Up to 40 full-time PhD Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarships
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) has announced up to 40 full-time PhD Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarships are available on a first-in-first served basis to new domestic PhD students. Preference may be given to students seeking to study with one of Macquarie University's Concentrations of Research Excellence (CORE).
Eliigibility Criteria:
Australian/New Zealand Citizen or Australian Permanent resident
Eligible for and not previously enrolled in a HDR degree at Macquarie University.
Applicants should have completed an Australian Bachelor degree with first class honours in a relevant discipline or equivalent research qualifications, such as a Masters degree with substantial thesis component, and meet the University's minimum English requirements.
Rated 3 or above on the Macquarie University rating scale.
SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS MUST ENROL IN 2009.
Award Entitlements:
MQRES stipend is currently $20,427 p.a. tax exempt (2009). Tenure is a maximum 3.5 years full-time, subject to satisfactory progress.
Relocation and Thesis allowances (details and conditions as per the scholarships website).
Additional support for project costs and conference travel will also be available from the Department or Faculty.
Eligible applications missing not receiving an award in this round will be included in the 2010 Australian Postgraduate Award
Round closing on 31 October 2009.
Application forms (see below) and conditions for awards are available from the Higher Degree Research Office, telephone +61-2-9850 7987, email: hdrschol@vc.mq.edu.au.
Some suggestions for projects follow. Applicants should clearly note the project they are interested in on the front of their application form, for example, 40MQRES Project #1. Further information regarding these projects may be obtained by contacting the supervisor listed in conjunction with the project description. Alternatively you may outline your own project.
Project 1. PhD Scholarship in Post-copulatory Sexual Selection
The Department of Brain, Behaviour & Evolution (BBE) are offering PhD study on Post-copulatory Sexual Selection of tephritid fruit flies. The project would be carried out in the Behavioural Biology Research Group under the supervision of A/Prof Phil Taylor (http://galliform.bhs.mq.edu.au/~phil/).
The overall theme is to explore factors influencing reproductive decisions and success of Queensland fruit flies (Bactrocera tryoni; Tephritidae) (‘Q-flies’), and the consequences of such decisions for both sexes. Within this overall theme, there is ample scope to tailor the project toward specific research interests of the student. For example, microsatellite DNA might be used to assess multiple paternity in wild or lab populations, and to identify male traits associated with paternity advantages. Spatial separation of each male’s sperm in the female storage organs and differential usage of ejaculates from different males might also be investigated. Strategic variation in sperm storage by females or ejaculate size of males might also be considered. The project may be purely curiosity driven, or may instead be more closely aligned to the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) used to manage these flies. These are just examples of the type of question that might be addressed in this system. We have been working on Q-fly mating and reproduction for several years now (see publications on the website) and have already resolved most technical issues. This previous work provides an excellent platform for a motivated and imaginative student. Ample facilities and resources are available to support a wide diversity of projects.
Depending on the preferred project direction, experience in the following areas would be valuable: Behavioural Ecology, Entomology, Ecology, Animal Behaviour, Molecular Genetics, Quantitative Genetics, Histology or Physiology. Demonstrated experience in the conduct of laboratory or field experiments, a working understanding of hypothesis testing and statistics, and evidence of research capability through publications or presentations at scientific meetings, would be an advantage.
Further information regarding this project may be obtained by contacting the supervisor A/Prof Phil Taylor; email: Phil.Taylor@mq.edu.au.
Project 2. PhD Scholarship in Diamond Raman Lasers
The Department of Physics are offering a project in the engineering of advanced lasers sources. The successful candidate will undertake PhD research in the development of long-wave infrared laser sources based on synthetic diamond.
The development of practical and powerful long-wave infrared lasers (in the region > 5 microns) has been a long-standing challenge in many areas of technology and applied science. Such lasers are able to interact uniquely with biological tissue and the atmosphere and thus are of intense interest for addressing important challenges in medicine and environmental sensing. This project aims to utilize the outstanding optical and thermal properties of single-crystal diamond to create infrared lasers with performance required in applications. The skills gained in this project include all aspects of solid-state laser design and modeling, long wave infrared physics, as well as gain expertise in laser waveguide microfabrication and a knowledge of downstream applications.
