Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Grant

We are seeking an interested and motivated student to fill a fully funded PhD position for an ARC Discovery Project entitled: How do protein quality control mechanisms maintain neuronal ageing? The project will be based at Flinders University and will be primarily supervised by Dr Yee Lian Chew and co-supervised by Dr Anna Konopka. We will also work together with close collaborators at the University of Wollongong, NSW.

The project will use the model animal Caenorhabditis elegans (the nematode worm) to examine how the mechanisms of protein quality control act in the brain - an organ that is particularly vulnerable to a high load of misfolded protein - to maintain normal physiology during ageing.

We are looking for someone who gets excited about working with worms and worm brains, and who has a keen interest in molecular neuroscience, behavioural neuroscience, ageing research, proteomics and genetics. Previous lab experience with C. elegans is not essential to apply for this role. Appropriate backgrounds include biology, neuroscience, genetics, molecular biology or similar. The specific PhD project aims can be tailored to suit the student’s interests, expertise, and research goals.

The scholarship includes:

• a stipend valued at $33,000 per annum
• The scholarship will be awarded for 3 years
• a Research Training Program Fee Offset Scholarship to cover tuition fees for Australian Citizens, NZ Citizens and Permanent Residents.
• International students considered subject to successful application for international tuition fee waiver from Flinders University 

To be eligible for the award of this scholarship a student must:

• Be an Australian citizen; or New Zealand citizen; or have been granted permanent resident status; or are international citizens; and
• meet PhD admission requirements including: have an Australian Honours degree Class 1 or 2A or equivalent qualification (at least AQF Level 8), including a research component of at least 6 months’ full-time study achieving Distinction (75%) OR including evidence of equivalent research experience, such as a substantial first-author refereed publication or track record as an investigator on a competitive grant; and
• be available to commence as a full-time PhD student at Flinders University in semester 1, 2024;