PhD Top Up Scholarship in Plant Developmental Genetics
Top up scholarships up to $5000 per annum is available in the lab of Dr. Sureshkumar Balasubramanian (SKB lab) in the Ecological and Evolutionary Functional Genomics initiative of the School of Integrative Biology.
SKB lab utilises an interdisciplinary approach exploiting natural variation in
Arabidopsis thaliana to address evolutionary aspects of plant development.
Dr. Sureshkumar has been working on complex traits of ecological and evolutionary significance such as flowering time for the past 5 years (Balasubramanian et al, Nature Genetics, 2006; Balasubramanian et al, PLoS Genetics, 2006; Lempe et al, PLoS Genetics, 2005) and has recently moved to SIB.
Several new opportunities exist for PhD candidates to reveal the molecular basis of phenotypic variation and interested candidates may contact
Dr. SKB for further information.
Evolutionary genomics and human genetics PhD Top-Up Scholarships for 2008
Professor Gibson is internationally recognized as a leader in the field of evolutionary genomics of Drosophila, but will also be establishing research programs in human genetics. He has two projects that will be suitable for APA Top Up Scholarships.
- The human genetics project is to quantify regional influences on gene expression in human peripheral blood. This work builds on a recent project conducted in Morocco that established that Berbers living nomadic, rural and urban lifestyles exhibit markedly different immunological transcription profiles. The aim is to understand how the environment influences susceptibility to complex diseases, including but not limited to infectious disease. This project is likely to involve sample collection in Africa and South America as well as locally, and will develop skills in gene expression profiling, genome-wide genotyping, immunology, and statistical analysis of genomic data.
- An ARC-funded project on quantitative genomics of variation in gene networks during early Drosophila embryogenesis is also available. This project will explore how the earliest patterning mechanisms in the embryo are made robust to genetic and environmental perturbation, and will also develop skills in quantitative genetics, gene expression and genotype analysis, and bioinformatics. Parallel work in the Gibson lab will explore the genetic basis of “metabolic syndrome”, namely heart disease and diet-dependent weight gain, in flies.
Please contact Greg Gibson (email:
g.gibson1@uq.edu.au) with expressions of interest, and enquiries about possibilities involving genetic analysis of human facial variation will also be considered.
PhD student APA Top Up Scholarships Available
- The School of Integrative Biology, The University of Queensland Laboratories of Professor Scott O¹Neill and Dr Elizabeth McGraw
- The Queensland Institute of Medical Research Dr Peter Ryan and Prof Brian Kay, Mosquito Control Laboratory and the Australian Centre for International and Tropical Health and Nutrition
The UQ/QIMR team is internationally recognised for its contribution to the fields of Wolbachia endosymbionts and host interaction, medical entomology including biological control of medically important vectors, and translation of research into practical public health interventions. We currently are undertaking a large collaborative research program funded through the NH&MRC and The Gates Foundation to develop new methodologies for the management of emerging vector-borne disease threats in Australia.
The project involves the infection of mosquito vectors with an endosymbiotic bacterium,
Wolbachia pipientis, that is capable of reducing insect lifespan. Characterisation of the Wolbachia life-shortening affects in a range of globally important mosquito vectors (
Aedes,
Culex spp) and the effect of this life-shortening on arbovirus (dengue, Chikungunya, Ross River, and Barmah Forest viruses) transmission efficiency will be determined. We will also extend our current transcriptional profiling methods and develop new proteomic based methods for determining insect age, and undertake field assessments of vector population age structure to determine pathogen transmission risk and the applicability of Wolbachia and other novel control strategies.
Projects may include artificial transinfection of mosquito species, study of Wolbachia induced pathogenesis, an examination of mosquito life history traits, characterisation of the human host seeking and biting behaviour of infected mosquitoes, arbovirus vector-competence assessments, laboratory and field based assessments of insect age grading and vector population age structure.
We are seeking students with experience in any of the following fields; molecular biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, entomology, microbiology, and behaviour.
The School of Integrative Biology (SIB) is a vibrant unit with a history of and an ongoing commitment to research excellence and postgraduate mentoring. Examples of SIB support for postgraduates include travel grants, writing workshops, media training, social events with visiting speakers, postgraduate retreat weekends, etc.
The School has strong links with QIMR, the largest medical research institute in the southern hemisphere, which currently has 110 doctoral students covering the breath of clinical and public health translational research. Brisbane offers a beautiful climate and outdoor lifestyle, city nightlife, affordable housing and ease of commute to and from the University of Queensland and QIMR.
Please contact
Scott O'Neill or
Peter Ryan with inquiries.
Two Australian Postgraduate Awards Industry (APAI) Scholarships
Two scholarships are being offered to 1st class Honours graduates. The value of the scholarships is $25118 per annum tax free for 3 years.
Title of Project: Accelerated breeding for a changing environment: genomic and physiological profiling of newly generated polyploid trees
Project summary: Global climate change threatens the health and productivity of forests and plantations. Because tree breeding is slow, elite trees cannot be adapted rapidly to new environments. A new procedure for accelerated tree breeding has been developed by the industry partner of this project. The procedure, termed polyploidisation, increases DNA content and produces novel traits that can improve plant growth and resilience. Polyploidisation is a natural force in plant evolution and its routine application for tree breeding has much potential. Using diverse approaches, we will investigate how newly synthesised polyploid tree species perform under heat and drought stress.
The APAIs will work with postdoctoral staff on characterise the newly generated polyploid trees using molecular, physiological and/or field investigations.
Potential supervisors for APAI are Drs Susanne Schmidt, Peer Schenk or Prof Christa Critchley.
Interested students should send their inquiries to
Susanne Schmidt,
Peer Schenk, or
Christa Critchley