Postgraduate Research Opportunities
Postgraduate research opportunities that exist in the Faculty of Veterinary Science can be found here. Many can also be found on the Research Supervisor Connect database at http://www.usyd.edu.au/research/opportunities.
There are projects which already have scholarship funding as well as projects that require you to have your own means of support for living costs (APA, EIPRS etc. or independent funding).
If there is an academic you would really like to work with who does not have a project listed here, try contacting them with your ideas. They may have a project available and/or they may be willing to help you with your APA or other application for funding.
Check to see what projects are currently available in the following areas:
Animal Production
Applied Animal Reproduction
Companion Animal Health and Welfare
Educational Research and Practice Management
Equine Research
Farm Animal Health and Welfare
Genetics and Genomics
Immunology, Photobiology and Pharmacology
Pathology and Biomedical Research
Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology
Wildlife Biology, Health and Conservation
Project Title
Supplementation of probiotic fibrolytic enzymes to improve the utilisation of fibre by ruminants
Project Summary
The potency of exogenous cellulolytic enzymes as feed additive of ruminant has also been examined since late 1950s but it did not show any significance in improvement of the efficiency of feed utilization. The failure to obtain a significant improvement of fibre digestion in vivo should not be so surprising. Since the microbial consortium in the rumen is perfectly evolved in effective degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose, any additional enzymes must be super active and resistant to microbial and digestive proteolytic enzymes. In the recent years, biotechnologies have been greatly developed and active fibrolytic enzymes have been industrially produced. Powerfulness of the newly exploited exogenous cellulase and xylanase encourages one to apply them to improve utilization of fibrous feeds in ruminants.
For more information and to contact Dr Alex Chaves about this project, please go to the Research Supervisor Connect project summary and details here.
Project Title
Nutrition and reproduction in dairy cows: the role of oxidative stress
Project Summary
A PhD scholarship is available through The University of Padua, Italy hosted jointly by Dr Pietro Celi at The University of Sydney and Professor Gabai (Padua). This is an equivalent of the USyd scholarship for international students (IPRS). The candidate will work 18 months in Italy with supervisor Prof Gabai and 18 months at USyd with Dr Celi.
All the information about the scholarship, application forms and Uni of Padua can be dowloaded from http://www.unipd.it/en/doctorates/grants.htm .
For more information about the project or advice on applying, please contact Dr Celi.
Contact
Dr Pietro Celi
Ph: +61 2 9351 1782
Email:
Project Title
Improving smallholder beef health & production in Cambodia and Laos through developing and testing a program of best practice animal health.
Project Summary
An opportunity exists for a PhD candidate to work within an ACIAR project aimed at identifying the preferred interventions that can improve smallholder beef health & production in Cambodia and Laos.
Contact
A/Prof Peter Windsor
Ph:+61 2 9351 1710
Email: pwindsor@camden.usyd.edu.au
For more information on the project please see Research Supervisor Connect website here
There are currently no projects available in this area. Contact an academic member of staff if you are interested in conducting research in this area (see research activities).
Project Title
Health and welfare of dogs in remote indigenous communities.
Project Summary
This is an exciting project on offer from Dr Robert Dixon involving monitoring the health and welfare of dogs in remote Indigenous communities and undertaking epidemiological and genotyping studies to provide evidence to contribute to a culturally relevant education program in each community.
This is a 3 year full time PhD research project that comes with a very generous stipend (scholarship of over $25,000 p.a. tax exempt) funded by an ARC Linkage-Projects grant.
This is a great opportunity resulting in the Award of a PhD and very generous financial support.
Contact
Email:
Ph: +61 2 9351 1608 or +61 2 4655 0608
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Project Title
Evaluation of the hepatic microvasculature in normal dogs and dogs with a naturally-occurring vascular malformation of the liver (congenital portosystemic shunt).
Project Summary
Description of the electron microscopic characteristics of the hepatic microvasculature of dogs with a congenital vascular abnormality of the liver.
