Technology-driven discovery of sustainable next-generation insecticides

The ability to downscale, downsize, and miniaturize opens up opportunities to optimize drug molecules at unprecedented speeds. This project aims to use liquid droplet bioreactors, which are a million times smaller than typical test tubes, to rapidly screen millions of drug candidates. This miniature technology will be used to enhance the potency of new insecticides and improve their manufacturing efficiency, addressing two major barriers to their commercial use. This project is crucial because there is an urgent need for new eco-friendly insecticides to replace current toxic chemicals that harm human health and environmental biodiversity.

The Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) boasts one of Australia's best collections of high-end scientific infrastructure, from high-resolution mass spectrometry to state-of-the-art microscopy. The IMB is ranked in the Top 20 globally for life sciences research.

Specifically, the research will be hosted in the Wang Tech3D (Technology-driven drug discovery) group, and in the Craik Lab at IMB.

Our industry partner is Sygenta, a global agricultural technology company.

This project is supported by the Research project scholarship.

Learn more about the Research project scholarship.

You must contact the principal supervisor for this project to discuss your interest. You should only complete the online application after you have reached agreement on supervision.

Always make sure you are approaching your potential supervisor in a professional way. We have provided some guidelines for you on how to contact a supervisor.

Your application will be assessed on a competitive basis.

We take into account your:

• previous academic record
• publication record
• honours and awards
• employment history

A working knowledge of molecular biology and nanotechnology would be of benefit to someone working on this project.

You will demonstrate academic achievement in the field/s of molecular biology and the potential for scholastic success.

A background or knowledge of microfluidics, protein expression, physics, and electrical engineering is highly desirable.

To be considered for this scholarship, please email the following documents to Dr Conan Wang (c.wang@imb.uq.edu.au):

• Cover letter
• CV
• Academic transcript/s
• Evidence for meeting UQ's English language proficiency requirements eg TOEFL, IELTS

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. You can familiarise yourself with the documents required for this process on the UQ Study website.