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), 20 joint PhD candidates were recruited to multidisciplinary collaborative research teams. See the Current Projects page for more information on the projects the candidates are completing.
Candidates in the program 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.
The second round of projects are currently recruiting for candidates who will commence in 2021 in Manchester or 2022 in Melbourne. Visit the Available Projects page for more information.
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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 via an email to 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 …
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Hygienic citizenship: Shifting cultures of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation
This PhD project will be based at the University of Manchester with a 12 month stay at University of Melbourne. Project Description: Critical examination of practices of cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitation is vital for advancing human and environmental health. This PhD project aims to understand how these practices (care for self, others, clothes, things, homes) constantly shifts in response to global changes …
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A water-abundant urbanism? The new urban water profiles of Beijing and Tianjin
This PhD project will be based at the University of Melbourne with a 12 month stay at University of Manchester. Project Description: The proposed PhD project will examine the changing urban water profiles of Beijing and Tianjin, following the construction of the South-North Water Transfer Project, and explore the possible emergence of a water-abundant urbanism in places long defined by water scarcity. …
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Transportation infrastructure in Tanzania and Kenya: A comparative analysis of Chinese and non-Chinese projects and their urban impacts
This PhD project will be based at the University of Manchester with a 12 month stay at University of Melbourne. Project Description: The deterioration of the relationship between the US and China accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic, and according to some commentators it heralds a ‘new Cold War.’ Indeed, the Financial Times recently launched a New Cold War Series. The ‘new’ Cold …
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Urbanization, special economic zones and the China Pakistan Economic Corridor: Upgrading Pakistan’s urban system or bypassing metropolises?
This PhD project will be based at the University of Melbourne with a 12 month stay at University of Manchester. Project Description: The deterioration of the relationship between the US and China accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic, and according to some commentators it heralds a ‘new Cold War.’ Indeed, the Financial Times recently launched a New Cold War Series. The ‘new’ Cold …
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Cloud-aerosol-meteorology Interactions in Shallow Convection: Comparing the Southern Ocean against the North Atlantic
This PhD project will be based at the University of Manchester with a 12 month stay at the University of Melbourne. Project Description: Shallow convective clouds are commonly observed over mid- and high-latitude oceans and have well been documented for their distinctive morphology. However, little is known about the properties of these clouds. Knowledge on any hemispheric contrast in these systems is …
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Precipitation in Shallow Convection: Comparing the Southern Ocean against the North Atlantic
This PhD project will be based at the University of Melbourne with a 12 month stay at University of Manchester. Project Description: The best constructions of the Earth's climate continue to be challenged by large errors in the energy budget over high-latitude oceans, with large biases in precipitation estimates directly contributing to these errors. A poorly represented energy budget not only limits …
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A novel graphene and silicon nano-particle hybrid anode material for Li-ion batteries
This PhD project will be based at the University of Manchester with a 12 month stay at University of Melbourne. Project Description: Graphene, the monolayer carbon first isolated in Manchester, has a unique combination of many superlative properties that makes it an ideal batter electrode material. Briefly, graphene possesses high strength combined with flexibility, high electrical conductivity, high thermal conductivity and high …
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Improving energy outputs from flexible piezoelectric energy harvesters
This PhD project will be based at the University of Melbourne with a 12 month stay at University of Manchester. Project Description: Energy is all around us but not all is currently harvested. With an increasing emergence of always-on, portable, wearable and implantable electronic devices, it is of great importance to investigate the viability of sustainable energy harvesting technologies. Materials which generate …
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Do differences in the primary tumour microenvironment and immune response in peripheral blood predict melanoma relapse?
This PhD project will be based at the University of Manchester with a 12 month stay at University of Melbourne. Project Description: Management of resected early stage melanoma remains a challenge. For these patients, individual recurrence risk is low with >75% of patients alive at 10 years. However, these patients account for ~50% of people who subsequently develop metastases and die. It …
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Epigenomic monitoring of residual disease in melanoma using liquid biopsies
This PhD project will be based at the University of Melbourne with a 12 month stay at University of Manchester. Project Description: Melanoma is the cause of most skin cancer deaths worldwide. While surgery and adjuvant therapies are the mainstay of treatment in early melanoma, many patients relapse following treatment, as well as experience profound side effects from therapy. There is a …
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Diagnosing listening difficulties in children: The relationship between auditory processing, speech processing, language processing, and cognitive abilities in typically developing children
This PhD project will be based at the University of Manchester with a 12 month stay at University of Melbourne. Project Description: The University of Manchester is seeking applicants for a full time PhD scholarship, in conjunction with the University of Melbourne. This unique opportunity will allow the successful applicant international travel and collaboration opportunities in a reciprocal program facilitating a parallel …
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Diagnosing listening difficulties in children: The relationship between auditory processing speech processing, language processing, and cognitive abilities in children with listening difficulties.
This PhD project will be based at the University of Melbourne with a 12 month stay at University of Manchester. Project Description: The University of Melbourne is seeking applicants for a full time PhD scholarship, in conjunction with the University of Manchester. This unique opportunity will allow the successful applicant international travel and collaboration opportunities in a reciprocal program facilitating a parallel …
Current Melbourne and Manchester Graduate Research Group members are profiled below along with their project descriptions.
