Two fully funded Joint PhD positions on New alloy design approach for Mg alloys with Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China).

Unmanned aerial and surface vehicles (UAVs and USVs)

Two fully funded Joint PhD positions on Unmanned aerial and surface vehicles (UAVs and USVs) with Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China).

Optimal orthopaedic implant/bone integration

Two fully funded Joint PhD positions on Optimal orthopaedic implant/bone integration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China).

Turbulent flows and their application to aerospace systems

Two fully funded Joint PhD positions on Turbulent flows and their application to aerospace systems with Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China).

Visualising the dynamics of horizontal gene transfer during bacterial conjugation

Two fully-funded projects investigating dynamical interactions and subcellular localisation of the bacterial conjugation machinery with Berlin University Alliance (Germany).

Identification and characterization of microRNAs essential for the development and fitness of chemoresistant acute myeloid leukemia

One fully funded Joint PhD position on identification and characterisation of microRNAs essential for the development and fitness of chemoresistant acute myeloid leukemia with the University of Toronto.

Green infrastructure and invertebrate communities

One fully funded Joint PhD position on the cooling footprint of green infrastructure and influence on urban invertebrate communities with the University of Toronto.

Shape shifting molecules

Two fully funded Joint PhD positions to use light to control and explore molecular structure and function with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel).

Mental health and cognitive status in late life depression (LLD)

Two fully funded Joint PhD positions to improve outcomes related to mental health and cognitive status in late life depression (LLD) with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel).

Immunology and infection

Various fully joint PhD positions available in the field of infection and immunity, with the University of Bonn (Germany).

Cell-scale MRI

One fully funded joint PhD position available investigating detection of MRI signals on the cellular level, with Hebrew University Jerusalem (Israel).

Exciton science

Eight fully funded joint PhD positions to research light-based energy in exciton science, with the University of Bayreuth (Germany).

Find a Research Project- IRTG filter

Find a research project, filtered under International Research Training Groups (IRTGs).

Find out more about our international partner institutions and how to apply for a joint PhD .

Keep reading

A joint phd creates career opportunities around the world.

Find out what it’s like to undertake a joint PhD in Germany and Australia. Learn how an international joint PhD can shape your career and your life choices.

Explore research areas

Discover your graduate research options at the University of Melbourne.

Supplementary PhD Programs

Learn more about the University of Melbourne’s supplementary PhD programs. These programs help to broaden your networks and enhance your career prospects.

Interdisciplinary research programs

Explore the University’s interdisciplinary research programs for graduate researchers. Collaborations include PhD programs, institutes and centres.

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PhD opportunities

The frontline of tomorrow’s health discoveries.

The University of Western Australia is one of the country’s most prestigious research-intensive universities, ranked in the world’s top 100 institutions and home to Nobel Prize winners Professors Barry Marshall and Robin Warren.

UWA’s Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences offers postgraduate research opportunities in a wide range of scientific and clinical disciplines to significantly benefit the health of Australian and international communities.

As a research-oriented faculty we aim to understand the cause of diseases and to develop new treatments and diagnostic techniques in a holistic approach to help maintain lifelong health.

Through the postgraduate research process, you will extend your understanding of a subject area and develop advanced analytical and project management skills, as well as the ability to work independently. Successful completion of a research degree indicates to a prospective employer that you have excellent project and personal management skills, and that you can think independently and critically, solve problems and communicate effectively.

Benefits of undertaking a postgraduate research degree:

• The challenge of independent research is personally rewarding
• Work with our world-class staff and gain networking opportunities that could lead to career possibilities around the world
• Experience a high rate of success in employment with your transferable skills

Areas of research priority

• Ageing and aged care  
• Antimicrobial resistance
• Arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions
• Cancer control
• Cardiovascular health
• Health security
• Indigenous health
• Injury prevention
• Maternal health in the first 200 days
• Mental health
• Obesity 

Higher Degree by Research opportunities and projects

Students who are interested in research projects should visit the Higher Degree by Research Application Portal  and browse the Project Opportunities section.

All current projects and their supervisors are available in this Portal. This includes PhD and Master by research projects and scholarships. You can search by research areas or a specific school, see available scholarships and contact prospective supervisors. You can also directly contact a potential supervisor using the discipline links (above). 

Explore some of our research projects

Population and global health.

The research strengths of the School of Population and Global Health (PDF 1.6MB) include a strong evidence-based approach to services and health program evaluation, and have a proven record of achievement in preventative, clinical and occupational epidemiology. 

Their research areas are diverse, and can include cardiovascular disease epidemiology, global environment and health, vulnerable groups, and rural health. 

Medical Research 

Medical research is undertaken at the Telethon Kids Institute which is based within the Perth Children’s Hospital. It is one of the largest, and most successful medical research institutes in Australia.

Areas of research include brain and behaviour, chronic and severe diseases, and early environment. 

National Centre of Asbestos Related Diseases (NCARD)

NCARD leads innovation and discovery to improve the lives of people affected by asbestos related disease. We have excellent PhD project opportunities that are supported by outstanding supervisors. In collaboration with the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, we are currently offering an exciting project focusing on  targeting the mesothelioma epigenome (PDF 532KB) to improve immunotherapy outcomes. 

A few of our projects

Mental illness and treatments

Translational research evaluating three interventions that overcome engagement barriers for people with mental illness

Resetting the tipping point Converting immune checkpoint non-responders into responders

This UWA project characterises the events that occur in cancers cured by immunotherapy using gene expression data to discover ways to reinforce those processes and increase cancer cure rates.

Asbestos Removalists Study

Asbestos removalists are at a high risk of asbestos exposure. This UWA project will involve recruiting asbestos removalists to assess their health now and in the future.

Postgraduate research scholarships

Professional courses in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, podiatric medicine and social work are offered at postgraduate level. In addition to professional courses, we offer postgraduate coursework and research courses and training in a variety of disciplines.

UWA offers more than 150 postgraduate scholarships each year to domestic and international students to undertake a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or a Master of Philosophy (MPhil). PhDs and MPhils are programs of independent, supervised research assessed on the basis of a thesis and can be taken in any discipline for which appropriate supervision and resourcing are available.

The eligibility criteria and application process is the same for both degrees, with the PhD typically taking four years and the MPhil taking two years. The MPhil is a master’s by research degree.

International scholarships provide tuition fees, living allowances and in some cases, the Overseas Student Health Cover, while the domestic scholarships provide living allowances, as the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) already provides Fee Offset Scholarships to students successful in obtaining an offer to commence a PhD or an MPhil.

The Graduate Research School has rounds of international and domestic scholarship applications each year. Check the website for opening dates and application procedures, including access to the online application form.

Finding a supervisor

Supervisors advise, guide and provide constructive feedback in choosing a topic, designing a project, conducting the research, interpreting the findings and writing the dissertation.

Most postgraduate research students are supervised by two or more members of staff.

External supervisors are welcome additions. Generally, allocation of supervisors is a matter for individual negotiation between student and supervisor, and students are free to choose.

Make your choice with great care, as the effectiveness of the student/supervisor relationship has a major effect on your experience.

You're viewing this site as a domestic an international student

You're a domestic student if you are:

• a citizen of Australia or New Zealand,
• an Australian permanent resident, or
• a holder of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa.

You're an international student if you are:

• intending to study on a student visa,
• not a citizen of Australia or New Zealand,
• not an Australian permanent resident, or
• a temporary resident (visa status) of Australia.

We have the answers to your research questions.

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Email us, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

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Doctor of Philosophy

A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is an internationally recognised graduate research program that will enable you to become an independent researcher. 

With the guidance of an advisory team, you'll undertake a research project, produce an 80,000-word thesis and complete an oral examination.

A PhD takes 3 to 4 years full-time. Under guidance, you'll develop advanced research skills and knowledge in your chosen field.

The thesis is a substantial document that makes an original contribution to your field of research. Your thesis may involve an alternate format .

You'll need a strong academic background and you may need to submit a research proposal and other documents to support your application. About 1,000 PhD candidates join UQ each year researching a wide range of topics.

Research at UQ

UQ is one of Australia’s top research-intensive universities. Our research makes an impact on the world's cultural, environmental, economic and social challenges.

Learn more about UQ's research

Program highlights

• Be inspired and challenged to explore new ideas and develop greater understanding of complex questions with leading researchers.
• Access premier resources including one of Australia’s largest libraries, with more than 2 million physical resources and 116,800+ journal subscriptions.
• Foster and improve your skills through the Career Development Framework, created with industry.
• Learn from researchers whose work addresses national and global cultural, environmental, economic and social challenges.

35 in the world

CWTS Leiden Ranking 2023

51 in the world

Academic Ranking of World Universities 2023

Supervision

You have to find and contact a thesis supervisor before you apply

This supervisor will support, guide and mentor you through your research, and can introduce you to professional networks that will start your career.

Find a supervisor

3-Minute Thesis

The showcase event for research candidates is the 3-Minute Thesis (3MT). 

3MT is held each spring.

Learn more about the 3MT

Career development

UQ offers a range of development opportunities via the Career Development Framework (CDF) to help you develop portable skills for any career or industry.

Learn more about the CDF

Studying at UQ gave me the flexibility to expand my knowledge across different areas of science outside of my chosen specialty. Keeping my scientific and translational skills broad has allowed me to adapt to different environments and opportunities throughout my career.

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Entry requirements, gpa equivalent.

Select where you studied and your qualification to see the GPA you need to be considered for this program.

Meeting the GPA requirement doesn’t guarantee admission.

Academic entry requirements

You have to prove you are prepared for PhD study. You do this by showing you:

• have completed some research experience
• have completed an approved university degree  and
• can meet the English language requirements.

Approved degrees

An approved degree needs to be:

• in an area relevant to your proposed PhD project and
• completed no more than 10 years ago.

You need one of the following approved degrees to apply for a PhD:

• Master of Philosophy (or another research master’s degree); or
• Bachelor’s degree from an approved university with at least honours class IIA or equivalent; or
• Coursework master’s degree with an overall grade point average of 5.65 on the 7-point UQ scale which includes relevant research experience, approved by the dean; or
• Postgraduate degree (at least one year full-time or equivalent) with an overall grade point average of 5 on the 7-point UQ scale, together with demonstrated research experience equivalent to honours class IIA will be considered on a case-by-case basis; or
• Bachelor’s degree plus at least 2 years of relevant research experience , including research publications.

Research experience

You'll meet the requirements for admission into a PhD in terms of 'research preparedness' if you can provide evidence that you've planned and executed project work and/or a body of research with some independence.

To demonstrate this, we'll ask you to provide one of the following:

• with completed courses that aim to develop research skills (minimum value of #1 unit e.g. 50 per cent of a #2 unit course), and/or
• the completion of a supervised research project that includes an individually graded written report with a combined minimum course volume equal to #4 units at UQ.
• Scholarly papers involving a substantial contribution as an author, appearing in recognised academic journals or in volumes published by recognised academic publishers.
• Research or technical reports prepared for industry, government or business, which adhere to the broad conventions of academic publishing (i.e. contain an up-to-date review of relevant literature, a description of relevant research methods and an evaluation of results, etc.) and which identify you as a significant contributor.
• A portfolio of published creative work together with published critical discussion of some or all of that work, or of a comparable body of work by others, and which demonstrates your development of a scholarly approach to creative work as research investigation.
• Demonstrable industry or work experience where you can demonstrate that you have planned and executed a project, working with a high level of independence.

Student visas

International students who are accepted into full-time study in the Doctor of Philosophy are eligible to apply for an Australian Student visa (subclass 500).

This program has two CRICOS codes:

• 0100213 – Architecture, creative arts, education, health, information technology, management and commerce, mathematical sciences, social and cultural studies
• 0100214 – Agriculture and environmental studies, dentistry, engineering, human movement, medical studies, natural and physical sciences, pharmacy, psychology, veterinary science

Discuss your proposed project with us to determine which CRICOS code is most relevant for your visa application.

There are a number of requirements you must satisfy before a visa is granted, including the genuine temporary entrant (GTE) requirement.

Learn more about student visas

Additional entry requirements

Many departments will have additional entry requirements and may request documents to support your application, such as a research proposal. You should discuss these additional requirements with your potential thesis supervisor.

Additional application information

Minimum English language proficiency requirements apply, please refer to the English proficiency policy .

English language requirements

There are a few ways you can meet our English language requirements. If you sit a test, the following scores are needed for PhD admission:

Read our English language requirements

Scholarships

There are several types of PhD scholarship:

• tuition fee scholarship : this covers the fees charged by UQ for PhD study
• living stipend scholarship: this is a   fortnightly payment (or stipend) to support your daily expenses
• top-up scholarship: may be provided by external organisations, supervisors, or philanthropic donations. When awarded, they provide an additional payment on top of a living stipend scholarship. They cannot be held without a living stipend scholarship.

Each year, we award more than 600 scholarships to attract and support the highest quality higher degree by research applicants.

View all postgraduate research scholarships

University scholarships

UQ scholarships include:

• Graduate School Scholarships
• Graduate School Tuition Fees Scholarship
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scholarships
• Earmarked Scholarships
• The Graduate School Scholarship

Other scholarships

Throughout the year we advertise a range of other research scholarships, including top-up scholarships, travel grants and external scholarships, including:

• Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship

How to apply for a scholarship

You can apply for many scholarships using the same form as your PhD application. External scholarships might have different ways to apply. 

Our Scholarships website explains how to apply for each scholarship. If you are applying for a non-UQ scholarship, outcome dates may vary.

Fees and costs

Tuition fees.

Your fees will vary according to your academic field, study load and whether you study internally or remotely.

Learn more about postgraduate research fees

Research costs

The department you enrol with will meet all necessary costs for your project, including:

• resource and facility costs: at UQ, which may include other organisations in Australia or overseas
• travel costs: to complete fieldwork, collect data, or to visit libraries or other repositories
• coursework costs: for courses studied outside the department
• relevant training: in particular methodologies or techniques.

How to apply

Before you apply, 1. check your eligibility.

Check your eligibility by reviewing the entry requirements for UQ's Higher Degrees by Research. If applying for a scholarship, check the scholarship's eligibility and important dates.

2. Approach a potential supervisor or find a project

You'll either need to find:

• a supervisor in your field who will support your proposed project.  Identify a researcher .
• a project you can join that suits your interests.  See available projects .

If you're choosing a researcher, you'll need to find one with relevant expertise and get agreement to support your PhD and project.

Many departments will require additional information to make a decision around your motivation, understanding, commitment, and financial support required.

They may request documents to support your application, such as a research proposal. You should discuss these additional requirements with your potential thesis supervisor.

3. Gather your documents

You will need to compile the necessary documents. We will accept scanned copies of original documents, but you will have to keep all original documents for the duration of your studies.

Upload all documents as PDFs and name your files like this: LASTNAME_firstname_document-name.pdf

If any of your documents is in a language other than English, you will need to send both the original document and an official translation.

Send the following documents with your application:

An academic CV assists us to determine your readiness to commence a higher degree by research. For the purposes of this application, your academic CV should be current (i.e. no more than 6 months old) and include information under the following headings:

Personal details

• your full name
• your contact details (phone number, email address, city and country of residence)
• nationality
• languages spoken and proficiency level for each
• your ORCID ID or other research output identifier (such as Google Scholar) if you have one (see the ORCID ID and research identifiers information provided by UQ Library).

As the purpose of this academic CV is to determine your academic suitability for a higher degree by research program at UQ and your competitiveness against other applicants, we only require information that is of direct relevance to our decision-making processes. With this in mind, please do not include the following in your academic CV:

• photographs/head shot
• marital status
• driver’s license
• date of birth/age
• hobbies and interests.

Educational qualifications and academic awards

List each of your formal educational qualifications in reverse chronological order (i.e. with the most recent formal educational qualification listed first). For each qualification, include:

• the commencing and end dates (month and year) for the qualification
• the full title of the qualification (e.g. Bachelor of Arts instead of B.A.)
• the institution attended and the enrolling school/administrative unit
• the city and country where the institution is located
• your Grade Point Average (GPA) for the overall qualification
• any academic achievement awards (e.g. Dean’s awards, subject prizes, University medals, thesis prizes etc.) received for the qualification
• if a research thesis was part of the qualification, include the title and word length of your dissertation.

As part of your application, please submit academic transcripts and degree certificates for each educational qualification you list.

Please do not include:

• high school qualifications
• the individual subjects/courses undertaken throughout your qualifications or the grades awarded for these
• training courses/professional development activities not resulting in a formal qualification.

Professional affiliations and memberships

List any professional/disciplinary associations or committees that you a member of and include:

• the commencing and end date (in years) for the affiliation/membership
• the name of the professional association or committee
• your membership type (e.g. student member, affiliate member, full member etc.) or role (e.g. committee member, secretary, president etc.).

Employment history

List each of your previous employment roles in reverse chronological order (i.e. with the most recent/current employment listed first) and include:

• the commencing and end dates (month and year) for the employment
• the title of each position
• the name of the employing organisation, the city, and country where you were based
• your main duties or accountabilities in that role, providing detailed information on any research-related activities
• any achievements during that role that are relevant to your proposed field of research .

Other research experience

List any voluntary, unpaid, or extra-curricular research-related projects or experiences you have undertaken (e.g. summer research projects, internships etc.) and include:

• the commencing and end dates (month and year) of the experience
• the name of the organisation, the city, and country where you were based

Research outputs

In reverse chronological order (i.e. the most recent output first) list your research outputs,  including for example research published or accepted for publication, research reports, and research by creative practice.

If needed, use sub-headings to separate refereed journal articles, published conference proceedings, edited book chapters, books, creative works, industry reports, invited papers, patents, media commentary, conference presentations and posters, invited talks etc. If applicable, use additional sub-headings to indicate if outputs are published , accepted for publication (but not yet in print), or (submitted but) under review .

Do not include any outputs/publications that are ‘in preparation’ .

For all research outputs, include:

• the output/publication reference using an official bibliographical style (such as Turabian/Chicago, APA, Harvard), including listing all authors in the order that they appear in the work with your name in bold
• the Digital Object Identifier (DOI), PubMed Identifier (PMID), International Standard Book Number (ISBN) or URL where applicable
• the standing of the journal or conference and the impact of the work (e.g. impact factors, citations and other metrics indicators)
• relevant indicators of national or international significance
• rejection rates for the outlet etc.
• how much of the original research you were responsible for (i.e. what was your role in the conception and design of the project and how involved were you in the analysis and interpretation of the research data on which the publication is based?)
• the extent to which you authored the paper.

Research grants and relevant awards

Include only those research grants and relevant awards that you have received at the time of making your application (i.e. do not list grants or awards that you applied for and did not receive or are awaiting a decision on). For each research grant/award, include:

• the name of the granting/awarding body and the country in which they are based
• the name of the grant/award
• the year(s) in which the grant was active or the year in which the award was made
• the amount of the research grant/award
• if relevant (e.g. for research grants), the title of your application.

Applicants from creative and professional-based disciplines may also include non-research grants and awards related to their creative or professional practice.

Research achievements relative to opportunity (optional)

In recognition of the diverse personal and professional pathways that applicants have experienced, you are invited to provide information ( maximum 200 words ) to contextualise your research outputs and achievements, relative to the opportunities that you have had to participate in research-related activities.

This section of the CV is optional and should only be included if you believe there are factors relevant to your research achievements that you would like the selection panels to know. Examples of factors include (but are not limited to):

• study/career disruptions due to illness, caregiving, natural disasters etc.
• non-linear academic or career progression, or a change in career direction
• reduced ability to take up research-related opportunities (e.g. attend conferences) due to caregiving responsibilities.

Academic referees

Please provide us with two referees who can comment on your academic work. For each referee, include their:

• honorific and name
• employing organisation and the city and country where they are located
• contact details, including office address, telephone, fax and email (preferably an institutional, rather than private, email address)
• an indication of the capacity in which you know this person (e.g. were they a lecturer or thesis supervisor, an employer, how long you’ve known them etc.). 

If possible, please include at least one:

• senior person (preferably your supervisor or the head of your organisational unit) closely associated with your current work, and
• person who is not a member of your proposed advisory panel/supervisory team.

Formatting and document specifications

We recommend that you use the below formatting settings to improve the readability of your CV:

• margins of at least 1.5 centimetres
• single line spacing
• no smaller than 12 point Times New Roman font (or equivalent)
• left justify text (not full justify)
• include your name and page number on each page
• be consistent in your formatting and spelling throughout
• limit the use of bold, underline, italics, and multiple font types.

Please proofread your CV carefully before uploading it to your application.

Save as a PDF and name your file: LASTNAME_firstname_CV.pdf

There is no page limit to your academic CV – it can be as long as required to include the information requested here.

Please include in your CV all the headings listed above – if you do not have any content to add for a particular heading please list ‘None to date’ under that heading .

An academic CV for employment purposes within Australia would not include the information requested here outlining your three most significant publications or your research achievements relative to opportunity. It would, however, include information about professional and service activities undertaken and may include a summary of your relevant research/teaching interest areas and skill sets – this information is not required in the CV you submit here for application to an HDR program.

This should show all study you have undertaken since secondary school, whether complete or incomplete, including the institution grading scale. The grading scale is often found on the final page or the reverse page; be sure to include all pages.

An academic transcript can also be called an:

• academic record
• diploma supplement
• statement of learning
• record of achievement.

A degree certificate is a legal document, imprinted with a university seal. It should state the name of your qualification and areas of study.

Include all degree certificates (testamurs) for post-secondary study with your application. If you studied in China, you must provide a:

• award certificate and
• graduate statement/certificate.

All applicants have to prove they can meet English language requirements . Any test scores have to be valid at your proposed commencement date.

Include a copy of the information page (with your photo) in your passport. This will verify your identity and ensure we can make offers correctly.

Include the contact details of two referees who will support your application. These referees will need to provide insight into your research experience.

We will contact your referees for a report, but you will need to enter their details into the application form.

Other documentation, originals or certified copies, may be required depending on your individual circumstances, for example:

• evidence of change of name
• proof of citizenship, if you are not a citizen of Australia or New Zealand by birth
• evidence of your Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status
• previous research program information .

If you don't provide us with all documents it will take us longer to process your application. Your start date might then be delayed, or you might miss an admission or scholarship deadline. 

4. Apply online

Once you have prepared your application and contacted a potential supervisor, use the online application form to apply. Your application can only be assessed once your referees have responded to us, and all outstanding documents and school/institute endorsements have been received.

Important dates

The academic year for research students is divided into four research quarters (RQ).

Candidates applying for a Student Visa or UQ scholarship may need to apply earlier. Make sure you check  scholarship round application deadlines  and outcome dates before applying.

The agreed start date will be included on your Confirmation of Enrolment.

Find out more about research quarter dates

The academic year for research students is divided into four research quarters (RQ). You can start a PhD in any quarter, as long as the Census Date hasn't passed.

Candidates applying for a UQ scholarship may need to apply earlier. Make sure you check scholarship round application deadlines and outcome dates before applying.

The agreed start date will be included on your offer of admission.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants

For support with applying – or if you have any questions about university life – get in touch with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit.

Contact the ATSIS Unit

Explore other programs

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PhD Projects

Our researchers belong to one of four research centres that investigate problems using different approaches. Many of our projects are cross-disciplinary, with advisors from different centres, giving you the benefit of a wider range of expertise.

Our PhD projects are divided into 'Global Challenges PhD Projects', 'Standard PhD Projects' and 'Earmarked PhD Projects'. Where available, please select a Centre to explore all available PhD projects in that category.  Subscribe to alerts  to be notified of any new PhD projects and for any queries, please contact the HDR Liaison Officer,  [email protected] .

