Promotion an der
University of Sydney

About the Opportunity:
This PhD research project will develop nanomaterials synthesised from organic semiconductors and bioactive molecules for applications in bioelectronics (artificial retina), organic photovoltaics (solar cells) and beyond. The research project is funded by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project grant and will be conducted within the Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis at the University of Sydney. This project will utilise advanced microscopy tools, including electron microscopy and synchrotron-based X-ray nanoscale microscopy, to form a feedback loop that informs smart nanomaterials design for future flexible electronics. The expected outcomes of this project include new high performance nanoengineered materials, measurement tools and fabrication approaches. Students in the engineering, chemistry and/or physics stream would be suitable candidates for this PhD project. The candidate will undertake their research as part of a multidisciplinary team within the University of Sydney Faculty of Engineering. The candidate will have access to the university's flagship research facilities - the Sydney Nanoscience Hub and Sydney Microscopy & Microanalysis.

About You:
The University values courage and creativity; openness and engagement; inclusion and diversity; and respect and integrity. As PhD student, you will work under broad direction and will be expected to utilise your experience, technical expertise, scientific knowledge and training/qualifications to resolve matters that arise across the research laboratory to meet the strategic directions of the project.

We are seeking a domestic or international student, who holds an honours/masters degree in addition to a Bachelors degree in materials engineering, chemistry, physics, or equivalent.

Directly funded project. Full-time 3.5 year PhD with a stipend of $37,207 AUD per annum.

Australian Research Council Discovery Project (www.arc.gov.au/funding-research/discovery-linkage/discovery-program/discovery-projects)

The mechanical stimuli generated by body exercise can be transmitted from cortical bone into the deep bone marrow. A mechanosensitive perivascular stem cell niche is recently identified within the bone marrow for osteogenesis and lymphopoiesis. However, the mechanopropagation from compact bone to deep bone marrow vasculature remains elusive in this fundamental mechanobiology field. No experimental system is available yet to directly understand such exercise‐induced mechanopropagation at the bone‐vessel interface. To this end, an integrated computational biomechanics framework to quantitatively evaluate the mechanopropagation capabilities of bone marrow arterioles, arteries, and sinusoids is devised. The 3D geometries of blood vessels are smoothly reconstructed in the presence of vessel wall thickness and intravascular pulse pressure, followed by finite element analysis to thoroughly investigate the mechanical effects of exercise‐induced intravascular vibratory stretching on bone marrow vasculature. The effects of blood pressure and cortical bone bending are also examined. It is concluded that arterioles and arteries are much more efficient in transducing mechanical force than sinusoids due to their higher stiffness. In the future, this in-silico approach could be combined with other clinical imaging modalities for subject/patient‐specific vascular reconstruction and biomechanical analysis, providing large‐scale phenotypic data for personalized mechanobiology discovery.

The Scholarship will provide a stipend allowance equivalent to the University of Sydney’s Research Training Program (RTP) stipend rate for up to 3.5 years.

RTP stipend is currently $35,950 AUD/year.

The scholarship is available to domestic and international students.

Much of the natural world and human-built environments exist within the lowest portion of the atmosphere known as the planetary boundary layer. Conditions in the atmosphere are often thermally unstable during the daytime, leading to large convective turbulent motions throughout the boundary layer that significantly enhance transport and dispersion of scalars like moisture, gases, and pollutants. Our understanding of turbulent phenomena in these conditions is changing as high-resolution simulations of the atmosphere become increasingly affordable. This computational project will use large-eddy simulations to investigate structural and statistical similarity in the convective atmospheric boundary layer. Similarity is an important tool for the development of predictive models and reduced-order representations of the atmosphere commonly applied in forecasting and engineering design.
In addition to earning a PhD in Civil Engineering, the student will develop an expertise in atmospheric turbulence and computational methods for fluid mechanics, e.g. large-eddy simulations and the use of high-performance computing resources. The student will have the opportunity to publish their research in leading journals in the areas of fluid mechanics (e.g. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Physical Review Fluids) and atmospheric sciences (e.g. Boundary-Layer Meteorology, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres), plus attend academic conferences within Australia and internationally.

Clotting and bleeding are two sides of a coin, leading to cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and haemophilia—the No.1 worldwide killer. It has long been recognised that the von Willebrand factor (VWF) is the mechanosensor for primary and secondary haemostasis by interacting with platelets and clotting factor VIII. We have recently discovered a new ‘biomechanical’ prothrombotic mechanism that highlights the remarkable VWF sensitivity to the shear stress of blood flow disturbance. Importantly, we found that the current drugs are often not successful and come with an increased financial burden.
To address this pressing need, we are establishing a GPU accelerated multi-scale simulation platform to unveil the effects of blood flow disturbance at the single-molecule level. For the first time, fluid mechanics and biochemistry fields will be united in silico to correlate the haemodynamic parameters with clotting and bleeding disorders.

The Scholarship will provide a stipend allowance equivalent to the University of Sydney’s Research Training Program (RTP) stipend rate for up to 3.5 years.

RTP stipend is currently $35,950 AUD/year.

The scholarship is available to domestic and international students.

You will have:
• Academic knowledge in the discipline of biophysics, biomechanics, electrophysiology, cell biology and biochemistry;
• Experience of Linux/Unix commanding line (Unix shell)
• Capability of using two or more of GROMACS, Hex, LabVIEW, Python, AutoCAD, MATLAB and other software.

Preferred experience include:
• Solid basic knowledge of biology and hands-on experience in PC2 biological laboratory, using flow cytometer, ELISA, Western blots, protein-protein interaction assays, protein/antibody purification and functional characterizations;
• Experience in theoretical simulation using and MATLAB or COMSOL, or LabVIEW programming to control equipment and devices.
• Capability of independently output processing models and drawings, be capable of CNC programming, use other conventional processing platform equipment to manufacture mechanical parts, and use 3D printers for part manufacturing.
• Pre-doctoral track records with publications, conference papers, reports, professional or technical contributions with evidence of independent research ability.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

1. This Scholarship aims to support a student undertaking a PhD on approved projects funded by ARC within the Faculty of Science.
2. Funded by ARC Centre of Excellence in Peptide and Protein Science, this Scholarship aims to support a student undertaking a PhD or MPhil student focusing on the development and study of creative methods to communicate peptide and protein science to non-expert audiences.

The Scholarship will provide a stipend allowance equivalent to the minimum Research Training Program (RTP) Stipend rate AUD$37,207 per annum (indexed on 1 January each year) subject to satisfactory academic performance for up to three years for the successful PhD recipient with a possible 6 months extension.

1. The Scholarship is offered subject to the applicant having an unconditional offer of admission to study full-time in a Masters by Research or PhD within the School of Chemistry, Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney.
2. An applicant without an unconditional offer of admission may apply and be selected, however, no scholarship offer will be sent until the applicant has an unconditional offer of admission.
3. Applicant must hold an honours degree (First Call or Second Class upper) or a master’s degree in a related field with a substantial research component, or equivalent.
4. Applicant must be willing to undertake research in science communication in collaboration with scientists.

1. The successful applicant will be awarded the Scholarship on the basis of:
   • academic merit, and
   • area of study and research proposal,
2. Applicant can have a background in any discipline related to science or communication, including but not limited to art, performance, sound design, music, science, engineering, science communication.
3. Shortlist applicants may be requested to attend an interview.
4. The successful applicant will be awarded the Scholarship on the nomination of the relevant research supervisor(s), or their nominated delegate(s).