Applicants should have completed equivalent research qualifications to an Australian undergraduate degree with first class honours in a relevant discipline (Physics, Opto-electronics, Engineering), such as a Masters degree with substantial thesis component. Early career professionals interested in returning to higher degree studies are also encouraged to apply.
Further information regarding this project, may be obtained by contacting the supervisor: Dr Richard Mildren, telephone: +61-2-9850-8965, email: richard.mildren@mq.edu.au. You can find out more about Dr Mildren's research at www.ics.mq.edu.au/~rmildren.
Project 3. Biomimetic Synthesis of Marine Alkaloids
The Department of Chemistry & Biomolecular Sciences are offering a PhD project led by A/Professor Peter Karuso, internationally recognised for his research into the chemical biology of natural products. This project is being conducted in conjunction with Trinity Bioactives, a New Zealand company dedicated to the development and evaluation of novel natural products.
The overall aim of this research program is to use the structures of marine natural products to design biomimetic syntheses (retrosynthetic analysis based on biogenesis and biosynthesis) and then to develop these new synthetic methods into reactions suitable for Diversity Orientated Synthesis (DOS). This project builds on our biomimetic synthesis of ageladine A to construct small focussed libraries of analogues for biological screening and to develop the key Pictet-Spengler reaction of 2-aminohistamines. Suitable applicants would have first class Honours or an MSc in Organic Chemistry.
Further information on the project may be obtained by contacting AProf Peter Karuso; e-mail: pkaruso@cbms.mq.edu.au
Project 4: Reverse Chemical Proteomics of Marine Natural Products
The Department of Chemistry & Biomolecular Sciences are offering a PhD project led by A/Professor Peter Karuso, internationally recognised for his research into the chemical biology of natural products. This project is being conducted in conjunction with AProf Mark Molloy, Australian Proteome Analysis Facility (APAF).
Proteomics is a field invented at Macquarie University and was the home of the world’s first dedicated proteomics facility (APAF). To stay at the forefront of proteomics technologies, we are pioneering the field of reverse chemical proteomics and developing new tools for forward chemical proteomics. The overall aim of this research program is to synthesise or derivatise marine natural products as chemical probes for affinity capture of their cellular protein partners. Suitable applicants would have first class Honours or an MSc in Organic Chemistry. A minor or experience in biochemistry, genomics, mass spectrometry or phage display would be an advantage.
Further information on the project may be obtained by contacting AProf Peter Karuso; e-mail: pkaruso@cbms.mq.edu.au
Project 5. Improving Storytelling in Computer Games
The Department of Computing is offering a PhD project in the area of computer games. The aim of this project is to investigate how digital interactive storytelling can be improved by incorporating mechanisms and heuristics from other forms of interactive storytelling . Interactive digital entertainment, such as computer games, allow users to participate in the creation of the events and stories in the virtual world. The promise is that each user will have an individual and unique experience. However, inherent in all forms of interactive storytelling is the problem of reconciling the freedom of the user and the requirement for a pre-authored plot that has enough detail and coherence to be programmable.
The research will involve a detailed investigation of the methods used by humans in managing non-digital interactive storytelling. Empirical experiments will examine how plots are developed and modified during interaction, how unexpected user actions are handled and how conflicts between storyteller and user intentions are resolved. From the results of these experiments will be derived models that allow these methods to be incorporated in software. Depending on the successful applicant.s interest the final stage of the project would be a proof of concept software system, further experiments extending the range and scope of the models or a consideration of the implications of the results in terms of interactive digital media theory.
Applicants must demonstrate equivalent research qualifications or experience equivalent to an Australian first class Honours degree in one or more of the following areas: Computer Science, Information technology, Psychology, Media Studies. A knowledge of statistics and/or empirical research methods would be an advantage.
