PhD Scholarships in Plasma Research from University of South Australia

The University of South Australia offers the “Plasma Touches Life Scholarship” for motivated students seeking to undertake an exciting Australian Research Council funded PhD project entitled “Plasma touches life: advancing plasma technologies for the life sciences”.

About the Project:

• The student will have the opportunity to develop and test their own research initiatives in the application of electrical cold atmospheric plasma technology for wound decontamination and cancer treatments, with focus on developing novel strategies to improve the efficacy and safety of the plasma treatments. 

• The student will be primarily based at the University of South Australia, Future Industries Institute (FII), but will also work regularly at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) throughout the project. 

• The FII and CSIRO provide world-class research facilities including a plasma research laboratory equipped with a range of plasma sources and plasma diagnostics, and PC2 laboratories including cell culture suites and a range of molecular biology and histology facilities, and high-resolution microscopy.

• As part of the training package, the student will also have the opportunity to undertake part of their research at Lancaster University in the UK for 6 months, investigating how plasma treatments influence DNA replication, damage, and repair in Xenopus egg extract models.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Admission requires applicants to hold or be eligible to hold one of the following degrees:

  • An Honours degree or a Bachelor degree with Honours of at least class 2a standard in an appropriate discipline.

  • An appropriate Master's degree.

  • Satisfy the Dean of Research that their previous education, relevant professional experience and published research work is of sufficient quality and relevance to prepare the applicant for a research degree.

• You must demonstrate English language proficiency in the form of an English test result that is valid on your intended date of commencement.  English tests accepted by the University of South Australia are:

  • IELTS - Academic stream.

  • TOEFL / TOEFL iBT.

  • Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic.

  • University of Cambridge: ESOL Examinations for the Certificate of Proficiency in English. (CPE) OR the Certificate in Advanced English (CAE).

Study Areas:

• General molecular and cellular biology. 
• Tissue culture (mammalian and bacteria). 
• Microscopy. 
• Immunohistochemistry.

Study Requirements:

In order to undertake this project successfully, the student will need to have a strong background in mammalian and bacteria cell culture techniques and molecular biology.

Benefits:

The scholarship value is $28,092 (2020 rate) for 3.5 years. 

About the University of South Australia:

The University of South Australia is a public research university and is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australia with approximately 32,000 students. The university undertakes research that is inspired by global challenges and opportunities, delivers economic and social benefits, and which informs our teaching, and operates through a partnered, end-user informed culture of teaching and research with a commitment to outstanding service, continuous improvement, and sustainability. The University of South Australia is among the world's top universities, ranked in the World's Top 50 Under 50 (universities which are under 50 years old) by both the  (QS) World University Ranking and Times Higher Education.

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