PhD scholarship, New treatment for a neurological disorder in collaboration with overseas industry partner

Please note the closing date is a guide and the opportunity may close earlier if the position is filled.

A full-time funded PhD scholarship opportunity is available in the Synthetic Physiology Laboratory at Flinders University. The laboratory applies bioengineering to understand and ultimately treat human disease. Further information about the Synthetic Physiology laboratory can be found on these websites: http://www.janovjak-lab.com/ and https://www.flinders.edu.au/people/harald.janovjak

In this PhD project we will develop a next-generation treatment for a neurological disorder, in collaboration with an overseas large pharmaceutical company. This treatment will consist of an engineered protein and a viral gene therapy strategy. Methods applied during the project include high-throughput protein engineering, next-generation sequencing, human cell models and virus and promoter design. For further information about the research project, please contact Prof Harald Janovjak (see below for contact information).

This research project will be conducted at Flinders University (Bedford Park, SA). The scholarship includes opportunities to participate in national and international conferences and annual travel to the overseas research partner.

The scholarship includes:

• A stipend valued $33,000 per annum (tax free) and additional top-up scholarships awarded for 3 1/2 years; and
• A Research Training Program Fee Offset Scholarship to cover tuition fees for Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens and permanent residents;
• Annual participation at conferences and travel to the overseas research partner.

To be eligible for the award of a scholarship applicants must:

• Meet PhD admission requirements for domestic or international students, including an Australian Honours degree Class 1 or 2A or equivalent international qualification, including a research component of at least 6 months full-time study achieving Distinction (75%); or including evidence of research experience; and
• Be available to commence as a full-time PhD student at Flinders University in the first half of 2023.
• Experience with biology laboratory methods is desired but not required. Students with a background in medicine, biology, physics, chemistry or engineering are particularly encouraged to apply and but all applications will be considered.