Contact
A/Prof Geraldine B Hunt
Ph:+61 2 9351 5320
Email: gbhunt@mail.usyd.edu.au
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There are currently no projects available in this area. Contact an academic member of staff if you are interested in conducting research in this area (see research activities).
Project Title
An investigation into symbiosis between virulent Rhodococcus equi and protozoa.
Project Summary
Can virulent Rhodococcus equi replicate within protozoa found in the soil and gastrointestinal environment of the foal.
Contact
Dr Gary Muscatello
Ph:+61 2 9351 5074
Email:
Download Project Description
Project Title
Virulent Rhodococcus equi decontamination strategies on horse farms.
Project Summary
An investigation into potential disinfectant agents that could be used on farms to reduce environmental virulent Rhodococcus equi burdens.
Contact
Dr Gary Muscatello
Ph:+61 2 9351 5074
Email:
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Project Title
Studies on pain amelioration during routine husbandry procedures for improved welfare outcomes in global livestock industries.
Project Summary
Suitable PhD and honours candidates are welcome to apply to join our team that is studying new methodologies for ameliorating pain during routine husbandry procedures and new techniques for measuring pain and stress responses, thus improving welfare outcomes in the global livestock cattle, sheep and pig industries.
Contact
A/Prof Peter Windsor
Ph:+61 2 9351 1710
Email: pwindsor@camden.usyd.edu.au
For more information on the project please see Research Supervisor Connect website here
Project Title
A Framework for Evaluating the Economics of the Control and Prevention of Animal Health Emergencies
Project Summary
A framework that can be applied to assess both the economic costs and benefits of disease control and disease prevention for transboundary diseases (foot-and-mouth disease, equine influenza, the Asian honeybee mite) will be developed.
For more information and to contact Prof Michael Ward about this project, please go to the Research Supervisor Connect project summary and details here
Project Title
Assessing risks with pig movement in Eastern Indonesia.
Project Summary
A PhD opportunity is available to work on risk assessment of pig movement in Eastern Indonesia, which
comes with a $25,000 p.a. tax exempt scholarship.
Contact
Dr Jenny-Ann Toribio
Ph:+61 2 9351 1609
Email:
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Project Title
Improving smallholder beef health & production in Cambodia and Laos through developing and testing a program of best practice animal health.
Project Summary
An opportunity exists for a PhD candidate to work within an ACIAR project aimed at identifying the preferred interventions that can improve smallholder beef health & production in Cambodia and Laos.
Contact
A/Prof Peter Windsor
Ph:+61 2 9351 1710
Email: pwindsor@camden.usyd.edu.au
For more information on the project please see Research Supervisor Connect website here
Project Title
Environmental impact of viral disease in fish in the Murray Darling Basin
This project has an attached scholarship of $25,000 p.a. tax free.
Project Summary
This project will investigate the occurrence of epizootic haematopoietic necrosis virus (EHNV) in native finfish and determine the conservation impact by determining the susceptibility of these species to the virus experimentally, drawing on techniques and knowledge from fields of virology, immunology and pathology.
For more information and to contact Prof Richard Whittington or Dr Joy Becker about this project, please go to the Research Supervisor Connect project summary and details here.
Contact
Professor Richard J Whittington
Ph:+61 2 93511619
Email:
Project Title
Testing compounds which may enhance survival of myelin producing cells and reduce the severity of myelin damage in a mouse model of demyelination.