Further information regarding this project may be obtained by contacting the supervisor Dr. Michael Hitchens; telephone: +61-2- 9850 9538, e-mail:michaelh@ics.mq.edu.au
Project 6. Security and Virtualisation
The Department of Computing are offering a PhD project in security and virtualisation. The dramatic resurgence in virtualisation technology and recent developments in trusted computing technology are creating the need for a new approach that combines these technologies to design novel secure virtualised systems. This research will conduct a detailed investigation of secure virtualised systems, develop a new policy based trust enhanced security model enabling dynamic sharing of resources in distributed virtualised environments, design an integrated security and trust management architecture, and demonstrate their effectiveness by developing a secure distributed virtualised Grid computing application scenarios.
Applicants must must demonstrate equivalent research qualifications or experience to an Australian First Class Honours degree in Computer Science or Software or Systems Engineering as well as evidence of their strong programming skills.
Further information regarding this project may be obtained by contacting the supervisor Professor Vijay Varadharajan; telephone: +61 2 98509534, email: vijay@ics.mq.edu.au.
Project 7. Trust Management in Service Oriented Architectures
The Department of Computing are offering a PhD project on trust management in service oriented architectures. Trust management in service oriented architectures is becoming increasingly significant in distributed enterprise architectures and applications. This project will develop a trust model and trust management architecture for web services based service oriented architectures. It will design a trust management layer for web services and develop algorithms for trust evaluation and analysis. Then it will investigate the application of the proposed trust management architecture in securing distributed web services and applications over the Internet.
Applicants must demonstrate equivalent research qualifications or experience to an Australian First Class Honours degree in Computer Science or Software or Systems Engineering as well as evidence of their strong programming skills.
Further information regarding this project may be obtained by contacting the supervisor Professor Vijay Varadharajan; telephone: +61 2 98509534, email: vijay@ics.mq.edu.au.
Project 8. WIreless Research
The Department of Electronics' Wireless Communications and Networking Laboratory conducts world-class research into next generation wireless technologies. The Research Laboratory has close collaboration links with international institutions and industry around the world. The Laboratory offers PhD research opportunities in exciting new areas of wireless research including cognitive radio networks, wireless body area networks for medical applications, personal area networks, wireless sensor networks, wireless mesh networks and next generation mobile communications. Engineering graduates who would like to shape the future of wireless communications are encouraged to apply. As part of your research activities you will frequently interact with other researchers in the world with opportunities for extended research visits to other premier institutions. In addition to the standard MQRES scholarships, additional industry-based scholarship top-ups are also available to successful applicants.
For more information regarding projects in these areas may be obtained by contacting Prof. Eryk Dutkiewicz, email:eryk.dutkiewicz@mq.edu.au.
Project 9. Climatic Adaptation of Rice in Tropical Australia
The Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University is offering a PhD project led by Associate Professor Brian Atwell. The aim of the project is to investigate how rice and its wild relatives endemic to tropical regions of Australia have adapted to extreme climatic conditions, particularly of temperature and rainfall. The goal is to identify physiological mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance and describe the genes and gene products that underpin stress tolerance. The broad range of genetic material we have available from remote northern Australia and Asia will provide valuable genetic tools in this study.
Depending on the successful applicant’s interest, the PhD project could either focus on physiology and glasshouse studies in the university’s climate change facility, or intensive cell and molecular biology that would entail confocal microscopy, proteomics (Australian Proteome Analysis Facility) and genomics. The key processes of interest are drought and heat tolerance but this project would extend existing postgraduate studies to deal with their interaction. Collaborative studies with other universities such as Sydney, Western Sydney and Western Australia would be included in the project.
Applicants must demonstrate equivalent research qualifications or experience to an Australian First Class Honours degree in one of more of the following areas: plant physiology, biochemistry or cell and molecular biology.
Further information regarding this project may be obtained by contacting the supervisor Associate Professor Brian Atwell; telephone: +61-2- 9850 8224, e-mail: batwell@rna.bio.mq.edu.au.
Alternatively, create your own project proposal. Contact a Faculty for advice on supervision and discuss your ideas with potential supervisors.
