Ph.D. Scholarship Opportunity: Molecular biology, bioinformatics,
plant-stress physiology and climate change, University of Technology,
Sydney, CSIRO
Monitoring the health and survival of seagrass populations:
developing molecular markers
The Aquatic Processes Group is a dynamic multi-disciplinary research
team within the UTS Plant Functional Biology and Climate Change
Cluster (C3). Members include plant physiologists, molecular
biologists, biochemists, microbial ecologists, photosynthetic and
cellular energetic modellers, oceanographers, bioinformaticians,
optical physicists as well as a range of high profile international
collaborators. We are seeking a PhD candidate to join our research group.
Background: This project uses gene expression profiling to identify
markers for monitoring the physiological state of seagrass populations.
Seagrasses are marine keystone species, forming an essential
ecosystem in coastal waters for sustaining a wide range of marine
wildlife. Worldwide seagrass populations are declining rapidly. This
project aims to identify molecular markers to probe the health of
seagrass populations in order to ensure their survival. Using
state-of-the-art plant molecular biology and bioinformatics tools, in
combination with photobiology and plant physiology techniques, this
project is a unique training opportunity for a keen and motivated
young scientist who wants to be part of a dynamic and successful
laboratory carrying out important research addressing environmental
issues. Significantly, this work will be performed in collaboration
with experts from CSIRO, contributing to an on-going seagrass
research project. In particular, the project will involve gene
expression studies and bioinformatical analysis of next-generation
sequencing data (transcriptomics and genomics). The student will be
supervised by Professor Peter Ralph (UTS) and Dr Martin Schliep (UTS)
with additional co-supervision from a CSIRO expert through a CSIRO
top-up scholarship scheme.
The successful applicant will:
i) identify environmental conditions affecting seagrass abundance
ii) apply plant physiology, bioinformatics and molecular biology
techniques to understand the negative effects on seagrass health,
iii) determine the importance of a healthy root system to the overall
performance of a seagrass meadow, and
iv) develop molecular methods to monitor seagrass health.
Desirable skills:
Applicants should have first class honours (or Masters Degree) in
plant molecular biology or any other relevant discipline. Australian
and New Zealand applicants will be preferred; other applicants will
need to be competitive for an international postgraduate research
scholarship at UTS which covers tuition fees for 3 years. This
usually means having a Masters degree (or equivalent) with several
publications.
The successful candidate will be eligible for full funding through a
full scholarship ($24,653AUD p.a.) plus a highly prestigious CSIRO
top-up scholarship ($7,000AUD p.a.), and a generous research allowance.
How to apply:
Enquires to Dr Martin Schliep (martin.schl...@uts.edu.au).
Applicants must include:
1. Full CV combined with a statement of research intent for
undertaking this particular PhD project
2. Three referees
3. Research proposal (one page) - aligned with the project described above.
Applications close:
24 February 2013
Start date:
From March 2013
