[AUSTRALIA] ELS MQRES Genomics PhD Scholarship

[AUSTRALIA] ELS MQRES Genomics PhD Scholarship

Closing Date: 18 April 2008

Adaptation of marine cyanobacteria to coastal and ocean environments

A Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship (MQRES) for PhD research is available in the Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. This project is associated with an Australian Research Council grant on using genomic approaches to understand metal ion adaptation in marine cyanobacteria and a National Science Foundation (USA) grant on using metagenomic approaches to investigate cyanobacterial diversity. This project is part of a long-term collaboration with the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in La Jolla, California.

Unicellular marine cyanobacteria constitute 20-40% of total marine chlorophyll biomass and carbon fixation, and hence significantly impact the global carbon cycle and are very relevant to climate change issues. This project will use a variety of genomic approaches to investigate the mechanisms by which marine cyanobacteria have adapted to coastal and open ocean environments. Genome sequencing and metagenomic analysis of environmental samples will be used to identify novel genomic islands in strains adapted to different marine environmental niches. Microarray expression and molecular biology analyses will be used to determine the regulatory proteins, binding proteins, and transporters involved in the homeostasis of the important micronutrient metals Co, Cu, Zn, and Ni and to put these in the context of cyanobacterial evolutionary adaptation.

MQRES Scholarships are available to Australian and international students. Applicants should have completed either an Australian four-year undergraduate degree in molecular biology, microbiology, biochemistry or a related discipline with first class honours, or demonstrate equivalent research qualifications (such as a Masters course with substantial research component) from an Australian or overseas University. Experience in bioinformatics or genomics is highly desirable.

MQRES scholarships pay a stipend, currently $A20,007 per annum, tax exempt (2008). The tenure of the scholarship is a maximum 3.5 years full time, subject to satisfactory progress. Tuition fees will be funded for the scholarship tenure.

Further information on the project may be obtained by contacting the supervisor: Professor Ian Paulsen, email: ipaulsen@cbms.mq.edu.au , telephone: +61 - 2 - 9850 8152, web: www.membranetransport.org/ian/home.shtml.

Application forms (see below), and conditions for MQRES awards, are available from the Higher Degree Research Office, telephone +61-2-9850 7663, or e-mail: hdrschol@vc.mq.edu.au.
Applications should be forwarded to:

The Scholarship Officer
The Research Hub
Level 3, C5C East
Macquarie University NSW 2109
AUSTRALIA

Info: http://www.research.mq.edu.au