Applications should be forwarded to:
The Scholarship Officer
The Research Hub
Level 3, C5C East
Macquarie University NSW 2109
AUSTRALIA
Eliigibility Criteria:
Australian/New Zealand Citizen or Australian Permanent resident
Eligible for and not previously enrolled in a HDR degree at Macquarie University.
Applicants should have completed an Australian Bachelor degree with first class honours in a relevant discipline or equivalent research qualifications, such as a Masters degree with substantial thesis component, and meet the University's minimum English requirements.
Rated 3 or above on the Macquarie University rating scale.
SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS MUST ENROL IN 2009.
Award Entitlements:
MQRES stipend is currently $20,427 p.a. tax exempt (2009). Tenure is a maximum 3.5 years full-time, subject to satisfactory progress.
Relocation and Thesis allowances (details and conditions as per the scholarships website).
Additional support for project costs and conference travel will also be available from the Department or Faculty.
Eligible applications missing not receiving an award in this round will be included in the 2010 Australian Postgraduate Award
Round closing on 31 October 2009.
Application forms (see below) and conditions for awards are available from the Higher Degree Research Office, telephone +61-2-9850 7987, email: hdrschol@vc.mq.edu.au.
Some suggestions for projects follow. Applicants should clearly note the project they are interested in on the front of their application form, for example, 40MQRES Project #1. Further information regarding these projects may be obtained by contacting the supervisor listed in conjunction with the project description. Alternatively you may outline your own project.
Project 1. PhD Scholarship in Post-copulatory Sexual Selection
The Department of Brain, Behaviour & Evolution (BBE) are offering PhD study on Post-copulatory Sexual Selection of tephritid fruit flies. The project would be carried out in the Behavioural Biology Research Group under the supervision of A/Prof Phil Taylor (http://galliform.bhs.mq.edu.au/~phil/).
The overall theme is to explore factors influencing reproductive decisions and success of Queensland fruit flies (Bactrocera tryoni; Tephritidae) (‘Q-flies’), and the consequences of such decisions for both sexes. Within this overall theme, there is ample scope to tailor the project toward specific research interests of the student. For example, microsatellite DNA might be used to assess multiple paternity in wild or lab populations, and to identify male traits associated with paternity advantages. Spatial separation of each male’s sperm in the female storage organs and differential usage of ejaculates from different males might also be investigated. Strategic variation in sperm storage by females or ejaculate size of males might also be considered. The project may be purely curiosity driven, or may instead be more closely aligned to the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) used to manage these flies. These are just examples of the type of question that might be addressed in this system. We have been working on Q-fly mating and reproduction for several years now (see publications on the website) and have already resolved most technical issues. This previous work provides an excellent platform for a motivated and imaginative student. Ample facilities and resources are available to support a wide diversity of projects.
Depending on the preferred project direction, experience in the following areas would be valuable: Behavioural Ecology, Entomology, Ecology, Animal Behaviour, Molecular Genetics, Quantitative Genetics, Histology or Physiology. Demonstrated experience in the conduct of laboratory or field experiments, a working understanding of hypothesis testing and statistics, and evidence of research capability through publications or presentations at scientific meetings, would be an advantage.
Further information regarding this project may be obtained by contacting the supervisor A/Prof Phil Taylor; email: Phil.Taylor@mq.edu.au.
Project 2. PhD Scholarship in Diamond Raman Lasers
The Department of Physics are offering a project in the engineering of advanced lasers sources. The successful candidate will undertake PhD research in the development of long-wave infrared laser sources based on synthetic diamond.
The development of practical and powerful long-wave infrared lasers (in the region > 5 microns) has been a long-standing challenge in many areas of technology and applied science. Such lasers are able to interact uniquely with biological tissue and the atmosphere and thus are of intense interest for addressing important challenges in medicine and environmental sensing. This project aims to utilize the outstanding optical and thermal properties of single-crystal diamond to create infrared lasers with performance required in applications. The skills gained in this project include all aspects of solid-state laser design and modeling, long wave infrared physics, as well as gain expertise in laser waveguide microfabrication and a knowledge of downstream applications.