Subscribe to alerts   PhD Homepage

Global Challenges PhD Projects

The  Global Challenges top-up only applies to Global Challenges PhD Projects (listed here). It is a top up to the UQ Graduate School Scholarship  plus $5,000 support for a placement on top of the $2,000 Student Development fund (over the period of the candidature) to outstanding domestic and  eligible international onshore applicants . The theme for Global Challenges PhD projects commencing in RQ1, 2025 is ' Drugs inspired by nature '.

Characterisation of blood-brain barrier nutrient transporters

Principal Advisor:   Dr Rosemary Cater  ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:   Dr Anne Lagendijk  ( [email protected] )

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a layer of tightly packed endothelial cells that separate the blood for the brain. The BBB has evolved to protect our brains from blood-borne neurotoxins and pathogens, but unfortunately, it also prevents the majority of potential neurotherapeutics from entering the brain. In fact, it has been estimated that ~98% of all small-molecule drugs are not able to cross the BBB. This creates a major bottleneck in the development of treatments for diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, glioblastoma, anxiety, and depression. The more we know about what can enter the brain, the better informed we will be for developing treatments for these diseases. Transporter proteins expressed at the BBB play a very important role in regulating the entrance of molecules in a highly specific manner. For example, the transporters FLVCR2 and MFSD2A allow for the uptake of choline and omega-3 fatty acids into the brain – both of which are essential nutrients that the brain requires in very large amounts. This project will utilise biochemical techniques and structural biology (cryo-EM) to further understand transport proteins at the BBB and how they transport specific molecules into the brain. This will provide critical insights that for the development of neurotherapeutics that can hijack these transporters to allow for entrance into the brain.

Chemical embedding in artificial intelligence models

Principal Advisor:  Dr Johannes Zuegg  ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:  TBC

The embedding of chemical structures for deep learning network is currently limited to a few approaches that fail to represent the chemical properties in an efficient and comprehensive way. Especially for large language models the embedding of chemical information is limited to methods containing few chemical properties, or associated biological activities in the case of bioactive chemicals. The project will explore and develop embedding methods that can enrich chemical and biological properties, using chemical relevant transformations to provide enriched descriptors. The project will explore their application in predictive and generative models, able to generate new chemical structures with a desired biological activity. The project has thereby access to the existing large of the Community for Open Antimicrobial Drug Discovery (CO-ADD), which has collected the structures and biological activity of over 500,000 chemicals.

Designing mini-protein chaperones for dementia treatment

Principal Advisor:  Dr Michael Healy  ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:   Professor Brett Collins  ( [email protected] )

At the heart of neurodegeneration is the concept of proteostasis, the tight regulation of protein synthesis, transport, degradation, and recycling. Defective proteostasis results in the toxic accumulation of proteins and peptides such as amyloid β (Aβ) and phosphorylated tau. The major pathway that regulates proteostasis is the sorting and degradation of transmembrane proteins in the endolysosomal system, and associated autophagic and lysosomal destruction of toxic cytosolic molecules. Retromer is a trimeric protein complex that is a central player in regulating the endolysosomal system and is downregulated in the hippocampus of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Molecules (termed molecular chaperones) that stabilise this complex increase Retromer levels in neurons and decrease levels of neurotoxic Aβ, however, to date no molecule has made it into the clinic. Here I will use our knowledge of fundamental Retromer biology to design a suite of ‘mini-protein’ molecular chaperones using revolutionary machine learning techniques (Alphafold, RFdiffusion) and test their ability to stabilise Retromer in vitro and reverse dysfunction in known cellular models of neurodegeneration. Unlike traditional drug screening approaches, these revolutionary techniques allow for the generation of novel protein backbones that bind to specified regions of a protein or protein complex. If successful, these molecular chaperones could represent novel therapeutics for the treatment of the underlying molecular pathology that is common in neurodegeneration.

Developing ionobiotics for the targeted treatment of multi-drug resistant bacteria

Principal Advisor:  Professor Mark Walker  ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:   Dr David De Oliveira  ( [email protected] ) and Proessor Maree Smith (SBMS;  [email protected] )

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing source of morbidity, mortality, and economic and health-care costs. The innovative use of ionophores to break antibiotic resistance in clinically relevant multidrug-resistant bacteria has paved a therapeutic pathway to investigate ionophores as direct-acting antibiotics. By utilising a validated drug development program, this project will define the utility of these promising new compounds by exploring their mode of action, the range of pathogens that can be treated, and their drug pharmacology profiles during infection. Ionophores represent a NEW-CLASS of antibiotics with broad-spectrum activity against a wide range of antimicrobial-resistant bacterial species. Our overarching goal is to expand the repertoire of effective antibiotic therapies available for AMR associated infections.

Development of peptide-based blood-brain barrier shuttles

Principal Advisor:   A/Prof Markus Muttenthaler  ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:  A/Prof. Johan Rosengren (SBMS,  [email protected] )

The blood-brain barrier controls the transfer of substances between the blood and the brain, protecting us from toxic compounds while allowing the transfer of nutrients and other beneficial molecules. This project aims to discover new venom peptides capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and to develop non-toxic peptide-based brain delivery systems. It addresses long-standing challenges and knowledge gaps in the delivery of macromolecules across biological barriers. The project will involve cell culture, blood-brain barrier assays, proteomics, peptide chemistry, NMR structure determination, and molecular biology and pharmacology. The candidate should have a degree in biochemistry, pharmacology or cell biology, good hands-on laboratory skills and strong ambition and work ethics. Expected outcomes include an improved understanding of the strategies nature exploits to reach targets in the brain, mechanistic pathways to cross biological membranes, and innovative discovery and chemistry strategies to advance fundamental research across the chemical and biological sciences.

Exploring Australian Microbes for Next-Generation Medicines through Soils for Science (S4S)

Principal Advisor:  Dr Zeinab Khalil  ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:   Dr Angela Salim  ( [email protected] ),  Professor Rob Capon  ( [email protected] ) and  A/Prof Loic Yengo  ( [email protected] )

Microbes have been a new promising source of modern medicines, including antibiotics (e.g. penicillin) and immunosuppressants (e.g. sirolimus) and well as agents to treat cancer (e.g. adriamycin) and cardiovascular (e.g. statins) disease, as well as many more. Recent advances in genomics offer the prospect of exciting new approaches to discovering the next generation of medicines hidden within the Australian microbiome.

To this end in 2020 we launched Soils for Science (S4S) as an Australia wide citizen science initiative, designed to engage the public, to collect 10's of thousands of soil samples from backyards across the nation, from which we will isolate 100's thousands of unique Australian microbes. 

This project will annotate the S4S microbe library to prioritize those that are genetically and chemically unique. These will be subjected to cultivation profiling, and fermentation, followed by chemical analysis to isolate, identify and evaluate new classes of chemical diversity. 

The successful candidate will join a multi-disciplinary team where, supported by microbiological and genomic sciences, they will gain skills and experience in analytical, spectroscopic and medicinal chemistry – to inform and inspire the discovery of future medicines.

Applicants must have a strong background with outstanding grades in organic chemistry, and with an interest in learning multidisciplinary biosciences.

Fine-tuning the application of peptide-based antimalarial drugs through understanding their mechanism of action

Principal Advisor:  Dr Nicole Lawrence  ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:   Professor Denise Doolan  ( [email protected] ) and  Professor David Craik  ( [email protected] )

Malaria is a disease caused by Plasmodium parasites. The disease kills half a million people every year and the parasites rapidly evolve resistance to new drugs. Developing new drugs with different ways of killing the parasites is important for staying ahead of the disease progression. We have developed peptide-based drugs that target red blood cells infected with malaria parasites. The peptides are safe and selective and are also less likely to result in the parasites developing drug resistance compared to existing small molecule drugs.  We are seeking a motivated PhD student to join our discovery team and contribute valuable knowledge required for developing lead peptides into new treatments for malaria.  The overall aims of the PhD project are:

1.    Undertake genetic studies to understand how lead peptides affect malaria parasites at transcription and protein expression levels 2.    Explore whether lead peptides have immune modulatory properties in animals 3.    Identify combination treatment options by combining peptides with existing antimalarial drugs that have different mechanisms of killing parasites

From Bugs to Drugs: Improving drug delivery into cancer and immune cells.

Principal Advisor:  Professor Jennifer Stow  ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:   Professor Mark Schembri  ( [email protected] ) and Professor Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop (SMP;  [email protected] ) 

The efficient delivery of drugs, vaccines, mRNAs and nanoparticles into human cells is still a major challenge for treating and preventing disease. Bugs, or bacteria, hold the key for penetrating our cells by hijacking endocytic, phagocytic and other trafficking pathways with their effector proteins. We can use these effectors too, to develop new methods for penetrating cancer cells and immune cells to improve drug delivery and to manipulate cell function and survival. Our bug-based effectors will be made, tagged and used for microscopy and live imaging of cells and for measuring biophysical properties of the cell membranes. We will explore effector-enhanced drug delivery and monitor disease processes in organoids and live tissues, in collaboration with microbiologists, physicists, immunologists and clinicians.

How E. coli cause urinary tract infections

Principal Advisor:   Professor Mark Schembri  ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisors:  Professor Matthew Sweet  ( [email protected] )

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common infectious diseases, with a global annual incidence of approximately 400 million cases. UTI is also a major precursor to sepsis, which affects about 50 million people worldwide each year, with a mortality rate of 20-40% in developed countries. Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) is the major cause of UTI and a leading cause of sepsis, and associated with high rates of antibiotic resistance. This project will explore how UPEC cause disease, with a goal to identify new approaches to treat and prevent infection. Students with an interest in microbiology, bacterial pathogenesis, animal infection models and antibiotic resistance are encouraged to apply.

Mapping chemical diversity in Australian marine microbes

Associate Advisor:   Dr Angela Salim  ( [email protected] ),  Professor Rob Capon  ( [email protected] ) and Dr Mariusz Skwarczynski (SCMB)

There are multiple reasons why the discovery and development of new marine bioproducts is highly dependent on a quantitative understanding (mapping) of the chemical diversity intrinsic to different Australian marine biomass.

Firstly, the informed selection of marine biomass strains to support commercial production is greatly enhanced by knowledge of the yield, structures and diversity of small molecule and peptide bioactives – especially where these are the active agents critical to product properties (ie human health immunomodulatory, anti-infective, cardioprotective, neuroprotective and antioxidants; animal health antiparasitics; crop protection fungicides, herbicides and insecticides; livestock/crop productivity grow promoters; and/or new fine chemical pigments or flavouring agents).

Secondly, knowledge of chemical diversity and bioactives can significantly advance the design of optimal methods for production, harvest, handling, biorefining, biomanufacturer and product formulation, inclusive of quality control to monitor bioactive recovery, stability and content at each stage of the production cycle.

Thirdly, knowledge of chemical diversity can be used to improve the utilisation of biomass, and increase commercial returns, by identifying additional product classes from a single biomass. For example, analysis of biorefinery fractions after recovery of a primary marine bioproduct (ie omega-3-fatty acids or fucoidan) could reveal new product classes – with application inclusive of new functional foods and feeds, nutriceuticals, therapeutics, livestock and crop agrochemicals, and more.

This project seeks to develop advanced and optimised methods in UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS molecular networking, to rapidly, cost effectively, reproducibly and quantitatively map the small molecule and peptide chemical diversity of taxonomically and geographically diverse Australian marine microbes and microalgae, including fresh and processed biomass, biorefinery fractions and outputs, and formulated marine bioproducts – to advance the discovery and development of valuable new marine bioproducts.

The successful candidate will join a multi-disciplinary team where, supported by microbiological and genomic sciences, they will gain skills and experience in analytical, spectroscopic and medicinal chemistry – to inform and inspire the discovery of future marine bioproducts.

Medicinal chemistry strategies to remove bacterial biofilms associated with gastrointestinal disorders

Associate Advisor:   Professor Mark Blaskovich  ( [email protected] )

Gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel disorders (IBS) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) affect 10–15% of the population, reduce the quality of life of millions of individuals, and result in substantial socioeconomic costs. Recently, we revealed a high prevalence of macroscopically visible bacterial biofilms in the gastrointestinal tracts of IBD and IBS patients, linking these biofilms to a dysbiosis of the microbiome and the pathologies. Using patient-derived biofilm-producing bacterial strains, we established biofilm bioassays and identified leads capable of removing these biofilms.

This project pursues cutting-edge medicinal chemistry strategies to advance various lead molecules towards drug candidates and enhance their therapeutic window and biofilm-specificity. Techniques that will be acquired include: solid-phase peptide synthesis, organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, high-performance liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, proteomics, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gut stability assays, and antimicrobial and biofilm assays.

The candidate should have a degree in chemistry, biochemistry or pharmacology, good hands-on laboratory skills, and a desire to drive the project. The candidate will be involved in solid-phase peptide synthesis, medicinal chemistry, mass spectrometry, structure-activity relationship studies, gut stability assays, and antimicrobial, antibiofilm and cytotoxicity assays.

Targeting the oxytocin receptor for breast tumour reduction

Principal Advisor:  A/Prof Markus Muttenthaler  ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:   A/Prof Loic Yengo  ( [email protected] )

Over half a million women die from breast cancer annually (>3,000 in Australia), affecting one in eight women. It is therefore important to pursue new drug targets to improve therapy and patient survival. The oxytocin/oxytocin receptor (OT/OTR) signalling system plays a key role in childbirth, breastfeeding, mother-child bonding and social behaviour. It is also involved in breast cancer, where it modulates tumour growth, including subtypes such as triple-negative breast cancer that remain difficult to treat.

This project will investigate OT/OTR’s role in tumour growth and metastasis and assess its therapeutic potential in breast cancer management. It will focus on the OTR-specific tumour growth and metastasis pathways and on developing therapeutic leads derived from nature to reduce tumour growth. Anticipated outcomes include a better understanding of OT/OTR’s role in breast cancer and new therapeutic leads for an alternative treatment strategy.

The candidate should have a degree in biochemistry, pharmacology or cell biology, good hands-on laboratory skills, some bioinformatics skills (e.g., ability to implement statistical tests in R/Python and program scripts to automate analyses) and strong ambition and work ethics. The candidate will be involved in genetic/bioinformatic analysis, cancer cell signalling assays, chemical synthesis of OT ligands, GPCR pharmacology and characterisation of therapeutic leads in breast cancer models.

Understanding the molecular structures of proteins involved in rare disease

Associate Advisor:   Dr Brett Collins  ( [email protected] )

Rare diseases are often caused by genetic mutations that disrupt protein function. In some cases, we already understand the three-dimensional structure and functional role of these proteins in healthy individuals. However, unfortunately, for some rare diseases, we lack this knowledge. This lack of information prevents us from understanding how mutations within the protein can lead to malfunction and disease onset, which in turn prevents us from understanding the disease and how to treat it. This project will employ biochemical techniques, structural biology (cryo-EM), and computational approaches to understand the normal 3D structure and role of proteins implicated in rare diseases. By elucidating these aspects, we will provide critical insights for the development of drugs to treat these rare diseases.

Unveiling Potential Drug Candidates for Inflammatory Bowel Disease within the Rich Tapestry of the Australian Microbiome

Associate Advisor:   Dr Angela Salim  ( [email protected] ),  Professor Rob Capon  ( [email protected] ) and Dr Rabina Giri (Mater Health)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract, encompassing disorders like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. With existing treatments often falling short, there's a growing need for innovative solutions.

In 2020, we initiated the Soils for Science (S4S) project, a nationwide citizen science endeavor collecting soil samples from backyards across Australia. Within this diverse microbial landscape, we seek answers to IBD.

Our mission involves annotating the S4S microbe library, prioritizing genetically and chemically unique microbes. Through cultivation profiling and fermentation, we aim to harness the untapped potential of these microbes for drug discovery. The ensuing chemical analysis will isolate, identify, and evaluate new compounds with the potential to revolutionize IBD treatment.

Join our multidisciplinary team and dive into the world of analytical, spectroscopic, and medicinal chemistry, guided by microbiological and genomic sciences. Together, we are poised to unlock nature's secrets and pave the way for groundbreaking treatments for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Venom-derived peptides to study heart function and treat cardiovascular disease

Associate Advisor:   A/Prof Nathan Palpant  ( [email protected] )

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world. Although therapies have improved, mortality remains high, and 1 in 5 people develop heart failure, resulting in global annual healthcare costs of $108 billion. Innovative solutions are therefore required to develop new therapies for heart disease.

Venoms comprise a complex cocktail of bioactive peptides that target many human receptors and are therefore a rich source of new pharmacological tools and therapeutic leads. This project focuses on identifying and developing such new tools and leads with interesting functions on the human heart.

Techniques will include venom-heart-function screens, tissue culture, proteomics, chemical synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies. Identified compounds will support the study of heart function and might lead to innovations in the prevention or treatment of cardiovascular disorders.

The candidate should have a degree in biochemistry, pharmacology and/or cell biology, good hands-on laboratory skills, and strong ambition and work ethics.

Standard PhD Projects

All standard PhD projects qualify for a UQ Graduate School Scholarship . When you have chosen a project (or wish to devise a new project), please  contact the Principal Advisor  via email ensuring the project title (or proposed project title) is in the subject line and your latest CV is attached. Once you have confirmation that they will endorse you for your project, you may officially  apply via the UQ Application Portal  making sure you select 'UQ Graduate School Scholarship' when you do so.

• Centre for Cell Biology of Chronic Diseases
• Centre for Chemistry and Drug Discovery
• Centre for Superbug Solutions
• Centre for Population and Disease Genomics

A new strategy to treat chronic liver disease

Principal Advisor: Prof Irina Vetter  (IMB)

Associate Advisor: A/Prof Frederic Gachon (IMB)

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a severe health burden which can progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Associated with obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, NAFLD affects around 25% of the world’s population and up to 90% of people with morbid obesity. To date, there are no treatment possibilities available for NAFLD and therapeutic strategies are highly sought after. We recently demonstrated that the size of the liver fluctuates over the day. These daily fluctuations are regulated by circadian and feeding rhythms and accompany the daily rhythms of nutrient storage, drug detoxification and ribosome biogenesis. While high amplitude circadian rhythms are associated with a healthy liver, the rhythmicity of liver size and physiology are attenuated in obesity and liver disease. Our preliminary data suggests that the regulation of ion channels play a role in liver size fluctuation and the development of liver fibrosis. This project aims at identifying new small molecules targeting these ion channels to target liver size with the aim to restore normal liver physiology and counteract the development or even cure NAFLD, opening new avenues for treatment and prevention of NAFLD.

AI and Mechanical Ventilation

Principal Advisor: Professor John Fraser ( [email protected] )

To test the effect of introduction of AI algorithms to help analyse ventilator waveforms and data from the mechanical ventilator. This will include the testing of feasibility and safety, and impact on clinical decision making.

Bioengineering of novel nanovesicles for drug delivery

Principal Advisor:  Professor Rob Parton ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:   Dr Ye-Wheen Lim ( [email protected] )

How are nanoparticles transported across different biological barriers from the bloodstream to their target sites? This project will use tumor xenograft models and live imaging in the zebrafish to uncover the trafficking of nanoparticles in a live organism.

De-risking the drug development pipeline by finding biomarkers of drug action

Principal Advisor: Associate Professor Nathan Palpant ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisors: Dr Sonia Shah ( [email protected] ) and Professor Glenn King ( [email protected] )

Greater than 90% of drugs fail to advance into clinical approval. Genetic evidence supporting a drug-target-indication can improve the success by greater than 50%. This project aims to make use of consortium-level data resources (UKBiobank, Human Cell Atlas, ENCODE etc) to identify genetic links between genetic targets and phenotypes to help facilitate the translation of drugs from healthy individuals (Phase 1 clinical trial assessing safety) into sick patients (Phase 2 clinical trial assessing efficacy). Finding orthogonal biomarkers of drug action in healthy individuals is critical to de-risk drug dosing when transitioning from Phase 1 to Phase 2 trials. Using ASIC1a as a candidate drug being developed to treat heart attacks, this project will develop a functionally validated computational pipeline to predict orthogonal biomarkers of ASIC1a inhibitor drug action in healthy individuals to help inform dosing in human clinical trials. Computationally predicted biomarkers will be validated using genetic knockout animals and pharmacological inhibitors of ASIC1a. Collectively, this project will help develop proof-of-principle computational pipeline for orthogonal biomarker prediction of drug targets in the human genome.

Developing new therapeutic and diagnostic tools for tissue ischemia

Associate Advisors:  Professor Glenn King ( [email protected] )

The research project will test the hypothesis that acid sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) mechanistically underpins ischemia-induced injury across diverse organs and thus provides both a diagnostic marker and a therapeutic target for tissue ischemia. While ischemic injuries to the heart and brain in the form of heart attack and stroke are the most significant contributors to the global burden of disease, all organs are susceptible to ischemic injury whether in the context of patient care or during the procurement and storage of organs for transplantation. My laboratory aims to accelerate the diagnosis and prevention of organ damage due to tissue ischemia. This project stems from our elucidation of ASIC1a as a novel target for ischemic injuries and our discovery of Hi1a, the most potent known inhibitor of this channel, from venom of an Australian funnel-web spider. In preclinical studies we showed that Hi1a is a safe and potent therapeutic that reduces brain injury after stroke, improves recovery after a heart attack, and enhances the performance of donor hearts procured for transplantation. These remarkable therapeutic properties stem from Hi1a’s ability to protect cells from ischemic injury by inhibiting ASIC1a. Exciting preliminary data demonstrating that Hi1a interacts only with ASIC1a in tissue regions experiencing acute ischemia and not in healthy or the remote zone of injured tissue. This presents a unique opportunity to develop Hi1a as a diagnostic tool (theranostic) to measure the progression of ischemic injuries using clinical imaging methods. This project will develop peptidic ASIC1a inhibitors as a diagnostic marker of tissue ischemia. We will develop radiolabelled peptides that bind to ASIC1a with high affinity  to image the progression of organ ischemia in vivo using positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance imaging (PET-MRI). The project will also determine the temporal-spatial activation of ASIC1a-Hi1a interactions across organ systems in response to acute acidosis. Using a murine model of global hypercapnic acidosis, we will determine ASIC1a-Hi1a interactions at a tissue and sub-cellular level during acute ischemic stress to reveal the broader therapeutic landscape for ASIC1a inhibitors. The over-arching goal of this project is to understand the biology of ASIC1a stress response mechanisms across diverse organ systems. 

Endometrial stem cell maturation and its role in reproductive disease

Principal Advisor:  Dr Brett McKinnon (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   A/Prof Emaneual Pelosi (UQ Centre for Clinical Research)

The endometrium is a key organ of the reproductive system. It is a complex biological structure of epithelial glands, vascularised stroma and infiltrating immune cells that require intimate communication for normal function. The endometrium is unique in that it undergoes cyclical shedding and regeneration each month regenerated from the resident mesenchymal stem and epithelial progenitor cells in the basalis layer. The maturation and differentiation of these cells into a fully functional endometrium must be tightly regulated. Variations in this maturation from stem cell to mature cell could lead to aberrant cell subsets that increase disease susceptibility and underpin disease variations.

We propose to apply complex organoid and translation models to study stem cell maturation in the endometrium, identify the relationship between altered maturation and molecular signatures of disease and identify the potential to personalise treatment based on these signatures. We will use a combination of single-cell and spatial multi-omics data to determine gene and protein expression and quantitative microscopy to map endometrial maturation and its relationship to reproductive disease. This project will develop skills in both wet-lab and dry-lab techniques incorporating experimental design, performance and data analysis.

