PhD Scholarship in Stem Cell Bioinformatics & Computational Biology

Summary about this job

Detail information about job PhD Scholarship in Stem Cell Bioinformatics & Computational Biology. Terms and conditions vacancy

Job No. 504626

The Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology

The University of Queensland's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) is a dynamic multi-disciplinary research institute dedicated to developing technology to alleviate societal problems in the areas of health, energy, manufacturing and environmental sustainability. AIBN brings together the skills of more than 450 world-class researchers complimented by an extensive suite of integrated facilities, working at the intersection of biology, chemistry, engineering and computer modelling. With a reputation for delivering translational science, AIBN conducts research at the forefront of emerging technologies, and has developed strong collaborations with leading members of industry, academia and government. AIBN goes beyond basic research to develop the growth of innovative industries for the benefit of the Queensland and Australian economies.

Information about the Institute can be accessed here http://www.aibn.uq.edu.au/.

AIBN is committed to supporting the career growth of female researchers and have a number of initiatives to support females in developing and achieving a fulfilling research career at the institute. For more information, please visit our AIBN Women in Science web site at http://www.aibn.uq.edu.au/women.

A newly established group, led by A/Prof Mar, centres on developing cutting-edge single cell bioinformatics methods to address questions in stem cell biology and human disease. We seek talented candidates who are driven to pursue a PhD to join in our group, and work together to help us tackle this exciting area of inter-disciplinary research!

https://aibn.uq.edu.au/group-aibn/mar-group

Projects Available

The focus of the Mar lab is on understanding how variability and heterogeneity in biological signals affect the regulation of cell phenotypes. Our approaches explore the link between variability at the transcriptional level, with other ‘omic data types, as well as integrating patient biometric data, drug responses, or other cellular markers. Since we are interested in modelling how attributes like robustness and plasticity affect cells, a big area of research for the group is in stem cell biology. A focus on understanding heterogeneity has led us to the exciting area of single cell bioinformatics where variability is a very important aspect for understanding cell phenotypes. Three project areas are available for a PhD candidate to work on:

1. Modelling variability in gene expression to unlock insights into human aging and aging-related disease processes.
2. Integrating multiple ‘omic data to develop systems biology models to understand how plasticity and robustness are regulated in stem cells.
3. Developing bioinformatics methods based on Bayesian statistics for single cell next-generation sequencing data.

The Mar lab is also a member of the recently-formed UQ Centre in Stem Cell Ageing and Regenerative Engineering (UQ-StemCARE; http://www.aibn.uq.edu.au/uq-stemcare), located within the AIBN which brings together UQ’s leading researchers in stem cell biology, bioengineering, neural, vascular, and musculo-skeletal biology, genome biology, proteomics, bioinformatics, and clinical ageing-related research.

As a bioinformatics group, the Mar lab collaborates widely with different researchers, and PhD candidates can expect to spend a portion of their candidature collaborating on StemCARE-related projects. Additionally, the lab has established collaborations with institutes internationally, e.g. Japan, and the United States, which give rise to projects that the PhD candidate will also be involved with.

The Person

A PhD represents a commitment to acquiring new skills, developing critical thinking, and learning to communicate across different disciplines. The end goal of this training period is to bring all these skills together to become an independent scientist. In bioinformatics, students are often required to build new computational methods, interpret complex data sets, and apply methods to understand scientific questions. We recognize that students will come to us from different backgrounds in order to learn these new skills and we welcome interest from domestic (i.e. Australian and New Zealand) students and international students.

Applicants will meet the requirements of admission to a Research Higher Degree at UQ, as described at https://graduate-school.uq.edu.au/uq-research-degrees. This includes evidence of one of the following with a background in mathematics, statistics, computer science, genetics, computational biology, or a related field:

• A bachelor's degree with honours class IIA or better from approved universities, which should include a relevant research component.
• A research master's degree.
• A coursework master's degree and an overall GPA (grade point average) equivalent to 5.65 on the 7-point UQ scale, which should include a relevant research component.
• A postgraduate degree of at least one year full-time equivalent with an overall GPA (grade point average) equivalent to 5.0 on the 7-point UQ scale, together with demonstrated research experience equivalent to honours IIA will be considered for PhD entry on a case by case basis.
• A bachelor's degree plus at least two years of documented relevant research experience, including research publications.
• English language proficiency requirements apply.

Mandatory requirements for international applicants:

• Excellent academic performance evidenced by a high Grade Point Average (GPA); and
• International applicants must meet the University of Queensland's English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements, detailed at http://www.uq.edu.au/grad-school/english-language-proficiency-requirements.
• Previous publication activity and experience with studying abroad will be well-regarded.

Applications

To submit an application for this role, use the Apply button below. All applicants must supply the following documents:  Cover Letter, Complete Tertiary Academic Records (with grades/GPA scores, and official grading scale details), and detailed Academic Resume/CV.

For information on completing the application process click here.

Remuneration

The base stipend will be at the rate of AUD $27,082 per annum (2018 rate) tax-free for three years with the possibility of a twelve month extension in approved circumstances.

Enquiries

To discuss these roles and for further information, please contact A/Prof Jessica Mar via email [email protected].

Important: please do not send your application directly to the email listed in the enquiries section of the advertisement. Applications not received via UQ Jobs online system will not be considered.

Applications close

Wednesday, 1 August 2018 at 11:55pm E. Australia Standard Time