PhD Studentship in developmental neuroscience

Queensland Brain Institute

PhD Studentship in developmental neuroscience

Established in 2003, QBI (http://www.qbi.uq.edu.au) is situated on the St Lucia campus of UQ. It is home to more than 450 staff and students, including 41 group leaders, working across a range of disciplines, who are focused on discovering the fundamental mechanisms that regulate brain development and function in health and disease.

Over the past decade QBI has become known as one of the world’s leading neuroscience research institutes. It played a key role in contributing to UQ attaining the highest possible score of 5 for neuroscience, in the 2010, 2012 and 2015 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) reviews, one of only two universities in Australia to achieve this.

The School of Biomedical Sciences

The School of Biomedical Sciences (http://www.uq.edu.au/sbms/) is a distinguished centre for teaching and research in the academic disciplines of Anatomy, Developmental Biology, Physiology, and Pharmacology. The School has over 40 full-time research and teaching staff and is one of the largest Schools of this type in Australia. Our diverse and state-of-the-art research provides an exciting environment for national and international research fellows and higher degree students.

The role

The PhD student will work on a collaborative project between Associate Professor Helen Cooper (Queensland Brain Institute) and Associate Professor Michael Piper (School of Biomedical Sciences). The Cooper and Piper laboratories focus on the molecular signalling systems governing the development of the neocortex and investigates how disruption of these pathways leads to cortical malformations and neuropsychiatric conditions. Their research focuses on neural stem cell function, neural differentiation and migration in the embryonic mouse brain. The successful candidate will lead a project investigating the role of netrin receptors and Nfix transcription factors in preventing cortical malformations such as hydrocephalus.

More information about the Cooper and Piper Laboratories can be found on:  https://qbi.uq.edu.au/coopergroup, and https://biomedical-sciences.uq.edu.au/profile/3280/michael-piper.

The person

Expressions of Interest are invited from outstanding and enthusiastic, international and Australian, science graduates ideally with a background in neuroscience, developmental biology, cell biology, stem cell biology or molecular biology. You should also have a strong desire to develop a successful research career, good general research skills, a systematic approach to problem solving, very good writing abilities, and the capacity to work with multidisciplinary research teams.  Candidates will have a First Class Honours degree or equivalent and should be eligible for UQ scholarship consideration.

Applicants must fulfil the PhD admission criteria for the University of Queensland, including meeting English language requirements, and demonstrating excellent capacity and potential for research. Demonstration of research ability through publication output in peer reviewed international journals is desirable.

For further information on entry requirements, please visit http://www.uq.edu.au/grad-school/our-research-degrees.  Successful applicants must accept and commence within 6 months of receiving an award.

Remuneration

Selected prospective international and domestic students will receive assistance to apply for University living allowance and tuition fee scholarships.  The 2018 Research Training Program (RTP) living allowance stipend rate is AUD$27,082 (indexed annually), which is tax-free for three years with two possible extensions of up to 6 months each in approved circumstances (conditions apply).  For further information on scholarships refer to:  http://www.uq.edu.au/grad-school/scholarships-and-fees.

Enquiries

To discuss this role and for further information, please contact Associate Professor Helen Cooper (h.cooper@uq.edu.au) or Associate Professor Michael Piper (m.piper@uq.edu.au).

To submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) for consideration, ensure you use the UQ Jobs online recruitment system by following the Apply button below.  

Important: 

please do not send your EOI directly to the contact person listed in this section of the advertisement.  EOIs not received via the UQ Jobs online system will not be considered.

Please note the different EOI closing dates below for domestic and international candidates leading up to the UQ Graduate School higher degree by research application and scholarship round timelines as advertised on their website: https://graduate-school.uq.edu.au/scholarships

Expression of Interest Closing Dates:

International candidates: 19 January 2018 – for consideration in relation to the next available UQ international scholarship round with commencement in Research Quarter 3 (July) 2018.

Domestic candidates: 13 April 2018 – for consideration in relation to the next UQ domestic scholarship round with commencement in Research Quarter 3 (July) 2018.

Applications close: 13 April 2018 (11:55 PM) E. Australia Standard Time

Reference: 501628