PhD Scholarship – ARC Training Centre for Personalised Therapeutics Technologies
We are looking for highly motivated, passionate and competitive candidates for PhD position. The successful applicant will be working in a multidisciplinary research team in a new ARC Training Centre for Personalised Therapeutics Technologies (CPTT).
The CPTT is a multidisciplinary collaboration between researchers at The University of Melbourne, The University of Western Australia, and Monash University. The purpose of the ARC national Training Centre will be to foster a vibrant, sustainable, growing industry of highly skilled researchers using organ-on-a-chip and bioprinting technologies to deliver on the potential of the era of personalised medicines. A major goal is for local medtech/pharma to access emergent technologies to improve selection of therapeutics for investment in clinical trials.
The training centre will offer the following themes and projects:
Theme 1. Validated lead qualification using real-time cell/organoid assay technologies
Project 1: Development of in-line bioassay tools for continuous wireless measurement of cell/organoid responses in physiologically accurate perfusion systems.
Project 2. Application of sensor technologies to continuous measurement in microfluidics environments.
Project 3. Design and implement Si nanowire-mediated transfection technology; and to demonstrate high-throughput, parallel trafficking of a wide range of bioactive molecules (DNAs, genes editing tools, proteins, and drugs) into mammalian cells.
Project 4. Developing brain organoid-on-a-chip with blood brain barrier functionality to enable the highly predictive and high-throughput characterisation of pharmaceuticals and viral infections
Theme 2. Organoid-based mechanistic, diagnostic and therapeutic precision medicine developments
Project 1. Neuronal circuits on a chip.
The CPTT is supported by industry partners Biointelect Pty Ltd, Automotive Australia Pty Limited, Biosensis Pty Ltd, CSIRO, Proteomics International Pty Ltd, Orthocell Limited, Epichem Pty Ltd, Wrays Pty Ltd, Rsm australia Pty Ltd, gbs venture partners Pty Ltd, Aspect Biosystems Ltd, Clearbridge BioMedics Pte Ltd, Trajan Scientific and Medical Pty Ltd, Therapeutic Goods Administration, and Thomson Reuters.
Reporting Line: The position reports to both (i) Theme Leader in Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics (D4), Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, (ii) Director of the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication/ Translational Research Program Advisor.
Supervisory responsibilities: Co-supervision of Honours students.
Financial delegation and/or budget responsibilities: Not applicable.
The candidate’s attributes:
Applications are invited from outstanding and enthusiatic graduates with relevant backgroungs. Students may be dometsic or international of high scholary claibre and will have:
A First Class Honours degree, Masters degree or equivalent
Analytical thinking, data analysis and critical problem solving skills
Excellent time management skills and ability to work independently
Fluency in written and oral English
Organisational context
Monash is a university of transformation, progress and optimism. Our people are our most valued asset, with our academics among the best in the world and our professional staff revolutionising the way we operate as an organisation. For more information about our University and our exciting future, please visit www.monash.edu
The Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is dynamic, innovative and ambitious, engaging in world‑class research and being a leading education provider for over 130 years. We have two key research initiatives: the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, in which we engage some of the best equipped and most experienced pharmaceutical scientists in Australia. From a teaching perspective, our education curriculum ‑ comprised of undergraduate, postgraduate and higher degrees by research programs ‑ is purpose designed for the study of pharmacy and pharmaceutical science and taught by discipline experts. Our premises are located in ‘the Parkville Strip’, Australia’s premier health & biomedical precinct, and offer world‑class teaching facilities and research laboratories to our students and staff. To learn more about the Faculty, please visit our website: www.monash.edu/pharm/.
The Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN) is a purpose-built facility, designed to fill the gap in Australia for open access, multi-scale fabrication infrastructure, spanning a range of fabrication environments and materials. It provides the means to produce complex micro and nano-science based demonstration devices using an array of tools. The MCN comprises biological and non-biological fabrication techniques; e.g. electron beam lithography, focussed ion beam lithography, photolithography, embossing, deposition (self-assembly) as well as systems integration capabilities; e.g. bonding, biological spotting, microfluidics.
Contact for further information
Informal inquiries are strongly encouraged and should be directed
Professor Nico Voelcker, MCN and D4, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences E: nicolas.voelcker@monash.edu); Prof. Colin Pouton, D4, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences E: Colin.Pouton@monash.edu;and Dr Roey Elnathan, MCN and D4, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences E: roey.elnathan@monash.edu;
