The Melbourne and Manchester Graduate Research Group is an international research training group, comprised of researchers and jointly awarded/dual PhD candidates between the University of Melbourne, Australia, and the University of Manchester, UK.
In the first cohort (2020/2021), up to 20 joint PhD candidates will be trained by multidisciplinary collaborative research teams.
Candidates must meet the entry requirements of both Universities to be accepted. They will spend at least a year at each institution over the course of their candidature and be eligible to graduate with a jointly awarded PhD recognised with a testamur from each University.
Upcoming Melbourne and Manchester Jointly Awarded/Dual PhD research projects are advertised below. Please read the application guidelines before contacting the project supervisors.
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Identifying the mechanisms of sub-clinical corneal inflammation during contact lens wear
Have you ever wondered what happens to the surface of the eye when you apply a contact lens? Some people suffer from red and painful eyes with their contact lenses and many wearers suffer from discomfort at the end of each lens-wear day. We speculate that these two types of responses (corneal inflammation and wearer discomfort) both derive from the …
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Microscale fluid dynamics around coral surfaces
This fully funded project will develop a new biophysical approach to coral studies, integrating mathematical modelling, numerical simulations and lab-on-chip experiments. Although the Great Barrier Reef spans more than 2,300km, fundamental processes driving the health and function of corals such as nutrient uptake, oxygen exchange and bacterial recruitment occur at sub-millimetre scales. Despite their importance, we still largely lack a quantitative understanding of the governing transport processes. The PhD …
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Quantum measurement of donors in near-surface ion implanted devices
Einstein’s most revolutionary idea, of the light quantum, has led to the concept for radical new types of quantum technology that uses the strange rules of quantum mechanics to process information encoded in quantum bits, qubits. Especially promising qubits are ion implanted donor atoms in isotopically pure semiconductors including silicon. Successful development of large-scale devices that can solve important problems …
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Exploring therapeutic alliance for digital mental health
Effective digital health interventions can be used to supplement under-resourced traditional forms of therapy or in some cases replace them. These interventions can reduce the resource burden on mental health services, extend services to isolated users, provide 24/7 support, and reduce the stigma and cost of attending traditional services (Mental Health Task Force, 2016.) It is well established that successful …
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Nanostructured membranes for selective toxic gas separation
The global chemical industry is facing a crisis in dealing with polluting emissions and the resulting environmental impact. This PhD programme is focused on solving these problems through technology development. The programme will create novel membrane technology that is specifically designed to actively sieve out toxic gases from industrial emissions. This technology also has a lower energy duty compared to …
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Sea-level rise and everyday lives in small island states
This doctoral project will focus on strategies of ‘fortification, accommodation and retreat’ in response to sea-level rise in small island states. The doctoral candidate will be part of a research team working on an Australian Research Council Discovery Project, titled “Sea-level rise and everyday lives in small island states”. The project aims to advance understanding of the impacts of sea-level …
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Creative industry policy transfer to Asian countries: Exploring the role of UNESCO and the British Council
The cultural and creative industries have travelled far and wide from their initial policy uses in Australia and the UK. Virtually every country in the world now uses the terms in one way or another in their cultural, urban, and development policies. Though relatively little is known about what these terms have come to mean through the process of their …
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Material politics, urban nature and residential neighbourhood design in the Global South: how architecture can rupture and repair the native, historical, and cultural landscapes of modern Mexico
In 2019, the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services released a report declaring that up to one million species are at risk of extinction within the next few decades, largely due to human activities. Urban landscapes, and the people who live in them have a critical role to play in actively reversing this current trend. The design and construction practices …
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Mycocyclosin-based photoaffinity probes
Professors Munro and Hutton have an established collaboration investigating enzymes from the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), with the overarching aim to characterize their functions and exploit these proteins as novel drug targets. The gene encoding for the Mtb enzyme CYP121 is essential for mycobacterial viability. CYP121 generates the natural product, mycocyclosin, an oxidatively modified cyclic dipeptide. It is therefore …
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Development of advanced porous materials and processes for hydrogen/methane separation under the natural gas pipeline conditions
Hydrogen (H2) is the ultimate clean energy, and currently is primarily produced by steam reforming of hydrocarbons (mainly natural gas) and electrolysis. The high availability of surplus renewable electricity (from solar and wind) has enriched the source of renewable H2 significantly recently. The storage and distribution of H2 is a major challenge due to the difficulty of liquefaction. Existing natural …
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How to Apply
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST Applicants for Melbourne and Manchester jointly awarded/dual PhD projects should: Identify a project of interest Register their interest with the project supervisor based at the University of Melbourne, including the following information: Name, contact details Joint PhD project of interest Cover Letter, CV and Transcript Any supporting documentation Note, all applicants are required to meet the entry requirements for …