Endothelial stabilisation and resuscitation in septic shock

Associate Advisors:   Dr Jacky Suen ( [email protected] ) and Dr Nchafatso Obonoyo ( [email protected] )

To investigate whether endothelial stabilisation and resuscitation in septic shock improves organ function.

How does abnormal light exposure affect Alzheimer’s disease progression?

Principal Advisor:  Dr Benjamin Weger (IMB)  

Associate Advisor:   Dr Juergen Goetz (QBI);  A/Prof Frederic Gachon (IMB)

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. One of the factors that may contribute to AD development and progression is chronodisruption, which occurs when the circadian clock is misaligned with the environmental light-dark cycle. This can happen due to shift work, aging, or exposure to aberrant light patterns. Chronodisruption can impair cognitive performance, mood, and sleep quality in people with AD. Moreover, it can precede the onset of clinical symptoms by several years. Bright light therapy has been shown to improve some of these aspects in AD patients, suggesting a causal link between light exposure, chronodisruption and AD.

In this project, we will use a mouse model of AD that exhibits early cognitive impairment and expose it to an aberrant light regimen that mimics the disrupted light environment often experienced by people with AD. We will assess the effects of this regimen on circadian rhythms, memory and learning abilities and molecular markers of AD pathology. This project will reveal how aberrant light exposure influences AD progression and provide insights for developing chronotherapeutic strategies that could slow down or prevent AD.

Hypothermic organ preservation (HOPE) to improve donor heart availability

Principal Advisor: Dr Jacky Suen ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:   Professor John Fraser ( [email protected] )

Donor hearts are extremely sensitive to time once extracted from donor, with increasing time directly associated with increased graft dysfunction and patient mortality. The PhD fellow will work with leading clinical scientists in cardiac transplantation to push the boundary of donor heart preservation. Our previous work has extended the allowable storage time from 4 to 8 hours. This PhD will be the first worldwide to examine the feasibility to further extend this beyond 12 hours. This study is funded by an NHMRC Ideas grant.

Identifying vascular cell types and genes involved in human skeletal disease

Principal Advisor: Dr John Kemp  (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Dr Anne Lagendijk (IMB); Dr Dylan Bergen (University of Bristol, UK)

Genetic association studies offer a means of identifying drug targets for disease intervention. However, few of the causal genes underlying skeletal disease associations have been identified and functionally validated in vivo. Our team has developed a workflow that integrates genetic association study results, single-cell transcriptomics, and phenotype data from knockout animal models to identify disease-causing genes and predict the cellular context through which they function. Unpublished results from our team suggest that vascular cell-specific genes have underappreciated roles in bone homeostasis. This PhD project aims to better understand how vascular genes contribute to the development of skeletal disease.  Research objectives:  (i) To define a single-cell RNA sequencing census of different cell types, present in the bone microenvironment of zebrafish, and contrast the transcriptomic profiles of different bone cells across mice, and humans. (ii) Investigate whether profiles of different bone cell types are conserved across species, and whether vascular cell types are also enriched for skeletal disease associated genes.  (iii) Identify candidate vascular cell-specific genes (and drug targets) and validate their predicted roles in skeletal disease using zebrafish knockout models and live imaging to monitor vessel network formation and function.

Impact of the sex-specific growth hormone secretion on the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes

Principal Advisor:  A/Prof Frederic Gachon (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Dr Frederik Steyn (UQ School of Biomedical Sciences)

Associated with obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, T2D affects around 10% of the world’s population, mainly associated with morbid obesity. T2D starts with a pre-diabetic state characterized by an increased blood glucose level caused mainly by insulin resistance. As insulin overproduction occurs over a long period of time, insulin-producing pancreatic beta-cells lose their capacity to produce insulin, defining the beginning of T2D. Associated with obesity, insulin resistance is triggered by inflammation and fibrosis initiated by lipid accumulation. Metabolic diseases, including T2D, are characterized by a strong sex-specific difference of incidence defined by sex-dependent physiology and metabolism. This sex-specific difference is caused, in part, by the dimorphic secretion pattern of growth hormone (GH) between males and females. Interestingly, GH secretion is perturbed during T2D and has been associated with the development of the disease. However, in both human and animal models, changes in GH secretion protects against T2D, even in obese individuals. Therefore, we hypothesize that modulation of GH secretion pattern could be a protective response of the organism to counteract the development of T2D. The goal of this project is to test this hypothesis, opening new avenues for the treatment of T2D using time resolved sex-specific administration of GH.

Inflammasome inhibitors in disease: Is there a therapeutic trade-off of compromised host defence?

Principal Advisor: Prof Kate Schroder  (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Dr Sabrina Sofia Burgener (IMB); Prof Avril Robertson

Inflammasome inhibitors offer tremendous promise as new disease-modifying therapeutics. Inflammasomes are signalling platforms with caspase-1 (CASP1) protease activity that induce potent inflammatory responses, including pathological inflammation and disease in many human conditions, such as chronic liver disease. Inflammasomes are thus exciting new drug targets, with inhibitors of one inflammasome (the NLRP3 inflammasome) entering Phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of genetic auto-inflammatory disease and neurodegenerative diseases. Inhibitors that target multiple inflammasomes (e.g. CASP1 inhibitors) are currently under development for treating diseases driven by multiple inflammasomes (e.g. chronic liver disease). But the beneficial functions of these new therapeutics might come at a cost – a “trade-off” – of promoting patient susceptibility to infection. This is because inflammasomes also exert protective functions in host defence against microbes. For example, the NLRP3 inflammasome is essential for host defence against the clinically-important fungus Candida albicans limiting fungal dissemination and reducing disease, while in immunocompromised patients, C. albicans causes severe and life-threatening infections.

This project seeks to understand whether the future clinical use of inflammasome inhibitors for inflammatory disease treatment may come with the therapeutic trade-off of compromised host defence against C. albicans .

Introduction of VR and other technologies in ICU and patient outcomes

Associate Advisors:  TBC

To study the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of introduction of various technologies (including VR) and ability of patients to exercise, and impact on patient outcomes.

Investigating the importance of blood flow pattern for advanced life support

Associate Advisor:  Professor John Fraser ( [email protected] ) 

Increasing number of patients with critical cardiac-respiratory failure is supported by advanced life support. Yet, certain conditions have failed to see any improvement in patient outcomes. The PhD fellow will work with industry leader to examine and develop the next generation advanced life support. Our previous study demonstrated superiority of pulsatile blood flow in supporting patients with cardiogenic shock. This PhD will focus on further understanding the underlying physiological and biological impact of blood flow pattern.

Investigating the molecular basis of motor neurone disease

Principal Advisor:  Dr Fleur Garton (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Dr Adam Walker (QBI); Dr Allan McRae (IMB)

Motor neuron disease (MND) is a devastating disease for those affected and their family. It is an adult-onset, neurodegenerative disorder that progressively leads to paralysis and death. For most individuals with MND, diagnosis comes as a surprise, with no family history. The estimated genetic contribution to disease is significant and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are now identifying these. The causal gene/mechanism is not known and further analyses must be carried out. 

This project aims to identify molecular mechanisms contributing to MND to help support the path to translation. It will harness the in-house, Sporadic ALS Australia Systems Genomics Consortium (SALSA-SGC) platform. The current cohort, N~400 cases and N~200 controls is larger than existing datasets and has a rich set of matched data both genomic and clinical. Samples will be run for ‘omics analyses including DNA methylation and RNA-seq. Profiling expression with genomic and clinical data is expected to help identify lead disease mechanisms. Any new finding can be modelled in-vitro or in-vivo using cell or animal models. There is no effective treatment for MND and this project will help drive progress in unlocking molecular variations that contribute to the disease.

Lipid droplets and immune defence

Principal Advisor:  Dr Harriet Lo ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:   Dr Tom Hall ( [email protected] )

We recently discovered a novel process whereby eukaryotic cells are able to kill invading pathogens using lipid droplets. This project will use cell-based infection models and live imaging in zebrafish to identify and characterise the proteins involved.

Microenvironmental regulation of Melanoma Brain Metastasis

Principal Advisor:  Dr Melanie White (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Dr Samantha Stehbens (AIBN); Prof Alan Rowan (AIBN)

Despite significant progress by scientists and clinicians, melanoma is often fatal due to rapid spread throughout the body, especially to the brain. The brain is vastly different to other tissues, and melanoma is particularly efficient at travelling to the brain and surviving in the new environment to establish disease there.  Clinically, it is difficult to stop melanoma spreading to the brain and once it is there, it is complicated to treat. This is because melanoma in the brain is distinct due to the differences in the tissue structure and types of cells surrounding the tumour.  This project will seek  to develop novel integrative cancer models including cell biology and quail embryo xenograft models, to understand how melanoma survives in the brain microenvironment. By understanding crosstalk, we aim to identify a novel mechanism to block transmission of signals from the tumour microenvironment- inhibiting melanoma proliferation, survival, and invasion. This project is cross-disciplinary integrating cell biology with neuroscience and vascular biology.

Mitochondrial transplantation to improve donor heart function

Principal Advisor:  Dr Jacky Suen ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:  Professor John Fraser ( [email protected] )

This project focuses on the use of mitochondria transplantation to improve the quality and function of donor heart, in order to reduce the risk of primary graft dysfunction, as well as improving utility of marginal donor heart. Currently up to 80% of hearts were discarded, partly due to existing conditions. This is becoming an increasing problem as Australian faces an aging population. The fellow will work closely with our collaborator at Harvard Medical School and initial funding awarded from the Heart Foundation.

Modelling human genetic variants for muscle and adipose phenotypes using the zebrafish

Principal Advisor:  Dr Tom Hall ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:   Dr Harriet Lo ( [email protected] )

The results of genetic testing in humans are often difficult to interpret. This project will use live imaging and CRISPR/Cas9 technology to introduce human variants into zebrafish and examine the effects on muscle and adipose tissue.

Modulating G protein-coupled receptors in chronic inflammatory diseases

Principal Advisor:  Prof David Fairlie (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   A/Prof David Vesey (ATH, UQ Faculty of Medicine and Department of Nephrology, Princess Alexandra Hospital); Dr James Lim (IMB)

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are membrane-spanning proteins expressed on the cell surface and they act as signalling mediators between chemicals and proteins outside cells and signalling networks inside cells, enabling transduction of chemical signals into diverse physiological responses. Some of these receptors are the targets for about a third of all known pharmaceuticals, yet most GPCRs have not yet been sufficiently studied to become validated drug targets. We have previously discovered a number of GPCRs that are important links between extracellular signalling networks and intracellular metabolic signalling networks that drive inflammation and inflammatory diseases. This project will investigate the signalling connections between cellular activation of GPCRs and immunometabolic outputs that drive mouse models of chronic inflammatory/fibrotic disease associated with the liver/kidney. Techniques to be applied include PCR, western blots, cell culture, CRISPR-Cas9, flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, ELISA, G protein and b-arrestin signalling, GPCR secondary messenger assays (Ca2+, cAMP, ERK, Rho, arrestins, etc) and administration of experimental drugs to mouse models of chronic disease, measurement of metabolic, inflammatory and disease markers in tissues and cells. The project will be aided by availability of unique small molecule GPCR modulators, developed by chemists in our team, as probes and experimental drugs for various diseases. 

Multi-modal biosensors for cell polarity and migration

Principal Advisor:  Prof Jennifer Stow (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Dr Nicholas Condon (IMB); Prof Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop (UQ School of Mathematics and Physics)

Epithelial cells and neurons are permanently polarised in order to perform directional transcytosis, endocytosis and secretion of many substances. This polarity is essential for allowing epithelial cells to act as selective barriers and for neurotransmission in neuronal networks. Many other cell types become transiently polarised, for instance while they are migrating, when they reorient to have a front and back. Measuring cell polarity is important for understanding both how cells and tissues normally function and the loss of function associated with genetic diseases, cancer, infection and inflammatory disease. This PhD project will create cellular models for measuring polarity and assessing loss of polarity after gene deletions. We will develop a suite of bifunctional, genetically-encoded biosensors as biological and biophysical detectors to measure polarised membrane domains in living cells. Model epithelial cells and neurons expressing these biosensors will be established as 3D organoids or in migration chambers and used to define polarity and to explore loss of polarity.

Novel pathways of stress signalling in cancer

Principal Advisor:  Prof Rob Parton (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Dr Alan Rowan (AIBN); A/Prof Alpha Yap (IMB)

Caveolae, abundant cell surface organelles, have been extensively linked to chronic disease. Changes in the major proteins of caveolae have been linked to numerous cancers including breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, melanoma, thyroid cancer, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer. In addition, caveolar proteins are dramatically upregulated in cells treated with chemo-therapeutics and their loss sensitises cells to toxic agents. Understanding the role of caveolae in cancer susceptibility and progression (to invasion and metastasis) requires a complete understanding of how caveolae, both in the cancer cell and the cancer cell environment, respond to intrinsic risk factors and to external stress.

This project will build on our findings that caveolae can sense mechanical and environmental stress. It will test the hypothesis that caveolae can protect cells against mechanical forces by activating signalling pathways from the cell surface to the nucleus and that loss of this pathway can promote DNA damage leading to cancer progression. It will employ novel systems in which defined mechanical stimuli can be combined with genetically-modified cells and state-of-the-art microscopic methods. This will define the role of caveolae in both the host cells, and in the neighbouring cellular environment, and determine the contribution of caveolar dysfunction to cancer progression.

Sleep & Circadian Rhythms in ICU

To study the quality and quantity of sleep for patients admitted to ICU. Also, to validate various proposed new methodologies to objectively evaluate sleep against current gold standard polysomnography. Finally, to evaluate the effect of an improved ICU bedspace environment on patient outcomes.

Targeting macrophage-mediated chronic inflammation

Principal Advisor:  Prof Matt Sweet (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Prof Michael Yu (AIBN)

Macrophages are key cellular mediators of innate immunity. These danger-sensing cells are present in all tissues of the body, providing frontline defence against infection and initiating, coordinating, and resolving inflammation to maintain homeostasis. Dysregulated macrophage activation drives pathology in numerous inflammation-associated chronic diseases, for example chronic liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis and cancers. Emerging technologies, including nanoparticle-mediated delivery of mRNAs and small molecules, provide exciting new opportunities to target otherwise "undruggable” intracellular molecules and pathways within macrophages. Such approaches hold great potential for manipulating macrophage functions to suppress inflammation-mediated chronic disease. This project will characterize and target specific pro-inflammatory signalling pathways in macrophages as proof-of-concept for intervention in chronic inflammatory diseases.

Understanding and preventing relapse of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Principal Advisor:  Prof Alpha Yap  (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Dr Julie Davies (Mater, UQ)

The inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, are chronic diseases that display patterns of relapse and remission which contribute significantly to the burden that they carry. A key to reducing this burden, both for patients and the community, lies in being able to prolong how long patients stay in remission from active disease. Common approaches to maintain remission include immunosuppression and cytokine inhibitors, but these carry significant side effects and often eventually fail. In this project, we aim to investigate alternative ways to understand the mechanisms that lead to relapse, as a foundation to design new therapies. Specifically, our recent discoveries indicate that the mechanical properties of the bowel epithelium may play a critical role in relapse. Increased mechanical tension prevents the bowel epithelium from eliminating injured cells, thus increasing their capacity to provoke inflammation and disease relapse. We will pursue this by developing new clinically-applicable diagnostic tools to evaluate tissue mechanics and test how correcting mechanical properties can prevent disease relapse. Our goal is to support remission through approaches that can complement currently-available therapies.

Understanding blood vessel expansion and rupture using 3D models

Principal Advisor:  Dr Emma Gordon (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Dr Mark Allenby (UQ School of Chemical Engineering)

Blood vessels are comprised of an ordered network of arteries, veins and capillaries, which supply oxygen and nutrients to all tissues of the body. Growth and expansion of the vascular system occurs during embryonic development, or in response to tissue injury or disease in the adult. As a result of their unique functions, vessels are subjected to distinct mechanical stresses that confer physical forces on cells that line the vessel wall, such as fluid shear stress, stretch and stiffness. In diseases of the vasculature, such as aortic and intracranial aneurysms, these physical forces become dysregulated, leading to changes in the shape of the vessel and eventually rupture. Using biofabrication technology and advanced imaging techniques, this project will use 3D printed models of the vasculature to study how changes in vessels occur at the molecular level in response to altered physical forces. These findings will allow us to understand how vessels may be manipulated to develop improved therapeutic strategies to prevent expansion and rupture.

Variants of neuronal ion channels that give rise to neurodevelopmental disorders

Principal Advisor:  Dr Angelo Keramidas (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Prof Irina Vetter  (IMB); A/Prof Victor Anggono (QBI)

Genetic variants of ion channels that mediate neuronal electrical communication (such as voltage-gated sodium channels and glutamate-gated synaptic receptors) can cause neurological disorders that include epilepsy, ataxia, neurodevelopmental delay and autism spectrum disorder. Understanding the molecular level deficits of an ion channel caused by a variant is essential to accurate molecular diagnosis and tailoring treatment options that correct variant-specific functional deficits. This personalised approach increases the efficacy of treatment, minimises side effects.

This project focussed on variants of voltage-gated sodium channels that are key generators of neuronal action potentials, and synaptic receptors such as GABA- and glutamate-gated ion channel receptors that mediate neuronal inhibition and excitation, respectively.

The project will combine high-resolution and high-throughput electrophysiology and pharmacology as well as ion channel protein synthesis and forward trafficking to understand the pathology of ion channel variants. Standard and new treatment options will be tested against each variant to optimise treatment that is tailored to each variant.

Together these approaches will enhance our understanding of the structure and function of neuronal ion channels and improve our understanding neurological disease mechanisms and treatments.

This project will involve a close collaboration between two groups across two institutes at UQ (IMB and QBI), offering students the opportunity for cross-disciplinary training in neuroscience research with the potential for therapeutic applications for patients.

Biosynthesis of circular antimicrobial peptides

Principal Advisor: Dr Conan Wang (IMB)

Associate Advisor: Prof David Craik (IMB); Prof Ian Henderson (IMB); Dr Thomas Durek (IMB)

Circular proteins are modified in a post-translational reaction that covalently joins their N- and C-termini. Deciphering the underlying biochemical reactions may lead to the development of new drugs that are more stable and potent and may provide new tools for protein and peptide engineering. Circular bacteriocins are a unique class of these biomolecules produced naturally by bacteria and have exhibited promising activities against a wide range of refractory pathogens in both the clinic and food industry. This project aims to reveal the secrets of how certain bacterial cells produce these proteins, how they protect themselves from the effects of these antimicrobials and how these molecules kill susceptible strains.

We encourage candidates with a strong background and interests in microbiology, biochemistry and/or molecular biology and who are interested in working in a diverse research environment, to apply. The host laboratory is embedded within the ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, and therefore there are many opportunities to collaborate with scientists nationally and internationally. The project will involve whole-genome genetic manipulations, biochemistry, structural biology, biophysics and analytical chemistry. The project will lead to a better understanding of how some of nature’s most unique proteins are produced and could lead to new industry partnerships.

Deconstructing the genetic causes of disease to discover new drug targets

Principal Advisor: A/Prof Nathan Palpant (IMB)

Associate Advisor: Dr Andrew Mallett (IMB); Dr Sonia Shah (IMB), Dr Mikael Boden (UQ School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences)

Industry partnership opportunities: HAYA Therapeutics; Maze Therapeutics

Despite strong vetting for disease activity, only 10% of candidate new drugs in early-stage clinical trials are eventually approved. Previous studies have concluded that pipeline drug targets with human genetic evidence of disease association are twice as likely to lead to approved drugs. This project will take advantage of increasing clinical disease data, rapid growth in GWAS datasets, drug approval databases, and innovative new computational methods developed by our team. The overall goal is to develop unsupervised computational approaches to understand what genetic models and data are most predictive of future drug successes. Underpinning this work, the project will build and implement computational and machine learning methods to dissect the relationships between genome regulation, disease susceptibility, genetic variation, and drug development. The project will not only reveal fundamental insights into genetic control of cell differentiation and function but also facilitate development of powerful unsupervised prediction methods that bridge genetic data with disease susceptibility and drug discovery. Students with background/expertise in computational bioinformatics and machine learning are ideal for this work. Informed by clinical, computational, and cell biological supervisory team, the project will have an opportunity to engage with diverse international companies through internships and collaborations to facilitate co-design of these methods for uptake in industry discovery and prediction pipelines.

Developing Models of Cancer Therapy-Induced Late Effects

Principal Advisor:  Dr Hana Starbova  (IMB)

Associate Advisor: Prof Irina Vetter (IMB; UQ School of Pharmacy); Dr Raelene Endersby (Telethon Kids Institute)

Treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy for childhood and adult brain cancers save many lives. However, they also cause long-term debilitating adverse effects, also termed "late effects", such as pain, cognitive disabilities and sensory-motor neuropathies. Currently, no effective treatments are available, and brain cancer survivors are forced to live with long-term disabilities.

Animal models are important for the understanding of disease pathology and for preclinical testing of novel treatment strategies. However, currently there are no appropriate animal models available for the testing of late effects of cancer therapy.

To address this gap, this PhD project aims to develop in-vivo animal models of cancer therapy-induced late effects and to test the efficacy of novel treatment strategies. This project forms a foundation for future clinical studies.

Animal handling and behavioural assessments in rodents are vital for this project.

Developing new drugs targeting acid sensitive channels to treat ischemic heart disease

Principal Advisor:  Prof Nathan Palpant  (IMB)

Associate Advisor: Prof Jennifer Stow (IMB); Prof Brett Collins (IMB); A/Prof Markus Muttenthaler (IMB)

Industry partnership opportunities:   Infensa Bioscience

This project focuses on strategies to prevent organ damage associated with ischemic injuries of the heart. There are no drugs that prevent organ damage caused by these injuries, which ultimately leads to chronic heart failure, making ischemic heart disease the leading cause of death worldwide. Globally, 1 in 5 people develop heart failure, with annual healthcare costs of $108 B. Our team has discovered a new class of molecules, acid sensitive ion channels, that mediate cell death responses in the heart during ischemic injuries like heart attacks. This project will study the function of acid sensing channels using cell and genetic approaches. We will use innovative new drug discovery platforms to find new peptides and small molecules that inhibit acid channel activity. Finally, the project will use disease modelling in stem cells and animals to evaluate the implications of manipulating these channels using genetic or pharmacological approaches to study the implications in models of myocardial infarction. The candidate will benefit from background/expertise in cell biology and biochemistry. Collectively, this project will deliver new insights, tools, and molecules that underpin a key area of unmet clinical need in cardiovascular disease. The project will be supervised by experts in drug discovery, cell biology, and cardiovascular biology and includes opportunities for internships with industry partners such as Infensa Bioscience, a new spinout company from IMB developing cardiovascular therapeutics for heart disease.

Development of venom-derived blood-brain barrier shuttles

Principal Advisor: A/Prof Markus Muttenthaler  (IMB)

Associate Advisor: A/Prof Johan Rosengren  (UQ School of Biomedical Sciences)

The blood-brain barrier controls the transfer of substances between the blood and the brain, protecting us from toxic compounds while allowing the transfer of nutrients and other beneficial molecules. This project aims to discover new venom peptides capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and to develop non-toxic peptide-based brain delivery systems. It addresses long-standing challenges and knowledge gaps in the delivery of macromolecules across biological barriers. The project will involve cell culture, blood-brain barrier assays, proteomics, peptide chemistry, NMR structure determination, and molecular biology and pharmacology. The candidate should have a degree in biochemistry, pharmacology or cell biology, good hands-on laboratory skills and strong ambition and work ethics. Expected outcomes include an improved understanding of the strategies nature exploits to reach targets in the brain, mechanistic pathways to cross biological membranes, and innovative discovery and chemistry strategies to advance fundamental research across the chemical and biological sciences. 