Applicants should have completed equivalent research qualifications to an Australian undergraduate degree with first class honours in a relevant discipline (Physics, Opto-electronics, Engineering), such as a Masters degree with substantial thesis component. Early career professionals interested in returning to higher degree studies are also encouraged to apply.
Further information regarding this project, may be obtained by contacting the supervisor: Dr Richard Mildren, telephone: +61-2-9850-8965, email: richard.mildren@mq.edu.au. You can find out more about Dr Mildren's research at www.ics.mq.edu.au/~rmildren.
Project 3. Biomimetic Synthesis of Marine Alkaloids
The Department of Chemistry & Biomolecular Sciences are offering a PhD project led by A/Professor Peter Karuso, internationally recognised for his research into the chemical biology of natural products. This project is being conducted in conjunction with Trinity Bioactives, a New Zealand company dedicated to the development and evaluation of novel natural products.
The overall aim of this research program is to use the structures of marine natural products to design biomimetic syntheses (retrosynthetic analysis based on biogenesis and biosynthesis) and then to develop these new synthetic methods into reactions suitable for Diversity Orientated Synthesis (DOS). This project builds on our biomimetic synthesis of ageladine A to construct small focussed libraries of analogues for biological screening and to develop the key Pictet-Spengler reaction of 2-aminohistamines. Suitable applicants would have first class Honours or an MSc in Organic Chemistry.
Further information on the project may be obtained by contacting AProf Peter Karuso; e-mail: pkaruso@cbms.mq.edu.au
Project 4: Reverse Chemical Proteomics of Marine Natural Products
The Department of Chemistry & Biomolecular Sciences are offering a PhD project led by A/Professor Peter Karuso, internationally recognised for his research into the chemical biology of natural products. This project is being conducted in conjunction with AProf Mark Molloy, Australian Proteome Analysis Facility (APAF).
Proteomics is a field invented at Macquarie University and was the home of the world’s first dedicated proteomics facility (APAF). To stay at the forefront of proteomics technologies, we are pioneering the field of reverse chemical proteomics and developing new tools for forward chemical proteomics. The overall aim of this research program is to synthesise or derivatise marine natural products as chemical probes for affinity capture of their cellular protein partners. Suitable applicants would have first class Honours or an MSc in Organic Chemistry. A minor or experience in biochemistry, genomics, mass spectrometry or phage display would be an advantage.
Further information on the project may be obtained by contacting AProf Peter Karuso; e-mail: pkaruso@cbms.mq.edu.au
Project 5. Improving Storytelling in Computer Games
The Department of Computing is offering a PhD project in the area of computer games. The aim of this project is to investigate how digital interactive storytelling can be improved by incorporating mechanisms and heuristics from other forms of interactive storytelling . Interactive digital entertainment, such as computer games, allow users to participate in the creation of the events and stories in the virtual world. The promise is that each user will have an individual and unique experience. However, inherent in all forms of interactive storytelling is the problem of reconciling the freedom of the user and the requirement for a pre-authored plot that has enough detail and coherence to be programmable.
The research will involve a detailed investigation of the methods used by humans in managing non-digital interactive storytelling. Empirical experiments will examine how plots are developed and modified during interaction, how unexpected user actions are handled and how conflicts between storyteller and user intentions are resolved. From the results of these experiments will be derived models that allow these methods to be incorporated in software. Depending on the successful applicant.s interest the final stage of the project would be a proof of concept software system, further experiments extending the range and scope of the models or a consideration of the implications of the results in terms of interactive digital media theory.
Applicants must demonstrate equivalent research qualifications or experience equivalent to an Australian first class Honours degree in one or more of the following areas: Computer Science, Information technology, Psychology, Media Studies. A knowledge of statistics and/or empirical research methods would be an advantage.
