Applications will be accepted by the Office of Research until all scholarships have been awarded.
Humans migrated out-of-Africa over 60,000 years ago and spread to different parts of the globe. In this process human population was subsampled serially along the routes of the migration. This project will investigate the footprints of migrations manifested in the frequencies and patterns of genetic variations in human populations.
The main research foci of our group include the effects of genetic drift in modulating mutation and selection, quantifying mutational load, investigating the rates and patterns of mutations, estimating divergence times between species and populations and ancient genomics. We work on a number of species including humans and other mammals, birds and oysters.
The current project focuses on a) investigating genetic relationships and gene flow between global human populations. b) estimating the mutational load in humans c) understanding the unique patterns of genetic variations in different human populations. All the above objectives will need to be examined in the context of human migrations out of Africa.
This project involves collecting samples for whole genome sequencing and performing a series of bioinformatic analyses to process raw sequence data. The processed data will need to be analysed using a range of methods in population genomics and evolutionary biology to answer the questions related to objectives mentioned above. The project provides an opportunity to work and acquire knowledge in inter-disciplinary sciences such as molecular biology, genetics, computer science and statistics.
For more information contact Dr Sankar Subrmanian: ssankara@usc.edu
- Eligibility
- Domestic student or International student enrolled in or offered admisstion to a HDR program in USC
- Bachelors Degree with First Class Honours, Masters degree with thesis/dissertation/research or equivalent previous study, relevant work experience, research publications, or other research experience
- Not hold an equivalent qualification to the one currently being applied for
- Selection criteria
- Academic qualifications - An honours or master’s degree in biological, physical or computational sciences is highly preferred; however, persons with a non-biology degree should have some basic understanding of genetics, evolution and molecular biology
- Record of research publications
- Professional research experience
- Scripting (Perl/Python)
- Familiarity with Unix/Linux systems
- Experience in using High Performing Clusters
- Knowledge about software and tools used in next generation sequence data analyses
- Previous research experience in Bioinformatics
- Eligible programs
- PhD
- Number available
- 3
- Value
- RTP equivalent stipend for standard duration of the program (3 years). The RTP rate for 2019 is $27,596. If the successful recipient is an International student, tuition fees and Overseas Student Health Cover (single cover) will be included in the scholarship.
- Application
- To apply:
- Review the Applying for a HDR Scholarship webpage
- Complete a HDR Scholarship Application
- Complete a Response to Selection Criteria
- Submit to the Office of Research via information@usc.edu.au