Investigating the role and therapeutic potential of the oxytocin receptor in prostate cancer

Principal Advisor: A/Prof Markus Muttenthaler

Associate Advisor: A/Prof. Jyotsna Batra (QUT; [email protected] )

Prostate cancer is the second most frequent malignancy in men worldwide, causing over 375,000 deaths a year. When primary treatments fail, disease progression inevitably occurs, resulting in more aggressive subtypes with high mortality. This project focuses on the oxytocin/oxytocin receptor (OT/OTR) signalling system as a potential new drug target and biomarker to improve prostate cancer management and patient survival. Anticipated outcomes include a better understanding of OT/OTR’s role in prostate cancer and new therapeutic leads for an alternative treatment strategy.

The candidate should have a degree in biochemistry, pharmacology or cell biology, good hands-on laboratory skills, some bioinformatics skills (e.g., ability to implement statistical tests in R/Python and program scripts to automate analyses) and strong ambition and work ethics. The candidate will be involved in genetic/bioinformatic analysis, cancer cell signalling assays, chemical synthesis of OT ligands, GPCR pharmacology and characterisation of therapeutic leads in prostate cancer models.

Investigating the therapeutic potential of the trefoil factor family for treating gastrointestinal disorders.

Principal Advisor: A/Prof Markus Muttenthaler  ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor: A/Prof Johan Rosengren  (UQ School of Biomedical Sciences; [email protected] )

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affect 10–15% of the population, having a substantial socio-economic impact on our society. The aetiology of these disorders remains unclear, and treatments focus primarily on symptoms rather than the underlying causes.

Our research group is pursuing innovative therapeutic strategies targeting gastrointestinal wound healing and protection to reduce and prevent such chronic gastrointestinal disorders. This project focuses on the trefoil factor family, an intriguing class of endogenous gut peptides and key regulators for gastrointestinal homeostasis and protection. The project will focus on the chemical synthesis of the individual members and molecular probe and therapeutic lead development to advance our understanding of their mechanism of action and explore the therapeutic potential of these peptides for treating or preventing gastrointestinal disorders. 

The candidate should have a degree in chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology or cell biology, good hands-on laboratory skills, and strong ambition and work ethics. The candidate will be involved in solid-phase peptide synthesis, medicinal chemistry, mass spectrometry, structure-activity relationship studies, NMR, cell culture, wound healing assays, gut stability assays, cell signalling and receptor pharmacology.  

Molecular mechanisms of jellyfish envenomation

Principal Advisor:  Dr Andrew Walker (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   A/Prof Nathan Palpant (IMB)

Jellyfish cause some of the most serious envenomation syndromes of all animals, responsible for >77 deaths in Australia to date and many more around the world. Two jellyfish of interest are the box jellyfish Chironex fleckeri, whose venom targets the heart to kill in as little as two minutes; and its much smaller relative the Irukandji jellyfish Carukia barnesi, envenomation by which causes a long-lasting and painful ordeal. Jellyfish also represent an ancient group of venomous animals with unique biology different from all other venomous animals. Despite this, little is known about jellyfish toxins, how they work, or how we might design therapeutics or novel treatments to ameliorate their effects. This project would involve combining state-of-the-art techniques to isolate and characterise jellyfish toxins, test them using a range of bioassays, and assess possible agents to protect from their harmful effects.

New chemical space as a source of new drug leads

Principal Advisor:  Dr Zeinab Khalil (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Prof Ian Henderson (IMB); Prof Rob Capon (IMB)

Microbes have been a new promising source of modern medicines, including antibiotics (e.g. penicillin) and immunosuppressants (e.g. sirolimus) and well as agents to treat cancer (e.g. adriamycin) and cardiovascular (e.g. statins) disease, as well as many more. Recent advances in genomics offer the prospect of exciting new approaches to discovering the next generation of medicines hidden within the Australian microbiome. 

To this end in 2020 we launched Soils for Science (S4S) as an Australia wide citizen science initiative, designed to engage the public, to collect 10's of thousands of soil samples from backyards across the nation, from which we will isolate 100's thousands of unique Australian microbes. This project will annotate the S4S microbe library to prioritize those that are genetically and chemically unique. These will be subjected to cultivation profiling, and fermentation, followed by chemical analysis to isolate, identify and evaluate new classes of chemical diversity. 

The successful candidate will join a multi-disciplinary team where, supported by microbiological and genomic sciences, they will gain skills and experience in analytical, spectroscopic and medicinal chemistry – to inform and inspire the discovery of future medicines. 

Applicants must have a strong background with outstanding grades in organic chemistry, and with an interest in learning multidisciplinary biosciences. 

The discovery and development of highly stable venom-derived peptide drug leads

Principal Advisor: A/Prof Markus Muttenthaler (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   A/Prof Johan Rosengren  (UQ School of Biomedical Sciences)

Venoms comprise a highly complex cocktail of bioactive peptides evolved to paralyse prey and defend against predators. The homology of prey and predator receptors to human receptors renders many of these venom peptides also active on human receptors. Venoms have therefore become a rich source for new neurological tools and therapeutic leads with many translational opportunities.

This project covers the discovery, chemical synthesis, and structure-activity relationship studies of venom peptides, with a specific focus on gastrointestinal stability and drug targets in the gut. Venom peptides are known for their disulfide-rich frameworks supporting secondary structural motifs not only important for high potency and selectivity but also for improved metabolic stability. While primarily studied for their therapeutic potential as injectables, this project will break new ground by investigating evolutionarily optimised sequences and structures that can even withstand gastrointestinal digestions, thereby providing new insights for the development of oral peptide therapeutics targeting receptors within the gut. These therapeutic leads will have enormous potential for the prevention or treatment of gastrointestinal disorders or chronic abdominal pain.

The candidate should have a degree in synthetic chemistry, biochemistry or pharmacology, good hands-on laboratory skills, and strong ambition and work ethics. The candidate will be involved in solid phase peptide synthesis, medicinal chemistry, mass spectrometry, NMR structure determination, CD studies, structure-activity relationship studies, gut stability assays, and receptor pharmacology.

The physiological role and therapeutic potential of gut peptides modulating appetite

Associate Advisor:   Dr. Sebastian Furness (SBMS, [email protected] )

The advent of highly processed, calorie-rich foods in combination with increasingly sedentary lifestyles has seen a rapid rise in overweight and obesity. 60–80% of populations in developed countries are overweight or obese, and over three million deaths each year are attributed to a high body mass index. Obesity is also a risk factor for diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and cancer. This has a clear impact on life expectancy, with predictions that this generation will be the first to have a shorter life expectancy than the last. Despite this enormous socio-economic impact, treatment options are limited.

Our research groups are interested in the role of the gut peptides GLP-1 and CCK in regulating appetite and satiety. A subset of GLP-1 mimetics are already successful treatments for obesity; however, compliance is low as they are injectables. The project will focus on the development of orally active mimetics. The project will also develop molecular probes to facilitate the study of the GLP1 and CCK1 receptors in the context of appetite regulation across the gut-brain axis.

The candidate should have a degree in chemistry, biochemistry or pharmacology, good hands-on laboratory skills, and a desire to drive the project. The candidate will be involved in solid phase peptide synthesis, medicinal chemistry, mass spectrometry, structure-activity relationship studies, cell culture, gut stability assays, cell signalling and receptor pharmacology.  

The therapeutic potential of the trefoil factor family in chronic gastrointestinal disorders

Principal Advisor:  A/Prof Markus Muttenthaler  (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Prof Alpha Yap (IMB)

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affect 10–15% of the Western population, having a substantial socio-economic impact on our society. The aetiology of these disorders remains unclear, and treatments focus primarily on symptoms rather than the underlying causes.

Our research group is pursuing innovative therapeutic strategies targeting gastrointestinal wound healing and protection to reduce and prevent such chronic gastrointestinal disorders. This project focuses on the trefoil factor family, an intriguing class of endogenous gut peptides and key regulators for gastrointestinal homeostasis and protection. The project will focus on the chemical synthesis of the individual members and molecular probe and therapeutic lead development to advance our understanding of their mechanism of action and explore the therapeutic potential of these peptides for treating or preventing gastrointestinal disorders.

The candidate should have a degree in chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology or cell biology, good hands-on laboratory skills, and strong ambition and work ethics. The candidate will be involved in solid phase peptide synthesis, medicinal chemistry, mass spectrometry, structure-activity relationship studies, NMR, cell culture, wound healing assays, gut stability assays, cell signalling and receptor pharmacology.

Towards the sustainable discovery and development of new antibiotics

Associate Advisor:   Dr Angela Salim ( [email protected] ), Professor Rob Capon ( [email protected] ) and Professor Waldemar Vollmer ( [email protected] )

The worldwide emergence and relentless escalation of antibiotic drug resistance (i.e. methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) have demanded ongoing commitment over decades to discovering new antimicrobial weapons.1 Yet, even with the widespread acceptance of the need for new antibiotics in both the scientific community and the public at large, an urgent need for new approaches remains. Fortunately, microorganisms continue to produce their own wealth of structurally diverse and highly specialised metabolites, each with a remarkable range of biological activities that in themselves could present the next antibiotic breakthrough.

Microbial genomes are rich in silent biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), encoding for defensive agents (i.e. antibiotics) that fail to express in standard laboratory monoculture conditions, presumably due to the paucity of environmental cues. Nitric oxide (NO) is well known for its regulatory role in mammalian and plant biology, little is known about its role in regulating microbial silent BGCs. We revealed Nitric Oxide Mediated Transcriptional Activation (NOMETA) as a potentially cost-effective & rapid approach for an in situ (i.e. non-genome mining) approach to accessing the valuable chemistry encoded within microbial silent BGCs.

This project will deliver two key solutions to the major problem of AMR: (i) develop an innovative method that applies NO to activate the transcription of microbial silent BGCs to access new defensive agents capable of informing the development of new antibiotic classes, and (ii) apply new genomic and metabolomics data mining technologies for microbes identified in our Soils for Science citizen science program to identify additional antibiotics for future drug development.

Join our collaborative team as we explore the frontiers of analytical, spectroscopic, and medicinal chemistry, guided by the expertise of microbiological and genomic sciences. Together, we are on the verge of unveiling the mysteries of nature, paving the way for groundbreaking discoveries in the antibiotic drug discovery.

Using transposon sequencing to probe whole cell protein-protein interactions inside the bacterial cell

Principal Advisor:  Dr Emily Goodall  (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Prof Ben Hankerman (IMB); Prof Ian Henderson (IMB)

Friend or Foe, bacteria are powerhouses at the centre of many important biotechnological processes, but also the disease-causing agents of many infectious diseases. Understanding the fundamental processes of a bacterial cell is key to understanding (1) how to harness these organisms for biotechnological gain and (2) how to target them in the treatment of an infection. Using the model organism,  Escherichia coli , we aim to develop a method for identifying protein-protein interactions in a high throughput format. The methodology developed in this project will enable total proteome screening and has implications for studying both fundamental cell physiology as well as the potential for studying protein-drug interactions in vivo. After development, the technology will be validated by screening for chemical inhibitors of protein-protein interactions.

Venom-derived drugs for targeting ion channels involved in genetic epilepsies

Principal Advisor:   Prof Glenn King (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   A/Prof Lata Vadlamudi (UQ Centre for Clinical Research)

There are more than 65 million people currently living with epilepsy, and more than 1/3 are resistant to anti-seizure medications (ASMs). For these latter patients, new efficacious ASMs are urgently required. This project will focus on development of biologic drugs for treatment of genetic epilepsies caused by aberrant expression of a voltage-gated ion channel. We are specifically interested in: (i) Dravet syndrome, which is caused by aberrant function of the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.1, and (ii) KCNH1 epilepsy, caused by gain-of-function mutations in the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv10.1, which was first described here at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience. This project brings together the expertise of the King lab in venoms-based peptide-drug discovery and development, and the clinical expertise of Prof. Vadlamudi in treatment of genetic epilepsies. Lead compounds will be isolated from arthropod venoms, the best known source of ion channel modulators. Prof. King’s lab has access to the largest collection of arthropod venoms in the world (>500 species). Lead compounds will be tested in brain organoids produced from patient-derived stem cells as well as in vivo rodent models of Dravet syndrome and KCNH1 epilepsy.

Venom-derived ion channel inhibitors as novel neuroprotective drugs for neurodegenerative diseases

Principal Advisor:   Dr Fernanda C Cardoso (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Dr Jean Giacomotto (QBI/Griffith); Prof Glenn King (IMB)

Neurodegenerative diseases are caused by progressive loss of neurons, leading to dementia, motor dysfunction, paralysis, and death. Investigation of ion channels in central neurons unravelled clusters of voltage-gated ion channel subtypes playing a key pathological role in the pre-symptomatic stages of neurodegenerative diseases. Venoms are an exceptional source of peptides modulating ion channels with higher potency and selectivity than poorly efficacious drugs used in the treatment of neurodegeneration. This project involves systematically interrogating venoms using computational approaches, high throughput in vitro and in vivo screens, venomics and pharmacology to discover venom peptides that selectively modulate ion channels in central neurons and therefore have the potential to prevent central neurodegeneration. This is a multidisciplinary project in drug discovery utilizing venoms and other natural repertoires as main sources of bio-active molecules. PhD scholars will develop skills in computational biology, manual and automated whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology, ex vivo tissue electrophysiology, in vivo screen in zebrafish, high performance liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, recombinant expression, peptide synthesis, amongst other state-of-the-art methods and techniques. Students will author papers and be involved in writing and preparation of figures for research publications from their work.

Venom-derived peptides as novel analgesic leads

Principal Advisor:   Prof Irina Vetter IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Dr Richard Clark (UQ School of Biomedical Sciences)

Voltage-gated sodium channels are well-validated analgesic targets, with loss-of-function mutations leading to an inability to sense pain, but otherwise normal physiology and sensations. However, efforts to mirror these genetic phenotypes with small molecule inhibitors have highlighted that both selectivity over ion channel subtypes and mechanism of action are key considerations for the development of safe and effective analgesics. 

This project will leverage the exquisite potency and selectivity of peptide sodium channel modulators from venoms for the rational development of novel, safe and effective molecules with analgesic activity. 

Students will gain experience with peptide synthesis, patch-clamp electrophysiology, sensory neuron culture, microscopy and in vivo behavioural assays to tackle the global problem of unrelieved chronic pain with innovative molecules targeting peripheral sensory neuron function.

Boosting innate immune defence to combat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections

Principal Advisor:   Prof Matt Sweet (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Prof Mark Schembri (IMB)

For bacterial pathogens to colonise the host and cause disease, they must first overcome frontline defence of the innate immune system. Innate immune cells such as macrophages engage a suite of direct antimicrobial responses to destroy engulfed bacteria, including free radical attack, lysosomal degradation, nutrient starvation, metal ion poisoning, and lipid droplet-mediated delivery of antimicrobial proteins. A detailed understanding of such pathways can provide opportunities to manipulate macrophage functions to combat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. This project will explore the regulation of specific macrophage antimicrobial responses, with the goal of manipulating the functions of these cells to combat infections caused by uropathogenic E. coli, a major cause of urinary tract infections and sepsis.

Genetics of biofilms

Principal Advisor:   Prof Mark Schembri ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisors: Dr   Nhu Nguyen ( [email protected] ) and Dr Zack Lian (IMB; [email protected] ) 

Biofilms are surface-attached clusters of bacteria encased in an extracellular matrix and are significantly associated with increased antibiotic resistance. This project will apply molecular microbiology methods to understand the structure, function and regulation of biofilms produced by uropathogenic E. coli that cause urinary tract infections, and investigate new strategies to disrupt biofilms. The project will build skills in cutting edge genetic screens, molecular microbiology, genome sequencing, bioinformatics, microscopy, imaging and animal infection models. Students with an interest in microbiology, bacterial pathogenesis and antibiotic resistance are encouraged to apply.

How antibiotic resistant bacteria cause urinary tract infection

Principal Advisor:  Prof Mark Schembri  (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Prof Matt Sweet (IMB)

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common infectious diseases, with a global annual incidence of ~175M cases. UTI is also a major precursor to sepsis, which affects ~50M people worldwide each year, with a mortality rate of 20-40% in developed countries. Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) is the major cause of UTI and a leading cause of sepsis. The last decade has seen an unprecedented rise in antibiotic resistance among UPEC, resulting in high rates of treatment failure and mounting pressure on healthcare systems. This project will explore how UPEC cause disease and become resistant to antibiotics, with a goal to identify new approaches to treat and prevent infection.

How bacteria cause severe life-threatening infections in infants

Associate Advisor:   A/Prof Adam Irwin (UQ Centre for Clinical Research)

Neonatal meningitis is a devasting disease with high rates of mortality and neurological sequelae. Escherichia coli is the second most common cause of neonatal meningitis and the most common cause of meningitis in preterm neonates. Despite this, we have limited knowledge about the global epidemiology of E. coli that cause neonatal meningitis, genomic relationships between different strains, and mechanisms that enable E. coli to cause severe infection in new-born infants. This project will identify and characterise common genomic features of E. coli that cause neonatal meningitis, and employ molecular microbiology methods in conjunction with animal models to understand disease pathogenesis and antibiotic resistance. Our goal is to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic interventions to prevent this life-threatening disease.

How bacteria fortify their cell envelope under stress

Principal Advisor:   Professor Waldemar Vollmer ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:  Prof Mark Schembri ( [email protected] )

Gram-negative bacteria use some of their most abundant cellular proteins connect the outer membrane with the underlying cell wall (peptidoglycan) layer and this tight connection protects the cell from many toxic molecules and even antibiotics. However, most of the known peptidoglycan-interacting proteins are poorly characterised and we lack a comprehensive inventory of these proteins and their functions in key pathogens. In this project, the PhD student will develop novel proteomics approaches to identify all peptidoglycan-bound proteins in important Gram-negative pathogens, and then identify peptidoglycan-interacting proteins that fortify the cell envelope when bacteria encounter host defence factors and antibiotics. In addition to state-of-the art molecular biology and high-throughput microbiology screening techniques, the student will use cell biology and biochemical methodologies to gain understanding of the cellular roles of new cell envelope proteins identified. The student will benefit from working in an outstanding research environment and in research groups with a strong expertise in bacterial cell envelope biology and pathogenicity. The expected outcomes will be important to develop new strategies to fight infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria.

How does innate immune signalling combat influenza in birds?

Principal Advisor: Dr Larisa Labzin  (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   A/Prof Kirsty Short (UQ School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences)

Emerging viruses such as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, HPAIV and SARS-CoV-2 can cause deadly outbreaks that decimate wild and domestic animal populations or cause global pandemics. . Some species, particularly bats and wild birds, can carry these viruses with minimal disease, meaning they can easily spread viruses between farms, states and even countries. The immune response is the best protection against viral infection, yet in susceptible species (such as chickens and pigs), immune overactivation may cause collateral tissue damage, driving disease pathology. This PhD project will study how the immune systems of different species recognise viral infections. This research will determine if viral reservoir species (such as ducks and bats) mount a specific kind of immune response that allows them to tolerate viruses, which is distinct to susceptible species (such as chickens and pigs). This project will utilise cell biology, imaging, molecular cloning, and virology to identify new ways to prevent pandemic virus outbreaks and protect vulnerable species.

Molecular Immunology of Malaria

Principal Advisor:  Prof Denise Doolan (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Prof Gabrielle Belz (Frazer Institute)

An opportunity exists for a PhD position in the molecular immunology of malaria. The focus of this project will be to apply cutting-edge technologies to understand the molecular basis of protective immunity to malaria. It will take advantage of controlled human infection models and as well as animal models to explore the mechanisms underlying protective immunity to malaria and immune responsiveness. Using a range of interdisciplinary approaches including immune profiling, transcriptomics, proteomics, and small molecule characterization, the project aims to define the critical cells and signalling pathways required for protective immunity against malaria. It is anticipated that this research will have broad application to a wide range of infectious and chronic diseases, with important implications for vaccination.  

Subject areas: Immunology, Molecular immunology, Systems biology, Vaccinology, Malaria Eligibility: Entry: Bachelor degree with Honours Class I (or equivalent via outstanding record of professional or research achievements). Experience/Background: laboratory-based experience in immunology, host-pathogen interactions, immune regulation and infectious diseases; excellent computer, communication, and organisational skills are required. 

Novel assays for antibiotic discovery

Principal Advisor: Prof Waldemar Vollmer  (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Mr Alun Jones (IMB); Prof Rob Capon (IMB)

The PhD project addresses the global burden of Antimicrobial Drug Resistance (AMR) by developing new assays for antibiotic discovery. The bacterial cell wall is targeted by some of our best antibiotics (e.g., beta-lactams, glycopeptides) and remains an attractive target for antibiotic drug discovery. Our group investigates the molecular mechanisms underpinning cell wall synthesis during growth and division of a bacterial cell. We pioneered the development of biochemical assays to monitor the activities and interactions of essential enzymes required for the synthesis of peptidoglycan, identified the first activators of peptidoglycan synthases and deciphered the activation mechanism. The PGR student will be trained in a wide range of molecular biology, (analytical) biochemistry and bacterial cell biology techniques and use these to develop innovative assay for key peptidoglycan enzymes that built and remodel the cell wall in pathogenic bacteria. The PGR student will then use the new assays to screen compound libraries to identify inhibitors. Hit compounds will be characterised by cellular and biochemical techniques and assessed for their potential to be developed into new antibiotics.

PET Imaging of Bacterial Infections

Principal Advisor: A/Prof Mark Blaskovich (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Prof Kristofer Thurecht (UQ Centre for Advanced Imaging); Dr Anthony Verdosa (IMB)

Infections caused by drug resistant bacteria pose a significant threat to global human health, with predicted annual mortality of 10 million by 2050. Most research is focused on developing better therapies, but improving diagnosis could quickly have substantial impact by reducing unnecessary antibiotic use and enhancing therapeutic efficacy. There is no current clinical technology capable of specifically identifying bacterial infections by imaging the site of a bacterial infection. Suspected chronic infections, such as endocarditis and prosthetic joint infections, are particularly difficult to accurately diagnose without invasive techniques. A whole-body imaging diagnostic that could simultaneously determine whether an infection was present and rapidly pinpoint the site of the infection, then monitor the efficacy of subsequent treatment, would directly inform targeted treatment, leading to substantial health and economic benefits. This project will extend our current research on fluorescent tracers that bind to the surface of bacteria with high specificity and selectivity. We will replace the fluorophore component of these tracers with radioisotope chelating ligands, creating new constructs suitable for positron emission tomography (PET) whole body imaging. These tracers will be tested both in vitro and in mice to demonstrate specific PET imaging of bacterial infections.

Systems immunology and multi-omics approaches to understand protective immunity to human malaria

Associate Advisor:   Dr Carla Prioetti  (IMB); A/Prof Jessica Mar (AIBN)

This PhD project aims to develop and apply computational approaches that integrate systems biology and molecular immunology to understand host-pathogen immunity and predict immune control of malaria. The project will utilise systems-based immunology and multi-omics approaches to profile the host immune response in controlled infection models of malaria at molecular, cellular, transcriptome and proteome-wide scale.