Contact
A/Prof Rosanne Taylor
Ph: +61 2 9351 2703
Email:
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Project Title
Statistical Genetics
Contact
Dr Peter Thomson
Ph: +61 2 9351 1654
Email:
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Project Title
Natural immunity and anti-microbial proteins
Contact
Dr Peter Williamson
Ph: +61 2 9351 3653
Email: peter_williamson@usyd.edu.au
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Project Title
Molecular characterization of different forms of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses in sheep and cattle
Contact
Dr. Imke Tammen
Ph: +61 2 4655 0604
Email:
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Project Title
Intracellular pathways as targets for regulation of cell response
Contact
Dr Peter Williamson
Ph: +61 2 9351 3653
Email:
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Project Title
Functional genomic and molecular investigations of lactation gene function
Contact
Dr Peter Williamson
Ph: +61 2 9351 3653
Email:
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Project Title
Investigation into gastrointestinal absorption of xenobiotics by the koala
Project Summary
Investigation into factors that influence gastrointestinal absorption in koalas
Contact
Dr Merran Govendir
Ph:+61 2 9351 5442
Email: M.Govendir@vetc.usyd.edu.au
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Project Title
Natural immunity and anti-microbial proteins
Contact
Dr Peter Williamson
Ph: +61 2 9351 3653
Email: peter_williamson@usyd.edu.au
Download Project Description
Project Title
Testing compounds which may enhance survival of myelin producing cells and reduce the severity of myelin damage in a mouse model of demyelination.
Contact
A/Prof Rosanne Taylor
Ph: +61 2 9351 2703
Email:
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Project Title
A Study on the Evolution of the Alphaherpesviruses and their Impact on Australian Biodiversity
Project Summary
New herpesviruses will be identified by sequence analysis and this data will be used to study herpesvirus evolution and host range.
Contact
A/Prof David N. Phalen
Ph: +61 2 9036 7757
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Project Title
Nematode virulence proteomics as worm resistance markers in sheep
Project Summary
Worm components which enhance infectivity may be targets for neutralisation by host defences and the reaction may be exploited as a marker to identify resistant and susceptible sheep
Contact
A/Prof David Emery
Ph:+61 2 9351 3102
Email:
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Project Title
Bioinformatics approach to Cryptosporidium identity: database prospects
Project Summary
The Bioinformatics approach to Cryptosporidium identity: database prospects study will examine (i) the applicability of web based platform to clinical and field data and (ii) develop an automated approach to identification and annotation to sequences.
Contact
Dr Jan Slapeta
Ph:+61 2 9351 2025
Email: jslapeta@usyd.edu.au
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Project Title
Emerging parasitic disease: epidemiological, diagnostic and experimental approach
Project Summary
The project Emerging parasitic diseases: epidemiological, diagnostic and experimental approach will focus on development and elucidation of the epidemiology of newly or neglected disease in veterinary parasitology including (i) haemo- / tissue- parasites (Atoxoplasma, Babesia) and (ii) gastrointestinal parasites (Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Tritrichomonas).
Contact
Dr Jan Slapeta
Ph:+61 2 9351 2025
Email: jslapeta@usyd.edu.au
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Project Title
An investigation into symbiosis between virulent Rhodococcus equi and protozoa.
Project Summary
Can virulent Rhodococcus equi replicate within protozoa found in the soil and gastrointestinal environment of the foal.
Contact
Dr Gary Muscatello
Ph:+61 2 9351 5074
Email:
Download Project Description
Project Title
Virulent Rhodococcus equi decontamination strategies on horse farms.
Project Summary
An investigation into potential disinfectant agents that could be used on farms to reduce environmental virulent Rhodococcus equi burdens.
Contact
Dr Gary Muscatello
Ph:+61 2 9351 5074
Email:
Download Project Description
Project Title
A Study on the Evolution of the Alphaherpesviruses and their Impact on Australian Biodiversity
Project Summary
New herpesviruses will be identified by sequence analysis and this data will be used to study herpesvirus evolution and host range.
Contact
A/Prof David N. Phalen
Ph: +61 2 9036 7757
Download Project Description
Project Title
Investigation into gastrointestinal absorption of xenobiotics by the koala
Project Summary
Investigation into factors that influence gastrointestinal absorption in koalas
Contact
Dr Merran Govendir
Ph:+61 2 9351 5442
Email: M.Govendir@vetc.usyd.edu.au
Download Project Description