PhD Fellowship: Clay Nanoparticle-facilitated RNAi 1204 views

Ph.D. Fellowship: Clay Nanoparticle-facilitated RNAi

Ph.D. Fellowship in Clay nanoparticle-facilitated RNAi for non-transgenic modification of crops (Chemistry and Chemical Engineering) at the University of Queensland

Scholarship description

This project will involve developing clay nanomaterial-based formulations that contain dsRNA or small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and can be taken up efficiently by plant cells. The main research activities will be to investigate the properties of clay nanomaterials and relevant nanomaterials to load target genes and deliver to plants for induction of systemic silencing of plant genes.

Selection criteria

The applicant should:

1. Have a Master’s degree in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering in recent 2 years;
2. Have an intensive experience in clay nanomaterial preparation and application;
3. Have some basic background in biochemistry, biology and/or plant biology;
4. Meet the English requirement by UQ Graduate School;
5. Be enthusiastic to develop a career in nanotechnology and agro-biotechnology.

Overview

Study area: Agriculture and Environment, Engineering and Computing

Scholarship value: $28,092 per annum tax-free (2020 rate), indexed annually

Scholarship duration: Three years with the possibility of two 6-month extensions in approved circumstances

Opening date: 10 March 2020

Closing date: 24 March 2020

Application Procedure

To be considered for this scholarship, please email the following documents to Professor Zhi Ping (Gordon) Xu (gordonxu@uq.edu.au)

1. Cover letter
2. CV
3. Academic transcript/s
4. Evidence for meeting UQ’s English language proficiency requirements eg TOEFL, IELTS
5. Research publications in relevant fields

Please note the following: Submitting the above documents does not constitute a full application for admission into The University of Queensland’s PhD program. If you are selected as the preferred applicant, you will then be invited to submit a full application for admission.