The overall aim will be to develop and apply omics-based technologies and computational tools, including network theory and machine learning, to integrate multiple high-dimensional datasets and reveal novel insights into host-pathogen immunity and predict immune responsiveness and parasite control. Modelling of large-scale existing datasets, including those generated by single-cell RNA-sequencing technologies, may also be a feature of this project. The opportunity to identify new knowledge and integrate this with experimental data produced by our laboratory will be instrumental to extending the impact of these bioinformatics analyses.  This project will provide an opportunity to be at the forefront in cutting-edge technologies and advances in computational analysis of integrated high-dimensional omic data.

Eligibility:

Entry: BSc Honours Class I (or equivalent via outstanding record of professional or research achievements) Experience/Background: Experience with programming languages, mathematics, statistics and/or background in immunology and molecular sciences, with an interest in integrating the fields of immunology and bioinformatics.

Excellent computer, communication, and organisational skills are required. Forward thinking, innovation and creativity are encouraged.

Targeting the membrane steps in bacterial cell wall synthesis for antibiotic drug discovery

Principal Advisor:  Prof Waldemar Vollmer  (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Mr Alun Jones (IMB);  Prof Rob Capon (IMB)

There is an urgent need to develop new antibiotics to address the global challenge of antimicrobial drug resistance (AMR). The membrane steps in bacterial cell wall biogenesis include verified targets for antibiotics (e.g. daptomycin, teixobactin) which cause death and lysis of a bacterial cell. We study the key essential steps of cell wall synthesis at the cell membrane, including the synthesis of lipid-linked precursor, the polymerisation of the cell wall and the recycling of the carrier lipid. The PGR student will receive extensive training in molecular biology, biochemistry and mass spectrometry techniques and develop new assays to measure the activities of membrane-bound cell wall enzymes. The PGR student will then use the new assays in proof-of-principle studies to screen for new inhibitors. The student will characterise the activity of hit molecules by bacterial cell biology techniques and assess their potential to be developed into new antibiotics. 

References: 1. Egan et al. 2020. Regulation of peptidoglycan synthesis and remodelling. Nature Reviews Microbiology 18, 446–460. 2. Oluwole et al. 2022. Peptidoglycan biosynthesis is driven by lipid transfer along enzyme-substrate affinity gradients. Nature Communications 13:2278.

The application of metagenomics to clinical microbiology and infection control

Principal Advisor:   Dr Brian Forde ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisors: Dr Patrick Harris (UQCCR, [email protected] ), Dr Kym Lowry (UQCCR, [email protected] )

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) present significant healthcare challenges globally, affecting patients in both developed and developing nations. In Australia alone, over 165,000 patients suffer from HAIs annually, with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) compounding the issue by limiting treatment options and worsening patient outcomes. Prospective whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has emerged as an optimal approach for rapidly identifying transmission of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria. However, current surveillance methods primarily rely on culture-based isolation of specific pathogens, followed by  detailed genomics characterisation of individuals, which is labour-intensive, prone to selection bias, and fails to provide insights into community dynamics and interactions between patients and the hospital environment. This project aims to pioneer an alternative approach: prospective metagenomic surveillance. By leveraging high-throughput metagenomics, this project seeks to profile overall community structure, characterise community dynamics, and identify and control pathogen transmission in clinical settings. The research will involve developing new workflows and pipelines to integrate metagenomic surveillance into routine clinical practice, thereby enhancing infection control strategies and patient care

Understanding antibiotic resistance

Associate Advisor: Dr Brian Forde ( [email protected] ), Dr Patrick Harris (UQCCR; [email protected] ), Dr Minh-Duy Phan (IMB; [email protected] )

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to global human health. In 2019 alone, there were an estimated 4.95 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR, with uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) a leading pathogen associated with urinary tract infections, sepsis and high rates of antibiotic resistance. This project will use cutting edge genetic screens, molecular microbiology, genome sequencing and bioinformatics to understand how plasmids contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance in UPEC. Students with an interest in microbiology, bacterial pathogenesis and antibiotic resistance are encouraged to apply.

Understanding the link between EBV and Multiple Sclerosis

Associate Advisor:   Dr Carla Prioetti  (IMB)

An opportunity exists for a PhD position in molecular immunology, where cutting-edge technologies will be applied to understand the molecular basis of the link between EBV and Multiple Sclerosis. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the top identified causative agent of Multiple Sclerosis , but how this occurs is not known. This project aims to apply an innovative approach using proteome-wide screening of EBV to identify the subset of EBV proteins from the complete EBV proteome that triggers MS. It will compare responses in individuals with different stages of MS and apply sophisticated computational analytics to identify specific EBV proteins that predict MS disease. This EBV signature of MS could be translated into a clinic-friendly point-of-care test. If successful, this project could revolutionize the diagnosis and management of MS, providing patients with a quicker and more accurate diagnosis and enhanced quality of life.

Eligibility: Entry: Bachelor degree with Honours Class I (or equivalent via outstanding record of professional or research achievements) Experience/Background: laboratory-based experience in immunology, host-pathogen interactions, immune regulation and infectious diseases; excellent computer, communication, and organisational skills are required.

Understanding the role of lipids in inflammation and immune clearance of pathogens

Principal Advisor:  Dr Jessica Rooke (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Prof Ian Henderson (IMB); Prof Matt Sweet (IMB)

Salmonella enterica  is a broad host range pathogen that is distributed globally. Worryingly,  S. enterica  strains are becoming increasingly resistant to routinely used antibiotics, leading to the World Health Organisation classifying  S. enterica  as a high priority pathogen for which alternative treatments are desperately needed. By understanding how  Salmonella infects a host, novel therapies and vaccines can be designed to prevent disease. Recent evidence suggests that pathogen-lipid interactions are important for pathogens to survive in the host and that Salmonella has a unique, conserved lipase that is essential for these interactions. This project aims to establish the molecular mechanism by which Salmonella interacts with host lipids to enable evasion   and manipulation of host immune responses. These investigations will provide novel insights into fundamental  Salmonella  biology and aid in the development of more effective strategies to treat  Salmonella  infections, such as novel drug targets and/or novel vaccine candidates.

Vaccine Engineering

An opportunity exists for a PhD position in vaccine engineering. Vaccines are one of the most effective health care interventions but remain a challenge for many diseases, and in particular intracellular pathogens such as malaria where T cell responses are particularly desirable. We have been exploring novel  approaches to rationally design an effective vaccine against challenging disease targets. By taking advantage of recent advances in genomic sequencing, proteomics, transcriptional profiling, and molecular immunology, we have discovered unique targets of T cell responses or antibody response. This project will test these antigens as vaccine candidates by assessing immunogenicity, protective capacity and biological function using different vaccine platforms. By designing an effective vaccine from genomic data, this project is expected to result in significance advances in vaccinology as well as immunology, with important public health outcomes.

Entry: Bachelor degree with Honours Class I (or equivalent via outstanding record of professional or research achievements) Experience/Background: laboratory-based experience in immunology, host-pathogen interactions, immune regulation and infectious diseases; e xcellent computer, communication, and organisational skills are required.

Gender matters: Using genomic data to understand sex-specific risk in heart disease

Principal Advisor:  Dr Sonia Shah  (IMB)

Associate Advisor:   Prof Gita Mishra (UQ School of Public Health)

The 2019 Women and Heart Disease forum highlighted clear disparities in CVD outcomes between males and females. The report (Arnott et al 2019 Heart, Lung and Circulation), highlighted a need to increase our understanding of sex-specific pathophysiology driving susceptibility to common diseases, and identification of sex-specific risk factors to improve early detection and prevention of CVD in women. Until recently, sex-specific research was underpowered and most studies on heart disease included a much smaller number of female participants. But this is beginning to change with the availability of large biobank data.     This project will require statistical analysis of very large datasets with health records linked to genomic data to address these gaps in our understanding of heart disease in women. This includes data from the UK Biobank cohort in ~500,000 individuals (54% women) and data from the Australian Women’s Longitudinal Study (led by Prof Gita Mishra), a study looking at the factors contributing to the health and wellbeing of over 57,000 Australian women, and is the largest, longest-running project of its kind ever conducted in Australia.     This project will lead to a better understanding of sex-specific risk factors for CVD, which will inform better CVD prevention strategies in women. 

Genomics of Caveolae Disease

Principal Advisor: Dr Allan McRae (IMB)

Associate Advisor: Prof Robert Parton (IMB)

Caveolae, small pits in the plasma membrane, are the most abundant surface subdomains of many mammalian cells.  Loss or mutation of genes involved in caveolae have shown to cause disease including lipodystrophy and pulmonary arterial hypertension.  This project will ustilise publicly available genomic data to further explore the role of genetic variation in caveole genes in disease.

Harnessing biobank information to understand Motor Neuron Disease

Associate Advisor: Dr Fleur Garton (IMB), A/Prof Robert Henderson (UQ Centre for Clinical Research)

Motor neuron disease results in the degeneration of the motor neurons leading to paralysis and death. There is limited knowledge on the underlying causes and no treatment can significantly change the fatal course of the disease. Slowing the discovery process has been the limited, clinic-based sample sizes. At least three large international biobank datasets, with matched genotype and phenotype data are now available and more are anticipated. The large sample provides a powerful opportunity to investigate this complex disease. Our group has expertise in harnessing large datasets such as the UK Biobank to answer questions about complex traits and diseases. This project will aim to integrate multiple international biobank datasets to better understand the disease and avenues for treatment.

Leveraging high-throughput genetic screens to evolve the power of algae in biotechnology

Principal Advisor:  Prof Ben Hankamer

Associate Advisor:   Prof Ian Henderson

Algae cells have evolved over ~3 billion years of natural selection to yield a diverse array of highly efficient, self-assembling, light-responsive membranes. These act as Nature’s solar interfaces, via which plants tap into the power of the sun. These interfaces contain nano-machinery to drive the photosynthetic light reactions which convert light from the sun into food, fuel, and atmospheric oxygen to support life on Earth. However, microalgae can be used to produce foods/nutraceuticals, vaccines, peptide therapeutics, novel antibiotics, fuel, and bioremediation. While much successful work has been done to improve the use of algae, the genetics of the various species are not well understood. Here we will deploy a high through put genetic approach to identify essential and conditionally-essential genes in algae providing insight into the fundamental biology of these organisms. We will leverage this approach to forcibly evolve algae and improve recombinant protein production.

Parsing the genome into functional units to understand the genetic basis of cell identity and function

Principal Advisor: Associate Professor Nathan Palpant ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisors: Dr Woo Jun Shim ( [email protected] ), Dr Sonia Shah ( [email protected] ), Dr Bastien Llamas (University of Adelaide)

The billions of bases in the genome are shared among all cell types and tissues in the body. Understanding how regions of the genome control the diverse functions of cells is fundamental to understanding evolution, development, and disease. We recently identified approaches to define diverse biologically constrained regions of the genome that appear to control very specific cellular functions. This project will evaluate how these biologically constrained regions of the genome have influenced evolutionary processes, evaluate their regulatory basis in controlling the identity and function of cells, and analyse the promiscuity of cross-talk between different biologically constrained regions. The project will also study how these genomic regions impact disease mechanisms by evaluating how disease-associated variants in different regions influence survival of patients with cancer and assessing whether these regions are associated with identifying causal disease variants in human complex trait data. The project will involve significant collaborative work with industry partners and researchers across Australia with the goal of providing critical insights into fundamental mechanisms of genome regulation.

Principal Advisor: Prof Denise Doolan (IMB)

Associate Advisor: Dr Carla Proietti (IMB); Dr Jessica Mar (AIBN)

We invite applications for a PhD position focused on identifying human host factors that predict immune control of malaria. The project will utilise systems-based immunology and multi-omics approaches to profile the host immune response in controlled infection models of malaria at molecular, cellular, transcriptome and proteome-wide scale. The overall aim will be to develop and apply computational approaches, including network theory and machine learning, which integrate systems biology and molecular immunology to understand host-pathogen immunity and predict immune responsiveness and parasite control. Modelling of largescale existing datasets, including those generated by single cell RNA-sequencing technologies, may also be a feature of this project. The opportunity to identify new knowledge and integrate this with experimental data produced by our laboratory will be instrumental to extending the impact of these bioinformatics analyses.  This project will provide an opportunity to be involved in cutting-edge advances integrating diverse fields of high dimensional omic datasets to inform the development of vaccines, immunotherapies or diagnostic biomarkers.

Methodologies: Bioinformatics, Machine Learning, Immunology, Systems Immunology, Systems Biology, Genomics/Proteomics/Transcriptomics, Molecular and Cell Biology, Statistics

Eligibility: Entry: BSc Honours Class I (or equivalent via outstanding record of professional or research achievements) Experience/Background: Experience with programming languages, mathematics, statistics and/or background in immunology and molecular sciences, with an interest in integrating the fields of immunology and bioinformatics. Excellent computer, communication, and organisational skills are required. Forward thinking, innovation and creativity are encouraged. 

Understanding the genetic and phenotypic basis of rare disease variants

Associate Advisors: Dr Sonia Shah ( [email protected] ) and Dr Mikael Boden (SCMB)

Genome sequencing is a powerful tool for studying the biological basis of disease, yet out of millions of data points, finding the underlying cause of disease can be difficult. Current protocols for classifying variants from patient DNA data largely rely on prior knowledge about normal and abnormal gene variation contained in large public databases, known disease-causing gene panels, or identifying variants causing amino acid changes in proteins (which only comprise 2% of the genome). Despite these powerful approaches, studies indicate that classifying variants as pathogenic occurs in only a minority of cases and among variants reported in ClinVar, a public archive of relationships between human variation and phenotype, wherein a large proportion (37%) are classified as variants of unknown significance (VUS). This project aims to address this key gap in knowledge, involving work in computational and/or cell biology studies, depending on the student skills and interests. For computational studies, this project aims to develop methods that integrate predictive, genome-wide identifiers of pathogenicity. We will use machine learning to build non-linear prediction methods that outperform individual prediction tools in identifying genetic causes of disease and accelerating clinical diagnosis of genetic diseases. For cell biology studies, we aim to use clinical genetics data (from the Australian Functional Genomics Network) to determine pathogenicity of variants from patients with inherited cardiovascular diseases. The approaches will include: 1) cell modelling with human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), a disease-agnostic and scalable platform for high-throughput hPSC variant screening. To study variants in genes such as transcription factors that are known to cause genetic diseases, we will use molecular phenotyping by genome-wide proximity labelling with DNA adenine methyltransferase (DamID) to study how disease-causing variants alter regulatory control of the genome. Collectively, this aim implements computational predictions with disease modelling as an efficient, scalable, and disease agnostic pipeline to increase the diagnostic rate of unresolved cases.

Using genetic adaptation to high altitude to discover mechanisms regulating acute responses to ischemia

Associate Advisors: Professor Glenn King ( [email protected] ), Dr Sonia Shah ( [email protected] ) and Dr Toby Passioura (University of Sydey)

Human populations living in high-altitude hypoxic environments have shown generational gene adaptations compared to lowland cohorts. These extreme stresses result in adaptive changes in the genome to maintain cell viability and function. We hypothesise that genes adapted to high altitude provide a unique approach for discovering novel mechanisms to protect organs from acute ischemic stresses like heart attacks. My laboratory is studying the genetics of lowland versus highland populations in China and Central America and using human pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to study genes selected for high-altitude survival. Preliminary single-cell RNA-seq analysis of differentiated European vs. Han Chinese iPSCs revealed a unique gene expression signature for hypoxia pathways shared by the Han Chinese iPSCs with high altitude-associated haplotypes. We have also identified the gene encoding TMEM206, an acid-sensing ion channel, as a candidate “high-altitude gene”. Genetic knockout of TMEM206 reduces cardiomyocyte sensitivity to ischemia. These data and cell tools are a rich resource for discovering genes under adaptive pressure that could in turn reveal mechanisms and drug targets for protecting the heart against acute injury. This project will use iPSCs selected by known high-altitude haplotypes and compared using in vitro ischemia assays to measure cardiomyocyte cell death. We will analyse haplotype differences in differentiated cardiomyocytes by RNA-seq to identify gene expression programs associated with high altitude-adapted genotypes. We will then use the Broad Institute Connectivity MAP, which links drug perturbations to gene expression changes, to identify novel drugs that induce a “high altitude” gene expression profile in cardiomyocytes. Candidate drugs will be tested in wildtype cells (lacking the high-altitude haplotypes) to assess efficacy in reducing cell death during acute ischemic stress. Using our CRISPR gene methods, we will also knockout candidate “high-altitude genes” identified from statistical genetic studies and assay them using in vitro acidosis/ischemia models. For genes such as TMEM206 that show a role in mediating cardiomyocyte cell death, we will work with associate supervisors Glenn King (UQ) and Toby Passioura (U Sydney) in using the RaPID screen to discover cyclic peptides that inhibit stress-sensitive ion channels. 

Earmarked PhD Projects

Earmarked PhD Projects are projects that are aligned to recently awarded research grants. They are accompanied by a  UQ Earmarked Scholarship  which is funded by the Australian Government and offered to support candidates with their living costs and tuition fees. Applications are now open to Domestic and International (onshore and offshore) candidates. Please see project description to confirm the project's individual application deadline as it may vary.

When you are ready to apply, please  contact the Principal Advisor  via email ensuring the project title is in the subject line and your latest CV is attached. Once you have confirmation that they will endorse you for your chosen project, you may officially apply via the UQ Application Portal  following the instructions listed on the  UQ Earmarked Scholarship  site.  Sign up to alerts to be notified of any new Earmarked PhD projects as well as other PhD opportunities.  

Characterising a specific regulator of venous vessel integrity

Principal Advisor:  Dr Anne Lagendijk  (IMB)

Associate Advisor:  Dr Emma Gordon  (IMB)

This Earmarked Scholarship project is aligned with a recently awarded Category 1 research grant. It offers you the opportunity to work with leading researchers and contribute to large projects of national significance.

Our blood vasculature forms a protective barrier between the blood and surrounding tissues. Blood vessels are kept intact by building strong connections between cells that line the blood vessel wall. These connections are established by adhesion proteins. We have uncovered that adrenomedullin peptides can control adhesion in veins but not arteries. This project aims to understand how adrenomedullin controls venous adhesion so specifically and if this is conserved between species. We will examine this using uniquely suitable mammalian models. The project aims to improve our understanding on how to strengthen vessels and holds the potential to enhance tissue engineering and will expand the scope of Australian research.

*Qualifies for an  Earmarked Scholarship .

Early warning mechanisms for epithelial tissue self-protection

Principal Advisor:  Prof Alpha Yap  (IMB)

This project requires candidates to commence no later than Research Quarter 1, 2024, which means you must apply no later than 30 September, 2023.

This project aims to discover how epithelial tissues in the  body protect themselves against cell injury and cancerous transformation through the early detection and elimination of abnormal cells. Epithelia are found in major organs,  such as the lung, breast and gastrointestinal tract - tissues that are common sources of major diseases, such as inflammation and cancer. The Yap group has pioneered work to understand how mechanical forces are detected as early warnings of cellular dysfunction in epithelia. Conversely, we have found that abnormal tissue mechanics may increase the susceptibility of epithelial tissues to disease. We aim to understand how mechanical signals are detected, how they may be disturbed, and whether correcting mechanics can improve disease outcomes. We work at the interface between experimental biology and theoretical physics. So, projects can be tailored to student's interests, but will give experience in experimental cell biology and physical theory.

 *Qualifies for an  Earmarked Scholarship .

Host-Microbe Interactions and the circadian clock in Liver Disease

Principal Advisor:  Dr Benjamin Weger  (IMB)

This project requires candidates to commence no later than Research Quarter 1, 2026, which means you must apply no later than 30 September, 2025.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major global health problem and refers to a spectrum of liver conditions including simple steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and fibrosis. NAFLD affects at least 25% of adults in developed nations and is a leading cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, but current treatment options remain limited.

Increasing evidence points to a crucial role of gut microbiota in the pathophysiology of NAFLD, yet the underlying mechanisms remain scarcely understood. This PhD project is based on our findings that microbiota modulates growth hormone (GH) secretion of the host (microbiota-GH axis) to regulate diurnal/circadian liver physiology in a sex-dependent manner.

The study will explore the role of an altered microbiota-GH axis in NAFLD progression and will test whether its targeted modulation may provide a new way for treating NAFLD. This project involves a multi-omics approach and combines innovative cell culture and pre-clinical models of NAFLD. Students with an interest in liver physiology and/or the circadian clock are encouraged to apply.

How epithelial tissues detect and respond to cell death and injury

Principal Advisor:  Professor Alpha Yap  (IMB)

Associate Advisor:  TBC

Two PhD projects are available as part of Professor Yap’s ARC Laureate Program which commences in 2024. This prestigious 5-year program aims to understand how cells communicate with one another by mechanical force to detect injury in epithelial tissues such as the gastrointestinal tract and embryonic skin. We apply physical and cell biological approaches to understand how those mechanical forces are generated and detected for tissue health and repair. We use innovative approaches from different disciplines, including live-cell microscopy and genetic manipulation in zebrafish embryos; experimental tools and theory from physics that provide new ways to understand the biological phenomena; and testing how failure of mechanical communication may allow injury to disrupt tissue integrity. Individual projects will be designed that emphasize different aspects within this overall program, tailored for the specific interests of students, which can range from biology to biological physics. Independent of the specific focus of an individual project, the interdisciplinary range of this Laureate Program provides an exciting opportunity for students to train across biological and physical disciplines, to enhance their capacity and versatility for the future.

Research Environment

These projects will be supported by the world-class resources of the IMB and the network of national and international experts who are collaborating with Professor Yap’s ARC Laureate Program. Depending on the specific requirements of each project, students have the opportunity to learn cutting-edge experimental approaches, such as biophysical techniques to analyse tissue mechanics and the use of organoids and zebrafish embryos to model cell injury and tissue responses. This project is part of a program that provide a rich, interdisciplinary network for their training. Local collaborators bring experience in cell biology (Prof. Rob Parton, Dr. Samantha Stehbens), zebrafish models (Dr Anne Lagendijk),inflammation (Professors Kate Schroder and Matt Sweet) and gastrointestinal function (Professor Jake Begun, MMRI-UQ); while national and international collaborators bring expertise in mechanobiology (e.g. Richard Morris, UNSW; Virgile Viasnoff, Nat Uni Singapore; Phillipe Marcq, ESPCI Paris). More broadly, the IMB and UQ campus provide a vibrant, multidisciplinary environment for this training, where they will get exposure to disciplines such as developmental biology, gastroenterology and genomics, as well as the cell biology and biophysics of the host lab.

Identifying novel factors that can reduce severity of stroke-prone vascular malformations

Principal Advisor:   Dr Anne Lagendijk ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:  Samantha Stehbens (AIBN/IMB; [email protected] )

Cerebral Cavernous Malformation (CCM) is a progressive vascular disease whereby focal clones of defective endothelial cells give rise to distinctive bulging vascular lesions. The endothelial cells in progressed lesions show reduced adhesion with each other as well as cellular thinning and spreading. CCM lesions form exclusively in venous vessels of the central nervous system (CNS: brain and spinal cord), at a surprisingly high frequency of up to 0.5% of the population. Due to their location and fragile structure CCMs cause chronic headaches, seizures, and stroke. CCM disease is induced by mutations in one of three CCM genes: CCM1, CCM2, or CCM3 which leads to uncontrolled KLF2/4 transcription factor activity.

We recently identified novel factors that are downregulated in CCM disease, and when these factors are fully absent CCM phenotypes worsen. This project will investigate these new players using zebrafish and bioengineered 3D vessel-on-a-chip models and determine these might prevent CCM progression. 