Further information regarding this project may be obtained by contacting the supervisor Dr. Michael Hitchens; telephone: +61-2- 9850 9538, e-mail:michaelh@ics.mq.edu.au
Project 6. Security and Virtualisation
The Department of Computing are offering a PhD project in security and virtualisation. The dramatic resurgence in virtualisation technology and recent developments in trusted computing technology are creating the need for a new approach that combines these technologies to design novel secure virtualised systems. This research will conduct a detailed investigation of secure virtualised systems, develop a new policy based trust enhanced security model enabling dynamic sharing of resources in distributed virtualised environments, design an integrated security and trust management architecture, and demonstrate their effectiveness by developing a secure distributed virtualised Grid computing application scenarios.
Applicants must must demonstrate equivalent research qualifications or experience to an Australian First Class Honours degree in Computer Science or Software or Systems Engineering as well as evidence of their strong programming skills.
Further information regarding this project may be obtained by contacting the supervisor Professor Vijay Varadharajan; telephone: +61 2 98509534, email: vijay@ics.mq.edu.au.
Project 7. Trust Management in Service Oriented Architectures
The Department of Computing are offering a PhD project on trust management in service oriented architectures. Trust management in service oriented architectures is becoming increasingly significant in distributed enterprise architectures and applications. This project will develop a trust model and trust management architecture for web services based service oriented architectures. It will design a trust management layer for web services and develop algorithms for trust evaluation and analysis. Then it will investigate the application of the proposed trust management architecture in securing distributed web services and applications over the Internet.
Applicants must demonstrate equivalent research qualifications or experience to an Australian First Class Honours degree in Computer Science or Software or Systems Engineering as well as evidence of their strong programming skills.
Further information regarding this project may be obtained by contacting the supervisor Professor Vijay Varadharajan; telephone: +61 2 98509534, email: vijay@ics.mq.edu.au.
Project 8. WIreless Research
The Department of Electronics' Wireless Communications and Networking Laboratory conducts world-class research into next generation wireless technologies. The Research Laboratory has close collaboration links with international institutions and industry around the world. The Laboratory offers PhD research opportunities in exciting new areas of wireless research including cognitive radio networks, wireless body area networks for medical applications, personal area networks, wireless sensor networks, wireless mesh networks and next generation mobile communications. Engineering graduates who would like to shape the future of wireless communications are encouraged to apply. As part of your research activities you will frequently interact with other researchers in the world with opportunities for extended research visits to other premier institutions. In addition to the standard MQRES scholarships, additional industry-based scholarship top-ups are also available to successful applicants.
For more information regarding projects in these areas may be obtained by contacting Prof. Eryk Dutkiewicz, email:eryk.dutkiewicz@mq.edu.au.
Project 9. Climatic Adaptation of Rice in Tropical Australia
The Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University is offering a PhD project led by Associate Professor Brian Atwell. The aim of the project is to investigate how rice and its wild relatives endemic to tropical regions of Australia have adapted to extreme climatic conditions, particularly of temperature and rainfall. The goal is to identify physiological mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance and describe the genes and gene products that underpin stress tolerance. The broad range of genetic material we have available from remote northern Australia and Asia will provide valuable genetic tools in this study.
Depending on the successful applicant’s interest, the PhD project could either focus on physiology and glasshouse studies in the university’s climate change facility, or intensive cell and molecular biology that would entail confocal microscopy, proteomics (Australian Proteome Analysis Facility) and genomics. The key processes of interest are drought and heat tolerance but this project would extend existing postgraduate studies to deal with their interaction. Collaborative studies with other universities such as Sydney, Western Sydney and Western Australia would be included in the project.
Applicants must demonstrate equivalent research qualifications or experience to an Australian First Class Honours degree in one of more of the following areas: plant physiology, biochemistry or cell and molecular biology.
Further information regarding this project may be obtained by contacting the supervisor Associate Professor Brian Atwell; telephone: +61-2- 9850 8224, e-mail: batwell@rna.bio.mq.edu.au.
Alternatively, create your own project proposal. Contact a Faculty for advice on supervision and discuss your ideas with potential supervisors.
Applications should be forwarded to:
The Scholarship Officer
The Research Hub
Level 3, C5C East
Macquarie University NSW 2109
AUSTRALIA
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