Project Title: Environmental DNA for One Health: Monitoring Pathogen Risk in Northern Australia

3 years full-time appointment

Darwin

Domestic Research Training Program (RTP) Stipend

$34,190 per year + 10,000 top-up per year

About the Opportunity: Tropical diseases, their hosts, vectors, distribution and patterns of dispersion remain poorly understood in northern Australia, despite proximity to potential disease sources in south-east Asian countries. Northern Australia is remote, and a haven for wildlife with likely pathogen risk at the wildlife-livestock-human interface. Due to the difficulties in capturing and sampling vertebrates to assess pathogen risk, this project will assess whether collecting environmental samples such as water and insects for genetic analysis of blood meal can provide important data on disease presence and host species. The project will involve fieldwork across the Top End to support early disease detection and a One Health approach in northern Australia. RINA is a new CDU initiative to help northern Australia realise its potential as a food production heartland in the Asia Pacific region. The Tropical Biosecurity Group provides research to support a science-based approach to prepare, respond and manage pests and disease with a focus on the development and implementation of genomic tools for improving biosecurity and biodiversity outcomes.

Please visit: https://www.cdu.edu.au/rina/tropical-biosecurity

About You:

First-Class Honours or equivalent (Genomics or Molecular Biology)

Be willing to live and work in Darwin

Ability and willingness to travel to regional and remote locations

At least one publication in a recognised peer-reviewed journal

How to Apply:

A cover letter that includes a brief statement of the applicant’s suitability (max two pages) to Professor Maxine Piggott at [email protected] or contact her at: (08) 8946 6763

Note: The supervisor will invite applicants who pass the expression of interest stage to submit scholarship applications before closing date. Please do not submit any applications unless you are invited by the supervisor.

Please do not select the "Apply" button

Diversity and Inclusion

At CDU we actively celebrate our diversity. We innovate, embrace new ideas, and act with courage and kindness. We’re about what we can give to the world rather than what we take, and we believe in the transformative power of education. We work hard to make sure every member of our university community feels that they truly belong. Understanding that it is through our focus on our people and leveraging our differences that will make CDU the most connected university in Australia, we are striving to ensure that our culture and our community is inclusive of all our staff, students and visitors. We are committed to maintaining a culture where everyone feels respected, safe, encouraged to speak up and supported in achieving their professional goals. Applications from First Nations people, women at all levels, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with disability, neurotypical and neurodiverse people, LGBTIQ+ people, people with family and caring responsibilities and people at all stages of their careers are welcomed. You make CDU. And we want you to be exactly who you are.