Migration dependent signalling in immune cells

Principal Advisor:  Prof Jennifer Stow  (IMB)

Immune cells migrate through tissues to sites of infection or damage to provide immune defence and to promote tissue repair. Using advanced live cell imaging we can detect trails left by migrating immune cells that help guide other cells to sites of infection. This project will characterise this new form of signalling between cells, uncovering new aspects of immune cell migration vital for fighting  infection and wound healing. The project will build skills in cutting edge cell and tissue microscopy and imaging, including in model organisms and organoids, and involve biochemical and genetic analyses. The project is a collaboration between 3 universities with the potential for cross disciplinary research and training in a diverse team.

Peptide absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and development of peptide drugs

This student project is part of a grant-funded  industry partnership, with partners at UQ/IMB and Monash U/MIPS and an international pharmaceutical company.  As a student member of this team you will receive exceptional training and work experience at the interface between research in academic and industry settings. The project will be part of a broader program investigating how peptides and peptide drugs are absorbed across the wall of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT); multidisciplinary approaches are being taken by the team and the student project will be focussed on using multiple modes of microscopy to examine peptide uptake and distribution. Confocal microscopy, live imaging of cells, organoids, explants and tissues,  will be employed, using cutting edge equipment and state of the art technologies; there will be some biochemical  and protein studies and you will be involved in quantitative  image analysis and handling of big image data. Throughout the project you will work with world class experts for training, supervision and technical innovations. The project will be based at UQ (Brisbane) and involve active interstate and international collaborations. You will emerge from this project with translatable skills, work experience and scientific outputs, having contributed to a project that will have practical outcomes and global impact.

Understanding how inflammation predisposes to cancer

Chronic inflammation of epithelial organs, such as the gut, are known to predipose to cancer. But the mechanisms responsible for this predisposition are poorly understood. Elucidating such mechanisms are essential to identify patients at increased risk for cancer and present novel opportunities to decrease cancer risk.

This project builds on our pioneering discoveries to test how inflammation may increase cancer risk by altering the epithelium within which cancer originates. We recently made the exciting discovery that abnormalities in the mechanical properties of epithelial tissues may increase cancer risk by disabling the tissue's ability to eliminate newly-transformed cancer cells. Understanding how inflammation affects tissue mechanics will provide new opportunities for diagnosis and therapeutics.

This project will provide training in a wide range of modern research approaches, including advanced microscopy, bioengineered systems to study cell behaviour, and animal models of cancer development and elimination.

Principal Advisor:  Associate Professor Nathan Palpant ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisors:  Dr Sonia Shah ( [email protected] ) and Professor Mikael Boden ( [email protected] )

Genome sequencing is a powerful tool for studying the biological basis of disease, yet out of millions of data points, finding the underlying cause of disease can be difficult. Current protocols for classifying variants from patient DNA data largely rely on prior knowledge about normal and abnormal gene variation contained in large public databases, known disease-causing gene panels, or identifying variants causing amino acid changes in proteins (which only comprise 2% of the genome).

Despite these powerful approaches, studies indicate that classifying variants as pathogenic occurs in only a minority of cases and among variants reported in ClinVar, a public archive of relationships between human variation and phenotype, wherein a large proportion (37%) are classified as variants of unknown significance (VUS).

This project aims to address this key gap in knowledge, involving work in computational and/or cell biology studies, depending on the student skills and interests. For computational studies, this project aims to develop methods that integrate predictive, genome-wide identifiers of pathogenicity. We will use machine learning to build non-linear prediction methods that outperform individual prediction tools in identifying genetic causes of disease and accelerating clinical diagnosis of genetic diseases. For cell biology studies, we aim to use clinical genetics data (from the Australian Functional Genomics Network) to determine pathogenicity of variants from patients with inherited cardiovascular diseases.

The approaches will include: 1) cell modelling with human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), a disease-agnostic and scalable platform for high-throughput hPSC variant screening. To study variants in genes such as transcription factors that are known to cause genetic diseases, we will use molecular phenotyping by genome-wide proximity labelling with DNA adenine methyltransferase (DamID) to study how disease-causing variants alter regulatory control of the genome. Collectively, this aim implements computational predictions with disease modelling as an efficient, scalable, and disease agnostic pipeline to increase the diagnostic rate of unresolved cases.

Unravelling how epithelial tissues detect and respond to cell death and injury.

Principal Advisor:  Prof Alpha Yap  ( [email protected] )

Two PhD projects are available as part of Professor Yap’s ARC Laureate Program which commences in 2024. This prestigious 5-year program aims to understand how cells communicate with one another to detect injury in epithelial tissues such as the gastrointestinal tract and embryonic skin.

We propose that a key factor lies in how cells use mechanical forces to communicate with each other. We apply physical and cell biological approaches to understand how those mechanical forces are generated and detected for tissue health and repair. We use innovative approaches from different disciplines, including live-cell microscopy and genetic manipulation in zebrafish embryos; experimental tools and theory from physics that provide new ways to understand the biological phenomena; and testing how failure of mechanical communication may allow injury to disrupt tissue health through inflammation and infection.

Individual projects will be designed that emphasize different aspects within this overall program, tailored for the specific interests of students, which can range from biology to biological physics. Independent of the specific focus of an individual project, the interdisciplinary range of this Laureate Program provides an exciting opportunity for students to train across biological and physical disciplines, to enhance their capacity and versatility for the future.

Principal Advisor:  A/Prof Markus Muttenthaler  (IMB)

The blood-brain barrier controls the transfer of substances between the blood and the brain, protecting us from toxic compounds while allowing the transfer of nutrients and other beneficial molecules. This project aims to discover new venom peptides capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and to develop non-toxic peptide-based brain delivery systems. It addresses long-standing challenges and knowledge gaps in the delivery of macromolecules across biological barriers. The project will involve cell culture, blood-brain barrier models and assays, proteomics, peptide chemistry, molecular biology and pharmacology. Expected outcomes include an improved understanding of the strategies nature exploits to reach targets in the brain, mechanistic pathways to cross biological membranes, and innovative discovery and chemistry strategies to advance fundamental research across the chemical and biological sciences. Anticipated benefits include technological innovations relevant to Australia’s biotechnology sector and enhanced capacity for cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Engineering high-efficiency light-driven synthetic biology

Principal Advisor:  Prof Ben Hankerman  (IMB)

Every two hours Earth receives enough energy from the sun to power our global economy for a year. The capture and use of this energy are essential to power a sustainable zero CO2 emissions future, increase international fuel security and build advanced light-driven industries as part of an expanding circular bioeconomy.

Over 3 billion years, photosynthetic microorganisms have evolved to tap into the huge energy resource of the sun and use it to synthesise a diverse array of biomolecules that collectively form biomass.  This photosynthetic capacity can be adapted to create clean fuels for the future such as hydrogen and an array of high-value biomolecules.

This PhD project is focused on the development of high-efficiency light-driven single cell green algae (microalgae) cell lines that can produce hydrogen fuel from water as well as high-value molecules using advanced genetic “plug-and play” molecular biology techniques.

Building on extensive foundational work, the project will involve the design of expression vectors, cell transformation and screening, creation of specific point mutants and gene knockouts using CRISPR and their characterisation (e.g. photosynthetic physiology, H2 production). The project may extend to technoeconomic analyses of scaled up designs and lab scale validation of the proposed industrial processes.

Associate Advisor:  A/Prof Jyotsna Batra (QUT)

Prostate cancer is the second most frequent malignancy in men worldwide, causing over 375,000 deaths a year. When primary treatments fail, disease progression inevitably occurs, resulting in more aggressive subtypes with high mortality. This project focuses on the oxytocin/oxytocin receptor (OT/OTR) signalling system as a potential new drug target and biomarker to improve prostate cancer management and patient survival. Anticipated outcomes include a better understanding of OT/OTR’s role in prostatecancer and new therapeutic leads for an alternative treatment strategy.

The candidate should have a degree in biochemistry, pharmacology or cell biology, good hands-on laboratory skills, some bioinformatics skills (e.g., ability to implement statistical tests in R/Python and program scripts to automate analyses) and strong ambition and work ethics. The candidate will be involved in genetic/bioinformatic analysis, cancer cell signalling assays, chemical synthesis of OT ligands, GPCR pharmacology and characterisation of therapeutic leads in prostate cancer models.

Modulating protein-protein interactions in disease

Principal Advisor:  Prof David Fairlie  (IMB)

This project requires candidates to commence no later than Research Quarter 1, 2025, which means you must apply no later than 30 September, 2024.

Most diseases are mediated by protein-protein interactions, often fleeting contacts between large protein surfaces too shallow to sequester conventional small molecule drugs. This project will design and develop classes of new compounds at and above size limits of conventional drugs to modulate more difficult protein-activated receptors that are largely targets without drugs. To do this, the candidate will first truncate one of the binding partners to a smaller peptide and optimise its structure, composition, protein affinity, and functional potency in order to modulate the protein-protein interaction that leads to disease. This will require knowledge and skills in peptide chemistry, solid phase synthesis, HPLC purification, spectroscopy (NMR, MS, CD), and an ability and motivation to modify peptides into small bioavailable molecules using organic synthesis techniques. Some knowledge of cell biology and enzyme assays would be an advantage, as would knowledge of NMR spectroscopy. The long term goal is to design new compounds and profile them for effects on genes/proteins/cells/rodent models of immunometabolism, inflammatory diseases and cancer. Outcomes will include new knowledge of protein-protein interactions in disease; greater understanding of drug targets, disease mechanisms and effectiveness of new drug action; patentable methods and bioactive compounds; and new experimental drug leads to new medicines for preclinical development towards the clinic.

Molecular design of drugs to fight chronic human diseases and environmental pests

Principal Advisor:  Dr Conan Wang  (IMB)

Must commence by Research Quarter 3, 2025.

An excellent opportunity for a PhD candidate to explore cutting-edge technologies for design of bioactive proteins to fight chronic human diseases or environmental pests. A motivated individual will be immersed in a leading research institute and international team at UQ, supported by an Australian Centre of Excellence and nationally funded research programs.

Development of drugs for human benefit, whether to cure human diseases or safeguard our food resources and environmental assets, must begin with the design of bioactive lead molecules. This research program will investigate platform technologies for engineering of novel proteins, which are actively pursued by many emerging biotechnology industries. The candidate will choose one of the following major application areas of national importance.

• Next-generation anti-cancer drugs
• Antimicrobial agents to fight infection
• Bio-friendly drugs to control agricultural pests
• Natural proteins to prevent crown of thorns starfish outbreaks

A typical project will involve use of protein structure to design new drugs. The candidate could choose to use either computational design tools or molecular libraries to screen massive numbers of drug leads. This often followed by characterisation of structure and activity using biophysical, biochemical and/or biological assays.

Photocontrollable probes to study neuropeptide-mediated memory formation

This project aims at developing next-generation molecular probes with enhanced specificity and spatiotemporal control for the study of proteins and neuropeptide signalling. It addresses recognised knowledge gaps and technical bottlenecks in neuropeptide and memory research. Expected outcomes include a deeper molecular understanding of long-term memory formation and the role of neuropeptides in this process, as well as innovative chemistry strategies and novel molecular probes to advance fundamental research across the chemical and biological sciences. Anticipated benefits include technological innovations of relevance to Australia’s biotechnology sector and enhanced capacity for cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Targeting strategies for drug design

Selective binding of small molecules with proteins underpins most drug discovery. However, while a compound can be devised to interact with a single protein, this cannot drive the molecule into a specific location where functional modulation of the target protein only at that location is desired for therapy. Instead, designed compounds usually bind to the protein wherever it is expressed in the body and this can be deterimental to normal healthy physiology. This project will investigate a number of promising new approaches to directing protein-binding compounds to specific compartments of cells and organisms. It will require a combination of organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, molecular modelling and chemical biology. The new approaches will be tested and optimised with the goal of inhibiting or activating desired proteins in specific compartments in order to modulate disease-causing protein functions without altering normal healthy physiology. Achieving these aims will require enthusiasm, a high degree of self-motivation, lateral thinking, strong chemical knowledge and hands-on skills in organic synthesis (solution and solid phase), NMR characterisation (including 2D NMR structure analysis), HPLC purification, mass spectrometry, and computer modelling. Some knowledge of enzyme assays and cell biology would be an advantage. The long term goal is to design new compounds and profile them for selective effects on target genes/proteins/cells/rodent models of inflammatory diseases and cancer. Outcomes will include new knowledge of protein function in disease; greater understanding of medicinal and organic chemistry in drug design, drug targeting, mechanisms and effectiveness of drug action; patentable methods and bioactive compounds; and new experimental leads to new medicines for development towards the clinic.

Tuning the activating stimulus of voltage-gated sodium channels

Principal Advisor:  Dr Angelo Keramidas  (IMB)

This project will investigate how voltage-gated sodium channels, which are proteins (ion channels) found on the surface of neurons (brain cells and nerves) function as molecular conduits of cell-to-cell electrical communication. The overall aim is to study how molecular probes (venom peptides) and structural parts of these ion channels affect the local biophysical environment of the ion channels, and how this leads to fine tuning of the ion channel's sensitivity to the stimulus that activates them (cell membrane voltage).

This project will use natural and modified peptides that are derived from venoms of different species, such as spiders and ants to probe and manipulate the functional properties of an ion channel that is critically important to the function of the nervous system.

The conceptual knowledge gained from this project would advance our understanding of a fundamental physiological process and facilitate the development of drugs that regulate ion channel function, such as antiepileptics, analgesics and insecticides.

Understanding how blood vessels in the brain are formed

Principal Advisor: Dr Rosemary Cater ( [email protected] )

Associate Advisor:  Dr Anne Lagendijk ( [email protected] ) 

The human brain comprises ~650 kilometres of blood vessels lined by brain endothelial cells, which supply the brain with oxygen and essential nutrients. The growth of cerebral blood vessels begins early in development via a process called sprouting angiogenesis. Despite its importance, the molecular mechanisms underlying brain angiogenesis and formation of the blood-brain barrier are poorly understood. It has recently been demonstrated that the gene Flvcr2 is critical for blood vessels to grow in the brain, and last year we discovered that the protein encoded by this gene (FLVCR2) transports choline – an essential nutrient – across the blood brain barrier and into the brain. This project will utilise biochemical techniques and structural biology (cryo-EM) to investigate what other molecules may regulate this transport process, and how choline regulates angiogenesis in the brain.

How bacteria form antibiotic resistant biofilms

Principal Advisor: Prof Mark Schembri  (IMB)

Associate Advisors:   A/Prof Markus Muttenthaler, Prof Waldemar Vollmer  (IMB)

Biofilms are surface-attached clusters of bacteria encased in an extracellular matrix. They are a significant problem in many areas that influence our everyday life, including agriculture (e.g. plant and animal infections), industry (e.g. contamination of plumbing, ventilation and food industry surfaces) and medicine (e.g. ~80% of human infections are biofilm associated, including device-related infections). This project will apply molecular microbiology methodsto understand the structure, function and regulation of biofilms produced by uropathogenic E. coli that cause urinary tract infections, and investigate new strategies to disrupt biofilms. The project will build skills in cutting edge genetic screens, molecular microbiology, genome sequencing, bioinformatics, microscopy, imaging and animal infection models. Students with an interest in microbiology, bacterial pathogenesis and antibiotic resistance are encouraged to apply.

Identifying new targets for treatment of antimicrobial resistant infections

Principal Advisor:  Prof Ian Henderson  (IMB)

Driven by the introduction of antibiotics and vaccines, deaths from infectious diseases declined markedly during the 20th century. These unprecedented interventions paved the way for other medical treatments; cancer chemotherapy and major surgery would not be possible without effective antibiotics to prevent and treat bacterial infections. The evolution and widespread distribution of antibiotic-resistance elements, and the lack of new antimicrobials, threatens the last century of medical advances; without action the annual death toll from drug-resistant infections will increase from 0.5 million in 2016 to 10 million by 2050. New treatments are desperately needed including new antibiotics and alternative treatments such as phage. This project will address the molecular basis for the basis of phage interaction with the bacterial cell envelope and the potential for using this knowledge to treat antibiotic resistant infections.

Genetics of sensory nutrition – using genetics to understand how taste and olfactory perception influences eating behaviour and health

Principal Advisor: Dr Daniel Hwang  (IMB)

This project requires candidates to commence no later than Research Quarter 3, 2025, which means you must apply no later than  29 February 2024 .

Human perception of taste and smell plays a key role in food preferences and choices. There is a large and growing body of work suggesting that taste and smell (together known as "chemosensory perception") determine eating behaviour and dietary intake, a primary risk factor of chronic conditions such as obesity, cardiometabolic disorders, and cancer.  

However, evidence to date is largely based on observational studies that are susceptible to confounding and reverse causation, leaving the "causal effects" of chemosensory perception on food consumption unclear. If their relationship is truly causal, flavour modification may represent a tangible way of modifying food consumption in a way that benefits public health outcomes.  

This PhD project aims to: (i) elucidate the genetic architecture underlying individual differences in taste and smell perception, (ii) use this information to assess their causal effects on eating behaviour, and (iii) create a sensory-food causal network mapping individual sensory qualities (i.e. sweet taste, bitter taste, and more) to individual food items.  

The candidate will gain skills in big data analyses, computer programming, statistical method development and application (structural equation modelling, genome-wide association analysis, Mendelian randomisation), and writing and publishing scientific peer-reviewed papers. The candidate will also have opportunities to be involved and to lead national and international collaborative projects.  

Sometimes Correlation does Equal Causation: Developing Statistical Methods to Determine Causality Using Genetic Data

Principal Advisor:  Prof David Evans  (IMB)

There is a well-known mantra that correlation does not necessarily equal causation. This is why randomized controlled trials in which participants are physically randomized into treatment and placebo groups are the gold standard for assessing causality in epidemiological investigations. However, what is less appreciated is that strong evidence for causality can sometimes be obtained using observational data only. In particular, genotypes are randomly transmitted from parents to their offspring independent of the environment and other confounding factors, meaning that genotypes associated with particular traits can be used like natural “randomized controlled trials” to examine whether these traits causally affect risk of disease.

The aim of this PhD project is to develop statistical methods to assess causality using observational data alone. The successful candidate will gain experience across a wide range of advanced statistical genetics methodologies including Mendelian randomization (a way of using genetic variants to investigate putatively causal relationships), structural equation modelling, genome-wide association analysis (GWAS), genetic restricted maximum likelihood (G-REML) analysis of genome-wide data which can be used to partition variation in phenotypes into genetic and environmental sources of variation, and instrumental variables analysis (using natural “experiments” to obtain information on causality from observational data). The candidate will apply the new statistical methods that they develop to large genetically informative datasets like the UK Biobank (500,000 individuals with genome-wide SNP data).

Testing effect of environmental exposures on subsequent human generations

Principal Advisor:  Dr Gunn-Helen Moen  (IMB)

We are seeking a PhD candidate to join our research team in this exciting project funded by the Australian Research Council. The research group has conducted work within genetic epidemiology, focusing on pregnancy related exposures and outcomes.

Depending on the student’s level of experience and aptitude, they will help develop and/or apply statistical genetics approaches to investigate the possible existence of transgenerational epigenetic effects on human phenotypes.

A PhD is about learning new skills and learning how to do research. Our ideal candidate will have knowledge or keen interest in learning genetics, epidemiology, statistics, unix and shell scripting, and statistical software such as R. You will work closely with an experienced researcher on the project. There will also be possibility for a research stay in Norway during this PhD.

The main purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.  

The advertised projects are fundamentally quantitative and computer-based, and so evidence of aptitude in these areas is essential. The candidate should also have the ability to design, plan, and execute experiments and be proficient in English, both written and oral. 

We are looking for someone who is:

• Excellent communication and team working skills
• Organized and structured
• Enthusiastic and willing to learn new methods and techniques

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Graduate Research

Doctoral Program in Management

• Arrow-right #1 Business and Economics in Australia
• Arrow-right #8 Globally for graduate employability

Course overview

What is it about.

Taught by the Department of Management and Marketing , the Doctoral Program in Management at the University of Melbourne provides outstanding research training for the world’s most ambitious minds. Challenge yourself through a program that broadens your skillset and advances your research career prospects in academia or within research and development teams in industry and the public sector.

The program is made up of a 2-year Master of Commerce coursework program followed by a 3-year PhD.

Generous scholarships are available for high achieving applicants, including full fee waivers and a stipend of AUD 37,000 per year (2024 RTP rate).

Research conference travel funding of AUD$15,000 is available to all confirmed PhD candidates.

The program combines rigorous research training and substantial opportunity to work on independent research projects with world renowned academics. This research training and activity will provide you with the skills and knowledge to address meaningful problems facing consumers, employees, managers, organisations, industries and communities.

Our graduate students have successfully attained positions in leading academic and business institutions both within Australia and internationally.

Upcoming Information Session

Date:  June 13, 2024

Time: 8:00pm - 9:00pm AEST

Join us for an online information session to learn more about the Graduate Research degrees offered by the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Melbourne. Whether you are interested in pursuing one of our five-year doctoral programs, or one of our thesis-only PhDs, our world-class faculty and research facilities can provide you with the knowledge and skills to excel in your chosen field. During the session, you will have the opportunity to hear from our academic staff and current students about the research areas and projects that are currently being undertaken in the Faculty.

Register to attend an information session

Pursuing a PhD cultivates one’s ability to unravel the complexities beneath modern-day challenges within our constantly evolving world. Associate Professor Andrew Yu, Graduate Research Director, Management

We strongly encourage students to be creative, intellectually curious, hard-working and contribute to the advancement of the management field.

Related study areas

• Business and economics
• Management, HR, and business administration

FellowshipBard

24 fully funded phd programs at university of sydney, australia.

Are you holding Master’s degree and looking for fully funded PhD positions? University of Sydney, Australia invites online application for multiple funded PhD Programs / fully funded PhD positions in various research areas.

Candidates interested in fully funded PhD positions can check the details and may apply as soon as possible. Interested and eligible applicants may submit their online application for PhD programs via the University’s Online Application Portal. 

1. Fully Funded PhD Position in Bioinformatics

Summary of phd program:.

Intracellular single-cell parasites of the genus Cryptosporidium infect vertebrates, including humans, worldwide. Cryptosporidiosis is self-limiting disease in healthy hosts but represents a life-threatening problem in immunocompromised individuals for which there is no effective treatment. The diversity of the genus Cryptosporidium is mystifying for many biologists and even more so for non-specialists nevertheless is critical for understanding the epidemiology of the disease. A DNA approach to identity stands on the implicit assumption that the reference databases used for comparison are sufficiently complete and feature rich with annotated entries. However, the uncertain taxonomic reliability and annotations in public DNA repositories (GenBank) form a major obstacle to sequence-based species identification.

Application Deadline: Open until filled

2. fully funded phd position in drug discovery and medicinal chemistry.

The Drug Discovery Research Unit is located at the Brain and Mind Research Institute and the School of Chemistry at the University of Sydney. Research is interdisciplinary and built around the key themes of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. In this domain understanding drug-protein and drug-binding site interactions is a key component which allows us to obtain structure-activity relationships of bioactive CNS molecules and therefore the rational design of more efficacious treatments for diseases of the brain We have an extensive medicinal chemistry program evaluating structure-activity relationships of a number of molecules varying from polycyclic to heterocyclic scaffolds that interact with specific targets we think are involved in brain disease.