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Juan Reyna Monrreal
Research Project Title: 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. Research Project Summary: The research project looks into the material and construction culture of post-industrial Mexico and its ecological impact as evidenced by uncontrolled urban sprawl, the imitation of North American …
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Fangziyun Tong
Research Project Title: Digital Therapeutic Alliance with Mental Health Apps Graduate Researcher Profile: Before I came to Australia, I obtained my bachelor’s degree at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and master’s degree at New York University in the United States. In my spare time, I enjoy working out in the gym, trying sports and reading books. Project Duration: 4 years Supervisors: Prof. Reeva Lederman, Dr. …
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Ching Yi Wu
Research Project Title: Identifying the mechanisms of sub-clinical corneal inflammation during contact lens wear Research Project Summary: The main aim of this project is to investigate the ocular surface immune response, including during contact lens wear, using advanced methods such as in vivo confocal microscopy and tear film analytics, to characterise inflammatory response and dendritic cell dynamics. The project will also include …
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A. Siluvai Antony Selvan
Research Project Title: Microscale fluid dynamics around coral surfaces Research Project Summary: The project explores the ciliary motion in the coral conservation and nutrient transport. The problem will be studied by integrating mathematical modeling, lap-on chip experiment, image processing and numerical simulations. The mechanistic framework will be developed for analyzing the nutrient transport and chemotaxis near the coral surface. This has …
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Anaa Hassan
Research Project Title: The interplay between environmental/climate change and food security: a study of spatial and temporal dimensions of food systems in the Maldives (As part of the Melbourne/Manchester joint research project titled ‘Sea level rise and everyday lives in SIDS’) Research Project Summary: My thesis would seek to understand the connections between food security and climate/environmental change, by using Maldives as …
Dr Suzie Sheehy
Suzie Sheehy is the academic lead of the Melbourne and Manchester Graduate Research Group. She is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Accelerator Physics in the Faculty of Science and is also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project A novel future ion therapy accelerator.
Professor Michele Acuto
Michele Acuto is director of the Connected Cities Lab, Professor in Urban Politics and Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning and is also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Making up the global city: the financing and governing of urban infrastructural futures.
Dr Douglas R Brumley
Douglas Brumley is a DECRA Fellow in the School of Mathematics and Statistics in the Faculty of Science and is also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Microscale fluid dynamics around coral surfaces.
Dr Simon D’Alfonso
Simon D’Alfonso is a Lecturer in the School of Computing and Information Systems in the Faculty of Engineering and IT and is along with Professor Reeva Lederman is the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Exploring therapeutic alliance for digital mental health.
Professor Mark Dawson
Mark Dawson is a clinician-scientist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. He is the program head of the Translational Haematology Program, Group leader of the Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory and Consultant Haematologist in the Department of Haematology in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. He is also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Understanding lineage switching in haematopoietic malignancies as a mechanism of resistance to CAR-T therapy.
Dr Christiaan De Beukelaer
Christiaan De Beukelaer is a Senior Lecturer in Cultural Policy in the School of Culture and Communication in the Faculty of Arts and is also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on
Creative industry policy transfer to Asian countries: Exploring the role of UNESCO and the British Council.
Associate Professor Laura Downie
Laura Downie is an Associate Professor and an inaugural Dame Kate Campbell Fellow in the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. She is also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Identifying the mechanisms of sub-clinical corneal inflammation during contact lens wear.
Professor Brendan Gleeson
Brendan Gleeson is a Professor of Urban Policy Studies and Director of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning and also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Integrating Urban Sustainability and Digital Platforms?
Dr Amy Hahs
Amy Hahs is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences in the Faculty of Science and is also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on 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.
Professor William Heath
Bill Heath is Head of the Heath Group in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology (DMI) in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. He is also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Resolving the spatiotemporal events controlling effector T cell responses during malaria.
Professor Benjamin Howden
Benjamin Howden is Director of the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory (MDU PHL), Medical Director of the Doherty Centre for Applied Microbial Genomics and Head of the Howden Research Group in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. He is also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Evolution of resistance to RNA polymerase-targeting antibiotics.
Dr Felix Kin Peng Hui
Felix Hui is a Senior Lecturer in Engineering Management and an Academic Specialist in the Department of Infrastructure Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and IT and also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Standardizing carbon neutrality in delivery of complex projects.
Professor Craig Hutton
Craig Hutton is Group Head of the Hutton Group in the Bio21 Molecular Science & Biotechnology Institute, School of Chemistry, Faculty of Science. He is also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Mycocyclosin-based photoaffinity probes.
Professor David Jamieson
David Jamieson is a Professor of Physics in the School of Physics in the Faculty of Science and also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Quantum measurement of donors in near-surface ion implanted devices.
Dr Johan Koskinen
Johan Koskinen is a Senior Lecturer In Social Network Analysis in the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences and is also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Statistical models for social influence and contagion in dynamic, large-scale urban networks.
Professor Reeva Lederman
Reeva Lederman is a Professor in the School of Computing and Information Systems in the Faculty of Engineering and IT and along with Simon D’Alfonso is also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Exploring therapeutic alliance for digital mental health.
Dr Kevin Gang Li
Kevin Li is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Chemical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and IT and also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on the Development of advanced porous materials and processes for hydrogen/methane separation under the natural gas pipeline conditions.
Dr Celia McMichael
Celia McMichael is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Geography of the Faculty of Science and is also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Sea-level rise and everyday lives in small island states.
Dr Greg Nyilasy
Greg Nyilasy is a Senior Lecturer in Management and Marketing in the Faculty of Business and Economics and is also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Creative economy start-up success: The use and misuse of market research by creative economy entrepreneurs.
Professor Richard Sandberg
Richard Sandberg is a Chair of Computational Mechanics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and IT and also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Fur and Feathers: colour, structure and flow control.
Dr Colin A. Scholes
Colin Scholes is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and IT and is also the project lead for the Melbourne-Manchester Research Group dual program project on Nanostructured membranes for selective toxic gas separation.
The IRTG Coordinator team consists of:
- Petra Van Nieuwenhoven
The team works with the project leads on operational activities, including recruitment and the end to end graduate research lifecycle processes for joint PhD candidates. Please direct all your enquiries to jointphd-admin@unimelb.edu.au.