Study level

  • PhD

Faculty/School

Faculty of Health

School of Biomedical Sciences

Topic status

We're looking for students to study this topic.

Research centre

Centre for Microbiome Research

Supervisors

Associate Professor Simon McIlroy
Position
Associate Professor
Division / Faculty
Faculty of Health
Professor Gene Tyson
Position
Professor and Australian Laureate Fellow
Division / Faculty
Faculty of Health
Associate Professor Ben Woodcroft
Position
Principal Research Fellow
Division / Faculty
Faculty of Health

Overview

Our understanding of microbial diversity on earth has been fundamentally changed by metagenomic characterisation of natural ecosystems. Traditional approaches for visualising microbial communities are time-consuming and provide limited information about the identity of specific microorganisms.

The proposed research aims to combine single cell genomics and super resolution microscopy for novel, high-throughput, genome-based techniques to visualise microorganisms, plasmids and viruses, with strain level specificity.

The application of these highly scalable approaches will provide comprehensive and unprecedented insight into the fine-scale dynamics and evolution of environmentally and biotechnologically important microbial communities.

The project is supervised by Professor Gene Tyson, Dr Simon McIlroy and Dr Ben Woodcroft – School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health.

PhD scholarship opportunity

What you receive

A living allowance stipend, tax exempt and indexed annually $28,092 per annum for a period of 3 years

Eligibility

Domestic and international applicants are welcome to apply.

You must have:

  • recently completed a BSc Hons degree or equivalent in a relevant field (microbiology, genomics or biochemistry)
  • received first-class honours (H1)
  • a general interest in microscopy and/or microbial ecology
  • excellent communication skills, motivation and the ability to work as part of a team.

Ideally you will also have:

  • experience with confocal microscopy and image analyses and experience with bioinformatics.

How to apply

Submit your application to Dr Simon McIlroy

Your application must include:

  • a cover letter
  • an up-do-date CV
  • full academic transcript
  • a summary (up to 2 pages) of your research career to date
  • details of 3 referees (email/address/contact number).

Keywords

Contact

Contact the supervisors for more information.