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3. Fully Funded PhD Position in Emerging parasitic disease

The project Emerging parasitic disease: epidemiological, diagnostic and experimental approach will focus on development and elucidation of the epidemiology of newly or neglected disease in veterinary parasitology including (i) haemo- / tissue- parasites (Atoxoplasma, Babesia) and (ii) gastrointestinal parasites (Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Tritrichomonas). This project aims to elucidate the molecular identity and relationships between different isolates using PCR diagnostic techniques using rDNA and protein coding genes. On the other hand, this study will deliver and validate the PCR diagnostic protocol for epidemiological studies and elucidating the biology of these organisms.

4. Fully Funded PhD Position in neurological disorders

The Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience is located at the Brain and Mind Research Institute (BMRI) in the Camperdown health research precinct. We investigate molecular and biochemical aspects of neural receptors in health and disease. In collaboration with The Ramaciotti Imaging Centre at BMRI we study the interaction between novel biomarkers (drugs and imaging probes) and neuroreceptors using classical molecular biology and protein chemistry approaches coupled with non-invasive imaging technologies that will improve our understanding of disease.

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5. fully funded phd position in amino acid sensing mechanisms in human biology.

We are funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council to study the mechanisms by which amino acid sensing receptors control hormone secretion, appetite and satiety, and cell fate. This offers opportunities for PhD topics in the following areas: determining how protein regulates calcium metabolism, determining how protein regulates body weight via satiety hormones e.g., cholecystokinin, determining how amino acid sensing mechanisms can be used to control cancer.

6. Fully Funded PhD Position in Medicine use in children with asthma

This project will use a staged approach. A qualitative phase of the study will involve interviewing parents and carers of children with asthma to explore their perceptions and actual use of asthma medications. The results of this phase will be used to develop a quantitative questionnaire on children’s asthma medication use. This phase of the study will be conducted on a larger scale. The results of this project will be used to develop educational interventions targeted at consumers as well as health care practitioners to facilitate quality use of medicines in children with asthma.

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7. fully funded phd position in ethical aspects of genetic, genomic and reproductive technologies in human beings.

Associate Professor Newson’s research focuses on the ethical aspects of genetic, genomic and reproductive technologies in human beings; for example the ethics of prenatal screening and testing; newborn screening; population genetic screening and testing; genetic testing in children and those lacking capacity; ethics and next generation genetic sequencing; emerging biotechnologies (e.g. genome editing); ethics and human reproduction (e.g. ethics and assisted reproductive technologies, ethics in pregnancy and birth). She has published widely on these topics in a range of bioethics and science journals. She also has an emerging interest in the concept of personal responsibility and its role in bioethical debate.

8. Fully Funded PhD Position in Molecular genetics of plant development

The research in my lab is in two main areas (1) Identification of genes involved in shoot meristem function and leaf development by isolation and characterization of mutations disrupting these processes (2) Analysis of molecular mechanisms on how genes control development. Research project opportunities in these broad areas exist for PhD and Honours students. Depending on the specific research project, students will have an opportunity to gain practical and theoretical experience in molecular biology, genetics, gene expression analysis and developmental biology.

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9. fully funded phd position in productive ageing.

The global significance of ageing well and ageing productively has been brought back to the forefront by three major worldwide trends. First, the demographic trend of people living longer, healthier lives, will mean greater proportions of healthy individuals living well into their 70s, 80s, and 90s. Second, there is an economic impetus with many governments and policy makers implementing strategies aimed at encouraging older people to remain healthy and productive for longer to minimise dependence in strictly economic terms.

10. Fully Funded PhD Position in Health Governance, Law and Ethics

Sydney Law School offers one of the nation’s leading postgraduate programs in health and medical law. Health law provids wide-ranging interdisciplinary coverage of contemporary legal and social issues in health care. The area would be of particular interest to lawyers with a health/professional liability practice, hospital and other health organization administrators, doctors, nurses and other eligible health professionals. An exciting feature of the Health Law is the opportunity for dialogue between the legal and health professions about legal and ethical issues of relevance to both practice and administration.

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11. fully funded phd position in international law.

Current focus areas for academics in International Law are: – Human Rights Law – Migration, Citizenship, and Refugee Law- Human Rights & Corporate Responsibility- Private International Law- International Criminal Law- World Trade Organisation- World Bank- International Monetary Fund- Public International Law- Comparative and Transnational Contract Law- International Arbitration and Corporate Governance- Terrorism- Use of Armed Force- The United Nations- International Courts & Tribunals- International Environmental Law- Law of the Sea- International Trade Law

12. Fully Funded PhD Position in Bioethics

The Sydney Health Ethics (VELiM) is one of Australia’s leading bioethics centres – providing opportunities for students to pursue postgraduate research and coursework studies in bioethics – including at Diploma, Masters and Doctoral levels. The Sydney Bioethics Program at VELiM provides a unique, interdisciplinary educational experience that has been bringing together students, researchers and practitioners from health, the humanities and social sciences to study these and other questions since 2006. These qualifications are an excellent way to build a research career.

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13. fully funded phd position in interdisciplinary sleep health research.

The NHMRC Centre for Clinical Research Excellence for Interdisciplinary Sleep Health is based at a network of hospitals and research institutes in Sydney and funded by the NHMRC for five (5) years to support clinical research training and research translation in the fields of interdisciplinary sleep medicine. Fields of research will broadly encompass metabolic health and sleep disorders; neurobehavioural and neurobiological interactions with sleep health; increasing effectiveness of treatments for sleep disorders, and new biomarkers of sleep health.

14. Fully Funded PhD Position in interaction of chronic kidney disease and cancer

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is an important health problem, with increasing prevalence as the population ages. End stage kidney disease requires treatment with dialysis or transplantation, both associated with considerable morbidity and health costs, and people with ESKD have reduced life expectancy. Chronic diseases are often not independent of each other. ESKD is associated with increased risk of cancer at most sites. A major cause of ESKD is diabetic nephropathy, and post transplant immunosuppression is associated with increased risk of new onset diabetes. CKD is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

15. Fully Funded PhD Position in osteoarthritis

In his current work Professor Hunter is investigating a number of key elements in osteoarthritis including (but not limited to) the epidemiology of osteoarthritis, genetic epidemiology of osteoarthritis, the role of biomarkers in understanding OA aetiopathogenesis, the application of imaging to better understand structure and function with application to both epidemiologic research and clinical trials, the application of novel therapies in disease management and health service system delivery of chronic disease management.

16. Fully Funded PhD Position in Improving treatments in childhood apraxia of speech

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is an area of research and clinical expertise of the speech pathology team at the University of Sydney. Over the past 7 years we have developed a new treatment, Rapid Syllable Transition Training (or ReST) and proven that both ReST and the Nuffield programme can be used effectively with children with CAS. We are also conducting trials to make ReST more effective and to make an electronic version of Nuffield. The current opportunities for research include comparing ReST to Integrated Phonological Awareness therapy by Gillon and colleagues in New Zealand; comparing Nuffield program with Dynamic Tactile and Temporal Cueing from Strand and collegues; comparing ReST intervention with ultrasound biofeedback (Preston); and comparing face to face CAS treatment with therapy delivered by skype.

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17. fully funded phd position in machine learning algorithms to detect learning tactics.

Electronic tools that support learners provide a wealth of data about the interactions occurring in a learning environment. This data can be analysed using machine learning algorithms to detect patterns that suggest learning tactics. The detection and analysis of these patterns offer additional insight on the learning process and provide opportunities for the creation of personalized learning environments.

18. Fully Funded PhD Position in Contemporary Art

Contemporary Art research at SCA provides artists the opportunity to develop a specific area of interest into a substantial body of work, and to articulate their practice within a broader art historical, theoretical and philosophical context. Through sustained, rigorous investigation, artists undertaking a research degree make a significant contribution to our understanding of contemporary visual art. A research degree requires in-depth study in a specialised area, supervised by a member of SCA’s academic staff. This research takes the form of a major thesis. SCA offers two modes of research: a traditional written thesis, or a thesis comprising a substantial exhibition and a written thesis.

19. Fully Funded PhD Position in nutritional geometry

The project will deal with connecting nutritional geometry principles developed by Profs Stephen Simpson and David Raubenheimer at the Charles Perkins Centre of the University of Sydney with sustainable development goals. The idea is to source, process and analyse food- and sustainability-related data, with the aim to portray and graph food items, meals and diets in the traditional nutritional geometry triangle, against proxy indicators for sustainable development goals. This novel way of connecting nutrition and sustainability will allow identifying win-wins and trade-offs when developing food- and nutrition-related sustainability policies.

20. Fully Funded PhD Position in Toxicology

A range of PhD research project opportunities in human toxicology exist within the TACT program. We are looking for talented and motivated doctoral candidates, with or without a primary scholarship, who are not afraid of a challenge. You may have a research idea of your own or you may like to take up one of the topics currently being investigated by TACT. While TACT does not normally provide full scholarship funding, a top-up scholarship opportunity exists within the TACT program for candidates with a primary scholarship.

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21. fully funded phd position in chronic kidney disease.

Kidney fibrosis is a key process driving progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) toward end stage kidney disease (ESKD), yet to date there is no established treatment specifically preventing kidney fibrosis. In Australia currently almost 21,000 patients with ESKD require expensive life-long dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive. TGF-β has long been identified as the most important cytokine causing fibrosis in all inflammatory diseases. However, inhibition of TGF-β will also suppress its anti-inflammatory and wound healing functions, a controversy for decades in treatment of fibro-inflammatory diseases of all organs.

22. Fully Funded PhD Position in Koala Infectious Diseases

We are seeking expressions of interest in our PhD program or development of postdoctoral opportunities. Koala numbers have been in severe decline for many years and in most states the species’ status is listed as “vulnerable”, based on a dramatic reduction in koala numbers over the past 5-10 years, over most of its range. The threat facing koala populations today is complex and based on numerous challenges including; habitat loss, widespread and serious disease, urbanization, domestic dog attacks, motor vehicle collisions, and climatic extremes.

23. Fully Funded PhD Position in Immune fitness as a measure of animal welfare

Animals have long been bred to encourage the inheritance of production traits that enable high-yield. This has minimised recognition of the potential impacts on the health of the animal and has often been associated with compromised health outcomes. Currently there is poor understanding of the overall immunological ‘fitness’ of production animals and basic questions remain unanswered: what is the physiological basis that enables some animals to cope with production stresses and what is an effective measure of the immune component? Conversely, what immune measures are correlated to or indicative of an animal at risk of poor performance? Immunocompetence or immune fitness has genetic, nutritional and environmental basis and an epigenetic influence through the gut microbiome.

24. Fully Funded PhD Position in Synthesis of Plant Growth Promoters

Plants, including important food crops such as wheat and rice, form symbiotic relationships with fungi which allows for nutrient transfer. Critical to this symbiotic relationship is a family of molecules called strigolactones. If agricultural scientists could access plant-specific strigolactones, they could ensure that only target crops uptake soil nutrients. This PhD project will entail the synthesis of all canonical strigolactones based on a late stage C-H activation strategy. This will enable our collaborators in plant science to identify key strigolactones and enable us to design next generation agrichemicals.

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• Top 15 Universities for Pursuing PhD in Australia

PhD in Australia: Top 15 Universities, Eligibility and Fully-Funded Scholarships

Updated On Jun 06, 2024

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Why Study PhD in Australia?

Top 5 phd courses in australia for indian students, top 10 universities for pursuing doctorate in australia, top 5 universities for phd in it in australia, phd requirements in australia for international students: eligibility criteria, application process for pursuing phd courses in australia, scholarships that are fully funded for phd in australia for international students.

We know how frustrating it can be to gather all the information needed to study for a PhD in Australia. The entire process can be overwhelming for most students. But there's an easier way! As education experts, we've put together a comprehensive guide to assist you in every phase of your journey.

Whether you're just starting to explore your options or are ready to apply, this guide will provide the essential information and insights you need to successfully pursue a PhD in Australia.

Studying PhD in Australia is a great decision if you are contemplating it or researching it. Australia offers numerous benefits, making it a desirable destination for higher education. Here are some compelling reasons:

• Australia's education system ranks 1st according to the UN's Education Index. The average PhD duration is 3.5 years, offering top-notch research experience, renowned universities, advanced laboratories, and successful PhD completion.
• The 2022 Graduate Outcomes Survey revealed that 84.7% of research degree graduates, including those with PhDs, secured full-time employment within 6 months of graduation.
• A PhD in Australia for Indian students offers diverse opportunities across industries and research projects. Graduates can secure jobs in both public and private sectors, with an average salary ranging from $110,000 to 150,000 AUD.
• With 20 universities ranked in the top 300 according to the 2024 Times Higher Education Rankings, Australia is undeniably a great place for education.

Pursuing a PhD enables students to enhance their research skills and engage in innovative coursework. With over 250 specializations to choose from, here are some of the top PhD programs in Australia favored by most Indian students.

Below, we have also provided the average tuition fee range for each specialization.

Here are the top 10 PhD colleges for doctoral degrees in Australia, offering diverse opportunities in various fields. The program durations vary by field of study, typically ranging from 2 to 3 years.

A PhD in IT is an advanced program that focuses on core IT concepts and their applications. Fresh IT consultants typically earn around A$80,000 annually. Completing your PhD not only provides a substantial stipend during your studies but also ensures a competitive salary post-doctorate.

Also Read: 50 Most Asked Interview Questions for Australia Student Visa

Pursuing a Ph.D. in Australia offers flexibility and convenience for both local and international students, as you can begin the program at any time of the year. It is advisable to apply at least 4 months in advance to the desired university to ensure a smooth start.

• Secure an academic supervisor willing to support your PhD application
• A compelling research proposal aligning with the supervisor’s interests. Upon acceptance, you’ll receive a letter of proposal approval from the university
• Proof of academic degrees: 3 - 4 years of undergraduate and 2 years of postgraduate study
• Minimum required English language proficiency test scores, such as an overall IELTS score of at least 6.5
• Documentation of English language skills, grade transcripts, and a CV
• Passport or proof of Genuine Temporary Entrant status
• Some universities and departments may require you to attend interviews
• Health insurance meeting the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) guidelines for the duration of your PhD in Australia

Once you have understood the eligibility requirements, here is the step-by-step application process for PhD courses in Australia that you must note. The application process can vary slightly depending on the university you are applying to.

Step 1: Visit the official website of your desired university to review available programs and courses, ensuring they meet the minimum eligibility criteria.

Step 2: Prepare a research proposal to accompany your application, outlining your experience and ideas clearly. Here is the SOP for PhD blog that you must refer

Step 3: Contact the university's Research examiner or supervisor to assess their expertise and experience in your field of study.

Step 4: Review the document requirements and complete the application form with guidance from your potential supervisor.

Step 5: Expect a response within 6 - 8 months, ensuring all necessary documents and transcripts are included to enhance your enrollment prospects.

Explore: Cost of Studying In Australia For Indian Students In 2024

Australia is a popular PhD destination due to its ample funding options, beautiful beaches, and generous post-study visas. Funding for Australian PhDs comes from government and university scholarships, offering numerous opportunities.

Below, we highlight the top fully funded scholarships in Australia and their allowances.

Also Read: Cost of living in Australia

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In conclusion, pursuing a PhD in Australia offers unparalleled opportunities for academic growth, research excellence, and career advancement. With its top-ranked universities, cutting-edge facilities, and vibrant academic community, Australia stands out as an ideal destination for doctoral studies.

If you're considering this path, let GetGIS study abroad and immigration experts guide you through every step of the process. Their expertise and support can make your journey to studying in Australia smooth and successful, ensuring you achieve your academic and professional goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can international students apply for Ph.D. internships in Australia?

What is the stipend for PhD interns in Australia?

How long does a PhD take in Australia?

Can PhD Students Work Full-Time in Australia?

Which Visa to Apply for PhD in Australia?

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• PhD applications in Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences

Are you interested in pursuing a PhD in one of Australia’s premier Plant Science departments? Do you want to work in a world-class, culturally diverse, department alongside world-leading researchers and in a vibrant, liveable (non-congested) city? Then check out the Division of Plant Sciences at the ANU.

Our Science : We provide a broad range of outstanding research opportunities in plant biology at ANU and through collaborations with the broader Canberra scientific community (e.g. our CSIRO neighbours). The plant science community is highly interdisciplinary and contains many world leaders. Our research seeks to understand, across a range of scales, the fundamental biological processes that control plant growth, survival and reproduction, and to translate that knowledge in applied outcomes. The department has four interconnected areas of expertise; plant cell signaling and development; photosynthesis and energy; plant-microbe/pathogen interactions; ecophysiology and ecosystem function. Our science seeks to determine how plants function in managed and natural systems. Our expertise spans gene and protein regulation; signaling, metabolism and cell biology; organ, whole plant, forest and ecosystem biology and how to apply these discoveries in innovative Ag-biotech and environmental management applications.

Our staff , together with visiting global experts, provide students with opportunities to work in world renowned research teams and on cutting edge research projects that are directly or indirectly related to problems in Australian and global biotechnology, agriculture and natural ecosystems. Our PhD program enables students to establish contacts with researchers elsewhere in Australia, overseas and with industry – providing stimulating scientific opportunities within a leading research division. Annual graduate student events, conference travel awards, graduate training workshops and a seminar series enrich the student experience.

Our facilities: are modern and cutting edge . Plant sciences students enjoy the finest research facilities available in Australia. In addition to modern research laboratories, there are expansive state-of-the-art plant transformation, culture, and phenotyping facilities; extensive new glasshouse facilities; advanced microscopy, mass spectrometry and next-generation sequencing facilities and an inhouse computing support unit.

Our values : We pride ourselves on providing high-quality supervision and research training to our students. Our PhD students go on to highly productive careers in academia, industry and other professional activities outside of science. We value diversity and inclusivity and have active policies to prevent discrimination. Our faculty and their research teams comprise a thriving community of people from all over the globe and from all walks of life.

Our Location: The ANU is a research-intensive university situated in Canberra, Australia’s capital city. Canberra is a well-resourced regional city (population ~460,000), set amongst beautiful mountains and eucalypt forests. Bike riding and hiking are everyday activities, and we are a two-hour drive away from both winter snowfields and beautiful coastal beaches. Canberra’s birdlife is stunning and its inner city kangaroo population expansive. Despite its regional setting, Canberra is a vibrant, multicultural city and home to many National attractions and centres. There are frequent cultural evenings, festivals, art exhibits, music events, and world-class restaurant and coffee scenes.

If you are interested in doing a PhD : then check out the Prospective supervisors and research area list below. Once you identify a topic of interest, email the lead researcher (prospective supervisor) to find out more detail on what projects are available. In your email attach a copy of your CV, a copy of you academic transcripts (a downloaded “non-official” version is sufficient at this point) and include in the email a few sentences on what your research interests are and what you like about the research area of the prospective supervisor. Once you have organised a project and supervisor you will work with them to write a 1-2 page research project outline that you will need to submit with your application (see below for details on how to apply online). If you are an international student and have the possibility of applying for PhD funding from your home country or other source please ensure you include this information in the initial email to your potential supervisor.

Am I eligible to apply for a PhD? : Entry into the PhD program is open to applicants with a Bachelor degree that have also completed (or are in the process of nearly completing) an Honours or Masters research (as opposed to coursework) degree. The degree must comprise at least a half year, full time research component and a thesis (8,000-10,000+ words). Applicants with significant years of research experience and publications may be deemed eligible if their achievements can be justified as completing a body of independent research equivalent to that of an Honours/Masters research graduate. Ensure you tick the scholarship box in your PhD application to automatically be considered for a stipend scholarship. Stipend scholarships are highly competitive, especially for international students. Only students awarded a 1 st class thesis (or with H1 equivalent research experience) will be considered for an ANU PhD stipend scholarship. An initial evaluation of how competitive you are for a stipend scholarship can be made by sending a copy of your CV and transcript to the Plant Science HDR convenor Professor Spencer Whitney .

How do I apply for a PhD?

The application form is here , along with general information on how to apply and the details about the Doctor of Philosophy program . Applications are due by 15 th April (midyear round for both international and domestic student applications), 31 st August ( international student application round) or 31 st October (domestic student application round). If you have any questions or problems with your application send an email here .

Prospective supervisors and research area

• Atkin Group - Plant respiration in a changing world
• Borevitz Group - Plant genomics for climate adaption
• Byrt Group – Engineering plant membrane proteins and solute transport to increase yield security
• Farquhar Group – Coordination of CO2 fixation and transpiration in plants
• Furbank Group – Improving photosynthesis and crop yield
• Masle Group – Environmental sensing, systematic signalling and development
• Mathesius Group - Root microbe interactions - symbionts to parasites
• Millar Group - Plant RNA biology
• Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
• Pogson Group - Chloroplast to nuclear signalling: light, drought and carotenoids
• Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
• Schwessinger Group - Plants, fungi, evolution
• Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
• Whitney Group - Synthetic Photosynthesis - bioengineering enzymes to adjust carbon fixation
• Williams Group - Plant structural immunology

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Education systems – PhD

On this page, the traditional phd (pure research), the new route phd, part-time phd, professional doctorate in business administration, dba, professional doctorate in education, edd.

Topics covered

• 8 June 2024

A PhD is generally regarded as the highest degree that can be granted by institutions of higher education. Students are required to conduct original research and write a thesis, making a major contribution to their field of study, demonstrating that they possess the abilities expected of a PhD. The title used with this degree, duration of study and requirements for the doctorate vary by country. We provide PhD application services for the UK, USA, Australia, Ireland, Canada, and other countries. We have listed some common types of doctoral degrees below. 

The traditional PhD, focused on research, is the most common but is also often seen as quite daunting as one needs to find a suitable supervisor to ensure that you can successfully complete the programme. To do this, you need to write a proposal which will include a literature review, hypothesis, methodology and indicate what original contribution you believe this research will make. The proposal is hugely important as it will demonstrate your understanding of the field and will show if you are sufficiently prepared to take on a PhD programme. The traditional PhD usually takes around 3 years to complete but can take longer depending on your field of study and difficulty of research.

The most difficult parts of applying for a PhD programme are writing a research proposal and finding a university and supervising professor that suit your area of research. But don’t worry, IDP’s advisors have decades of experience in assisting with PhD applications, we can guide you through the process!

Established in 2001, this type of programme was designed to cater for overseas students that have not been exposed to the same level of research as their UK counterparts. The new route programme (or integrated PhD) is completed over 4 years where students will have in-depth tuition on their subject and will also be taught a variety of research techniques.

In some instances, students are allowed to go to the UK for the 1st year of their PhD and are then allowed to return to their home country to collect data. This is often done at the discretion of the professor and is determined by the nature of the data that needs to be collected. Students will need to return to the UK to analyse the data and write up their thesis under the guidance of the professor.

This programme is designed for people that have a lot of experience in the field of business and management and helps them to develop practical skills and ideas that can be applied to management theory. The programme is academically demanding but differs from the traditional PhD in that it does not prepare candidates to become research active or to lecture in the field of management.

This works in a similar way to the DBA in that it allows experienced individuals to examine and research issues in the field of education and allows them to develop new practical skills.

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Study in Australia Without IELTS 2024 for BS, Master & PhD

Australia is a top choice for international students, ranking third among preferred study destinations. You can study for Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees in Australia without needing IELTS or TOEFL scores. Many universities offer fully funded scholarships for the academic session 2024-2025. Here’s how you can study in Australia without IELTS and find scholarships.

Study in Australia Without IELTS 2024 Details

• University: Australian Universities
• Degree Level: Bachelors, Masters, PhD
• Scholarship Coverage: Fully Funded
• Eligible Nationality: All Nationalities
• Award Country: Australia
• Application Deadline: Varies

Universities in Australia Without IELTS

Several Australian universities do not require IELTS or TOEFL scores. Here are some of them and their alternatives:

• University of Queensland: Admission is possible if your previous degree was in English.
• University of Southern Queensland and Swinburne University of Technology: Accept students who studied in English-medium schools.
• University of Adelaide and Macquarie University: Require an English program before the course starts.
• Bond University and University of South Australia: Accept alternative tests like CAE and PTE.

List of Universities:

• Swinburne University of Technology
• Bond University
• University of Queensland
• University of Southern Queensland
• University of New South Wales
• Macquarie University
• University of South Australia
• University of Adelaide

Fields of Study

Australian universities offer various fields of study, including:

• Arts, Design & Architecture
• Humanities and Social Sciences
• Information Technology and Computer Science
• Architecture, Building, Planning, and Design
• Engineering
• Environment
• Health Sciences
• Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

List of Scholarships in Australia for 2024-25

Here are some fully-funded scholarships available for international students:

1. University of Melbourne Scholarship

• Offers $90,000 to international students.
• Read More About Scholarships

2. Australian National University Scholarships

• Provides 600 scholarships yearly for Master’s and PhD programs.
• Read More About ANU University Scholarships

3. Australian Government Scholarships

• Covers full-time Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD programs.
• 200 scholarships available.
• Read More About Australian Government Scholarships

4. University of Sydney Scholarships

• Offers scholarships for Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD programs.
• Fully funded.
• Read More About University of Sydney Scholarships

5. Endeavor Scholarships for Postgraduate Degrees

• For Master’s and PhD degrees.
• Covers tuition fees and monthly stipend.
• Read More About Endeavor Scholarships Australia

6. International Postgraduate Research Scholarship

• For postgraduate research at Master’s or PhD level.
• Read More About Australian Postgraduate Research Scholarship

How to Apply

• Check Eligibility: Ensure you meet the criteria for the scholarships and universities.
• Prepare Documents: Gather necessary documents like academic transcripts, certificates, and English proficiency proof (if applicable).
• Submit Applications: Apply to universities and scholarships directly through their websites.
• Follow Deadlines: Keep track of application deadlines to ensure timely submission.

Also Check: Australian Work Visa 2024: Type & Visa Sponsorship Jobs

Studying in Australia without IELTS is possible with the right information and preparation. Use this guide to explore your options and apply for scholarships to pursue your education in Australia.

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• International PhD Funding for 2023

Written by Mark Bennett

There are lots of scholarships available for a PhD in UK for international students. Many funded projects are available to students of all nationalities. Government bodies, charities and universities also offer separate international PhD scholarships and grants.

Our guide explains the best ways to fund a PhD in the UK for international students, with information on all the main options available to you.

PhD projects with international funding

Many UK PhDs are advertised as specific projects with funding already attached. This is very common in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine) but some Arts, Humanities and Social Science doctorates also work this way.

Applying for one of these PhDs is a lot like applying for a job : if you are accepted to do the 'work' (the research) you will also get the 'salary' (the funding) which normally covers fees, research expenses and a grant for living costs.

You can use FindAPhD to browse all of our current PhD projects with international funding , or start a different PhD search and filter the results yourself.

International students are eligible for PhD funding through Research Council studentships , a generous form of financial support from an organisation called UK Research and Innovation.

These scholarships provide PhD students with a monthly stipend for living costs, as well as a tuition fee waiver at the domestic rate. You can find out more in our guides to the different Research Councils:

• Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
• Biotechnology and Bioscience Research Council (BBSRC)
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
• Medical Research Council (MRC)
• Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
• Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)

New projects are being added to FindAPhD all the time, so keep checking back. Or just sign up for our free newsletter and we'll send you the latest projects in your subject, each week.

Finding PhDs with international funding

You can use FindAPhD to search for advertised PhDs with international funding. The simple walkthrough on our blog explains how.

UK PhD scholarships for international students

Separate international PhD scholarships for interntational students are available if you're proposing your own PhD, or applying for a project that doesn't have funding available to you.

Lots of different organisations offer these. This section covers general international PhD scholarships from the UK Government as well as large independent charities and trusts . There's information on funding for specific nationalities or for specific universities, further down this page.

Commonwealth PhD scholarships

Commonwealth scholarships are provided by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to citizens of the Commonwealth of Nations.

There are three main Commonwealth PhD scholarships. Which one you apply for depends on where you are from and where you wish to study your PhD.

Commonwealth scholarships (least developed countries)

These scholarships are for citizens of economically underdeveloped or politically unstable Commonwealth countries to benefit from international PhD study in the UK.

• Value – Full PhD fees, plus return airfare, monthly living stipend and funding other approved expenses.
• Eligibility – Citizens of Bangladesh, Cameroon, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Tanzania, The Gambia, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia.
• Other criteria – You must be a resident in your home country (not already living in the UK) beginning a new full-time PhD in the UK without other means of funding it. Applicants should also hold an undergraduate degree of 2.1 standard (or above) or 2.2. standard plus a relevant Masters.
• Application deadline – Applications normally close in October for PhD study beginning the following academic year.
• Find out more – Visit the Commonwealth Scholarships website.

Commonwealth Scholarships (high income countries)

These scholarships are for citizens of wealthier Commonwealth countries to benefit from international PhD study in the UK.

• Eligibility – Citizens of Anguilla, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Malta, New Zealand, Seychelles, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands.
• Application deadline – Applications normally close in September for PhD study beginning the following academic year.

Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships (low and middle income countries)

These scholarships are for international PhD students from specific Commonwealth countries to spend up to 12 months of their doctorate based at a UK university. They don't offer full funding for a PhD in the UK, but can be a way of accessing specific equipment and expertise for your research, as well as gaining new networking opportunities in your field.

• Value – Full PhD fees at the UK host, plus return airfare, monthly living stipend and funding other approved expenses during your 12 month placement.
• Eligibility – Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India , Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, St Helena, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, The Gambia, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia.
• Other criteria – You must be currently registered for a PhD in an eligible country at a university with links to a UK partner.
• Application deadline – Applications normally close in November for PhD placements during the following academic year.
• Find out more – Visit the Commonwealth Scholarships website or read our guide to Commonwealth PhD Scholarships for Indian students .

Other UK PhD scholarships

There are a number of general funding schemes for PhD study in the UK. Some are specific to international students; others are available to all nationalities.

Newton PhD Scholarships

The Newton Fund is a UK Government scheme to help develop research expertise and infrastructure in 18 partner countries. It is managed by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), with PhD funding supported by Universities UK (UUK).

Newton Fund PhD scholarships operate as separate national schemes, with their own application processes.

• Value – Usually full funding, including tuition, living costs, visa fees and other expenses.
• Eligibility – Citizens of Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.
• Other criteria – Funding is primarily available for STEM subjects. Candidates should be accepted for an appropriate project at a UK university.
• Application deadline – Depends on national scheme and university.
• Find out more – Visit the Newton PhD scholarships website.

Wellcome Trust Doctoral Studentships in Science

The Wellcome Trust is a charity that funds Social Science or Humanities research related to health (including public health and social or cultural responses to disease).

• Value – Awards cover PhD fees at the domestic rate. Studentships also include an annual stipend (rising each year) plus money for additional research expenses and training during your PhD.
• Eligibility – All nationalities may apply.
• Other criteria – Applicants must be accepted onto an eligible Wellcome-affiliated PhD programme and have a degree in a relevant subject.
• Application deadline – Deadlines vary by programnme, but applications open in autumn each year.
• Find out more – Visit the Wellcome Trust website.

Gen Foundation grants

The Gen Foundation is a charity set up to promote cross-cultural exchange between Japan and the rest of the world. It funds PhD research in Food Science and Technology, as well as related areas of the Natural Sciences.

• Value – The value of each grant is decided per application, but is usually between £500 and £5,000.
• Eligibility – All nationalities may apply (Gen Foundation grants are not restricted to Japanese or UK students).
• Other criteria – Applicants must be accepted to study for a PhD in the Natural Sciences, particularly Food Science and Technology.
• Application deadline – Applications usually take place between November and February.
• Find out more – Visit the Gen Foundation website.

The Gen Foundation is reviewing its charitable activities and so the 2022 application period is currently suspended.

In most cases you can only apply for one of these PhD scholarships after your main PhD application is successful (funding won't usually be available to someone who hasn't been offered a PhD place yet).

Country-specific funding

A large number of international PhD scholarships are designed for students of certain nationalities.

Often these are exchange schemes, established to send PhD students from a partner country to the UK (and sometimes vice versa). Some are charitable initiatives intended to expand education in specific countries. Others are set up by national governments or education ministries to help their citizens receive international research and training opportunities.

Either way, often the best way to look for international PhD funding is to explore scholarships for your specific nationality.

Here are some PhD funding courses for international students from different countries:

PhD scholarships for Australian students

Australia day foundation uk trust.

The Australia Day Foundation promotes strong links between Australia and the UK. It offers grants to young Australians studying at UK universities.

• Value – The maximum value for each grant is £10,000, to be used for fees and course materials, but not living expenses.
• Other criteria – Applicants must be young Australian citizens, studying in the UK.
• Application deadline – Applications are usually open between November and April.
• Find out more – Visit the Australia Day Foundation website.

PhD scholarships for Bangladeshi students

Cwbt doctoral bursaries.

The Charles Wallace Bangladesh Trust (CWBT) is part of the wider Charles Wallace Trust, a charity funded by the legacy of a nineteenth-century Anglo-Indian businessman. Its doctoral bursaries are available to Bangldeshi students in the final year of a UK doctorate.

• Value – Up to £1,000
• Other criteria – Applicants must be Bangladeshi citizens in the final year of a UK doctoral degree.
• Application deadline – Applications must normally be made by mid-November each year.
• Find out more – Visit the Charles Wallace Trust website.

PhD scholarships for Burmese students

Cwbt academic grants.

The Charles Wallace Burma Trust (CWBT) is part of the wider Charles Wallace Trust, a charity funded by the legacy of a nineteenth-century Anglo-Indian businessman. Its academic grants provide funding for students from Burma / Myanmar during a PhD in the UK.

• Other criteria – Applicants must be Burmese citizens enrolled on a postgraduate course (including PhD study) at a UK university.
• Application deadline – Varies.

PhD scholarships for Canadian students

Canadian centennial scholarship fund.

The Canadian Centennial Scholarship Fund (CCSF) supports Canadian students to study postgraduate courses in the UK.

• Value – £2,000-5,000
• Other criteria – Applicants must be Canadian citizens enrolled for at least two years of postgraduate study at a UK university (including PhD research).
• Application deadline – Applications usually close in March for awards in the following academic year.
• Find out more – Visit the CCSF website.

Canada-UK Foundation UK Doctoral Studentships

The Canada-UK Foundation supports research on topics of Canadian interest at UK universities. Students of all nationalities may apply, but the awards may be particularly relevant to Canadian PhD researchers.

• Value – £2,000 per year towards full-time tuition fees (pro rata equivalent available for part-time students)
• Other criteria – Nominated students must be researching topics with a substantial Canadian element. Topics are typically in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences areas, but relevant STEM research may also be supported.
• Application deadline – Your university must nominate you for an award and apply to the Canada-UK Foundation for support with your PhD.
• Find out more – Visit the Canada-UK Foundation website.

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships

Canada's Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) provides funding for PhD research at universities around the world.

• Value – Up to CAD $20,000 per year, for up to four years.
• Other criteria – Students must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents, without other PhD funding from the Canadian Government.
• Application deadline – Applications made directly to SSHRC must normally be completed by mid-October.
• Find out more – Visit the SSHRC website.

PhD scholarships for Chinese students

Gbcet chinese students awards.

The Great Britain-China Educational Trust (GBCET) is a charity set up to support Chinese students studying in Britain and British students studying in China. They offer Chinese Student Awards for the final year of PhD study in the UK.

• Value – £1,500-3,000.
• Other criteria – Students must be Chinese citizens in the third year of a PhD at a UK university.
• Application deadline – Applications must be made in time for one of the GBCET's two annual meetings in May and November.
• Find out more – Visit the GBCET website.

China Scholarship Council

The China Scholarship Council (CBC) is the main source of government funding for Chinese citizens to study a PhD abroad. Awards are usually offered jointly with universities and targeted at specific research areas.

• Value – Varies, but will normally cover tuition fees, living costs and return travel.
• Other criteria – Students must be accepted for PhD study at a parter university and intending to return to China once their degree is complete.
• Application deadline – Universities must nominate students for CSC awards, applications for funding must then be made to the CSC in April.
• Find out more – Visit the CSC website.

PhD scholarships for Indian students

Cwit long-term grants.

The Charles Wallace India Trust (CWIT) is part of the wider Charles Wallace Trust, a charity funded by the legacy of a nineteenth-century Anglo-Indian businessman. Its long-term grants provide funding to Indian students for up to a year of study in the UK, usually in Arts and Heritage Conservation fields.

• Value – Funding covers accommodation and living costs, as well as contributing towards international tuition fees.
• Other criteria – Students must be Indian citizens, aged between 35 and 38 and living in India. Your PhD must relate to Arts Heritage and Conservation.
• Application deadline – Applications must usually be made by the end of December, with interviews taking place in the following February.
• Find out more – Information on CWIT funding is managed on the British Council website.

CWIT Final Year Doctoral Grants

The Charles Wallace India Trust (CWIT) is part of the wider Charles Wallace Trust, a charity funded by the legacy of a nineteenth-century Anglo-Indian businessman. Its final year doctoral grants provide support for Indian students completing a UK PhD.

• Value – Roughly £500-600
• Other criteria – Students must be Indian citizens, aged between 25-38, in the final year of a UK PhD related to Arts, Heritage Conservation and general Humanities (particularly History and Literature). You must also be normally resident in India and planning to return there after your PhD.
• Application deadline – You should apply by email with an explanation of your situation and need for the grant.

Inlaks Scholarships

The Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation is a philanthropic body that funds educational opportunities for young Indians. Its scholarships are available for PhD study in selected fields at selected institutions.

• Value – Full tuition fees, plus travel, health and living expenses.
• Other criteria – Students must be Indian citizens, aged under 30, who have been continuously resident in India for six months prior to their scholarship application, and who will be studying their PhD at an eligible university.
• Application deadline – Applications are open between January and March.
• Find out more – Visit the Inlaks Foundation website.

PhD scholarships for Israeli students

Kenneth lindsay scholarship trust.

The Kenneth Lindsay Scholarships are offered by the Anglo-Israel association to support students from Israel for one year of academic study in the UK.

• Value – £500-2,000.
• Other criteria – Students must be Israeli citizens, studying full-time in the UK.
• Application deadline – Applications must be made by the end of April each year.
• Find out more – Visit the Anglo Israel Association website.

Jewish Widows' and Students' Aid Trust

The JWSAT provides funding for Jewish students to study a Masters or PhD in the UK.

• Value – Support for one year of study per award, but students may reapply later in their degree.
• Other criteria – Applicants must be Jewish Israeli students, aged under 30.
• Application deadline – NA.
• Find out more – Information on JWSAT funding is available on the Anglo-Jewish Association website.

PhD scholarships for Japanese students

Japan imf scholarship program for advanced studies.

The Japan IMF Scholarship Program for Advanced Studies (JISP) is provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It supports Japanese citizens for up to two years of PhD study in Macroeconomics.

• Value – The JISP covers tuition fees, health insurance, living costs and other expenses (including travel) for up to two years.
• Other criteria – Applicants must be Japanese citizens who will be 34 or younger on completion of their PhD. Your research must be in Microeconomics and you must apply to work at the IMF once your doctorate is completed.
• Application deadline – Applications must be made by the end of December in the year prior to your PhD beginning.
• Find out more – Visit the IMF website.

JSPS Overseas Challenge Program for Young Researchers

The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) is supported by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It provides some funding for Japanese researchers to spend time abroad during a PhD.

• Value – The JISP covers travel and maintenance support for 3-12 months of PhD study in the UK (or elsewhere abroad).
• Other criteria – Applicants must be Japanese citizens, working towards a PhD at a Japanese university.
• Application deadline – There are calls for applications in September and April.
• Find out more – Visit the JSPS website.

PhD scholarships for Mexican students

Postgraduate scholarships abroad.

The Mexican Government provides some scholarship funding for citizens to complete a postgraduate degree abroad.

• Value – Funding for tuition fees up to ₱300,000 (roughly £11,000) per year, along with support for living costs and medical insurance.
• Other criteria – Applicants must be Mexican citizens studying a PhD abroad for up to 48 months at a recognised university.
• Find out more – Visit the Conacyt website.

PhD scholarships for Pakistani students

Hec overseas scholarships.

Pakistan's Higher Education Commission provides funding for citizens to study abroad in the UK and elsewhere.

• Value – Varies.
• Other criteria – Applicants must be Pakistani citizens, accepted for either a PhD or an MPhil leading to PhD in the UK (or other host country). Your research should normally be in a subject related to Engineering or Technology.
• Find out more – Visit the HEC Pakistan website.

Punjab CMMS PhD Foreign Scholarships

The Punjab Educational Endownment Fund (PEEF) administers scholarships on behalf of the Government of the Punjab, 10% of which are reserved for Pakistani citizens.

• Value – Full funding, covering tuition fees, living costs, healthcare and travel.
• Other criteria – Applicants must be accepted for a PhD at one of the top 50 world universities according to the latest QS rankings. You must also be aged under 35 with grades exceeding 60% in your undergraduate programme.
• Application deadline – Applications should normally be made by mid-May.
• Find out more – Visit the PEEF website.

CWPT Doctoral Bursaries

The Charles Wallace Pakistan Trust (CWPT) is part of the wider Charles Wallace Trust, a charity funded by the legacy of a nineteenth-century Anglo-Indian businessman. Its doctoral bursaries provide additional support to Pakistani students completing a PhD in the UK.

• Other criteria – Students must be Pakistani citizens, currently completing a UK PhD in Humanities, Arts, Creative Industries, Social Sciences, Life Sciences or Medicine.
• Application deadline – There are two annual deadlines in May and November. You must be within 15 months of the completion date for your PhD.

PhD scholarships for Palestinian students

Higher education scholarship palestine.

The Higher Education Scholarship Palestine (HESPAL) supports Palestinian citizens to gain postgraduate Masters or PhD qualifications in a range of subjects.

• Value – Funding for tuition fees and living costs, as well as expenses whilst studying in the UK. Scholarships do not cover visa and language test fees, or air travel to and from the UK.
• Other criteria – Applicants must be resident citizens of the Palestinian Occupied Territories, employed and nominated by a Palestinian university to which they intend to return to work following their PhD.
• Find out more – Information on HESPAL funding is available on the British Council website.

PhD scholarships for Russian students

Global education program.

The Global Education Program (GEP) is a Russian Government initiative to support international educational opportunities for Russian citizens.

• Value – ₽2,76m (approximately £30,000) per year.
• Other criteria – Applicants must be Russian citizens studying at an approved university.
• Application deadline – Several per year.
• Find out more – Information on GEP funding is available on the Russian Global Education website.

PhD scholarships for Sudanese students

Gordon memorial college trust fund.

The Gordon Memorial College Trust Fund awards grants for Sudanese and South Sudanese citizens to study postgraduate courses in the UK.

• Other criteria – Applicants must be Sudanese or South Sudanese citizens, who have recieved an offer of a place on a UK postgraduate programme and intend to return home after their studies.
• Application deadline – Applications must be submitted online between December and February.
• Find out more – Visit the Gordon Memorial College Trust Fund website.

PhD scholarships for Thai students

Oea scholarships.

The Thai Office of Educational Affairs (OEA) provides some funding for Thai citizens to study postgraduate courses in the UK.

• Other criteria – Applicants must be suitably qualified Thai citizens, willing to work for the Thai Government for at least two years following their PhD.
• Find out more – Information on OEA funding is available on the Thai Royal Embassy website.

PhD scholarships for American students

Marshall scholarships.

The Marshall Scholarships were established by the British Foreign Office to recognise aid received from the USA following the Second World War. They offer a flagship scholarship scheme that provides funding for American students to study any postgraduate subject in the UK.

• Value – Scholarships cover tuition fees, living costs and other routine study expenses for either one or two years (awards may be extended).
• Other criteria – Applicants must be citizens of the United States of America and have graduated from their first degree after April 2018 with a minimum GPA of 3.7.
• Application deadline – Applications, including endoresements from your UK university, must normally be submitted by early October.
• Find out more – Visit the Marshall Commission website.

Fulbright Postgraduate Student All Disciplines Award

The US-UK Fulbright Commission encourages and supports cultural exchange between the USA and UK. Its postgraduate funding assists American students to study Masters or PhD qualifications at British universities.

• Value – Awards provide a full tuition fee waiver, plus living cost stipends and funds for other expenses.
• Other criteria – Applicants must be citizens of the United States of America (including those with dual citizenship) who do not currently live in the UK and hold a relevant Bachelors degree.
• Application deadline – Applications for Fulbright funding must be made by October. You will need to have been accepted for PhD study at a UK university in order to apply.
• Find out more – Visit the Fulbright Commission website.

Can't see a scholarship for your country in the list above? That doesn't necessarily mean support isn't available. It might be a good idea to contact your own Ministry of Education and see if they offer funding for you to study a PhD abroad.

University-specific scholarships

Individual UK universities often provide their own postgraduate grants and scholarships.

These may be provided by the universities themselves, in which case you should check out our guide to PhD funding from UK universities . Other funding is offerd by external charities for study at specific universities. Some of the biggest are listed below.

Saïd Foundation PhD Scholarships

The Saïd Foundation is an independent charity supporting educational opportunities for young people.

• Universities – University of Cambridge, University of Oxford
• Value – Scholarships cover full fees, plus maintenance grant and travel expenses.
• Eligibility – Citizens of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon or Palestine.
• Other criteria – Applicants must hold a teaching post at a university in their home country and have applied for a PhD or DPhil at the University of Cambridge or University of Oxford.
• Application deadline – Applications open between August and November.
• Find out more – Visit the Saïd Foundation website.

Gates Cambridge Scholarships

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds an international PhD scholarship at the University of Cambridge.

• Universities – University of Cambridge
• Value – Covers the composition (tuition) fee and provides a maintenance allowance of £17,500 per year for up to four years. Awards also cover travel to and from the UK as well as visa and healthcare expenses.
• Eligibility – Citizens of any country outside the UK.
• Other criteria – Applicants must be applying to study a full-time PhD (or other eligible postgraduate degree) at the University of Cambridge.
• Application deadline – Applications open annually in September.
• Find out more – Visit the Gates Cambridge website.

Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarships in the Humanities

The Wolfson Foundation is a UK charity that supports research in History, Literature, Languages and related subjects.

• Universities – University of Birmingham, University of Cambridge, University College London, Durham University, University of Oxford, University of Southampton, University of St Andrews, University of Warwick, University of York
• Value – Funding for full fees and living costs, plus an additional travel allowance.
• Eligibility – Citizens of any country.
• Other criteria – Students should apply to participating universities and follow their selection process.
• Application deadline – March.
• Find out more – Visit the Wolfson Foundation website.

Other options

All of the funding covered on this page is specifically for international students, but you may also be able to apply for other sources of support. Examples include:

• Funding from charities and trusts – many independent funders support PhD students from all countries
• Funding from universities – we've covered some of the 'big' university scholarships, above, but there are lots of others available at specific universities

Finally, PhD funding options change a lot more regularly than you probably realise. Follow our blog and newsletter for the latest updates.

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