Proeomics & Biomedicine Section
| PhD Studentship In Biomedical Sciences: Type-2 Diabetes: Characterisation Of A Model Of Insulin Resistance
The School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the developed world. There are >285 million people with diabetes in the world and this number is expected to double by 2050, the majority of which are expected to be Type II. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and amputation. Diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death in 2006, despite being under-reported as a cause of death. While heart disease was reported to be the leading cause of death, emerging evidence indicates that >50% of all cardiovascular-related deaths are ultimately caused by diabetes. Currently, there are no therapies to control diabetes, thus it is a huge and growing problem, threatening families, world health and economic prosperity. The research environment: The successful candidate will join an active and vibrant multi-disciplinary research environment within the group of Professor Garth Cooper in the Proteomics & Biomedicine Research Group at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand’s top-ranked University. Research in our group, part of the Maurice Wilkins Research Centre of Excellence in Molecular BioDiscovery (Proteomics), is focussed on understanding the mechanisms underlying type 2 diabetes and related syndromes such as obesity and cardiovascular disease. Greater insight into these mechanisms will enable the development of effective therapies to slow the progression of these diseases. The project: This challenging and cutting-edge doctoral project involves characterisation of a model of insulin resistance and evaluation of compounds which have the potential to alleviate the symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Techniques developed in our well-equipped facilities include cell culture, molecular cell biology and immunochemistry, and use of unique in vivo and in vitro experimental animal models, working directly with Dr J Aitken and Professor Cooper. Requirements: Highly talented students with a deep commitment to basic and/or clinical research, and a good first class Honours or Masters Degree in Biochemistry, Physiology, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Sciences or Biology are invited to apply. The candidate must be highly motivated, enthusiastic, curiosity-driven, and able to work both independently and as part of a larger team of scientists and doctoral students. The doctoral stipend is funded for three years by the Foundation for Research, Science & Technology (New Zealand Ministry of RS&T) as part of a major programme awarded to Professor Cooper on Suppressing Diabetes. Contact details: Queries or applications (including academic transcripts and contact details for at least two academic referees) may be sent to Professor G Cooper, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92 019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand, or email to c.tse@auckland.ac.nz |
Centre for Brain Research
| Neuroscience PhD position available
Recently, a transgenic sheep model of the late onset neurodegenerative Huntingtons Disease (HD) has been generated by researchers from University of Auckland in collaboration with the South Australian Research Development Institute in Adelaide. This large animal model represents an exciting opportunity to understand the early changes in the brain that lead to HD. Whilst the founder animals are outwardly healthy at 3 years old, preliminary analyses of a small number of younger animals indicate early relevant HD changes are occurring within the brain. Sufficient animals expressing the transgene will soon exist for a more detailed analysis to be undertaken in an effort to understand the mechanism of early Huntingtons disease in these sheep. A variety of approaches will be employed, including but not limited to: brain pathology analysis, gene expression studies, protein analysis and identification of disease biomarkers peripheral to the brain. We invite applications from students interested in this project. Applications sought from those able to commence study in 2010. This work will be within the Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland. Please send CV and transcript and direct queries to Suzanne Reid (s.reid@auckland.ac.nz) Supervisors will include Professors Richard Faull and Russell Snell, and Drs Henry Waldvogel and Suzanne Reid. |
Ecology & Evolution Section
| Two PhD positions are available in the project "Do marine fishes break the rules of hindgut fermentation?"
This project is supported by the Marsden Fund of the Royal Society of New Zealand, and is due to commence in early 2010. The students will be based in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. Symbiotic microorganisms in the hindgut play a critical role in the nutrition of humans and other vertebrates. Until recently these microorganisms were not thought to supply protein directly to host animals, but this has now been demonstrated in some domesticated mammals. However, the mechanism is unknown. We will use a multidisciplinary approach to examine the uptake of protein from symbiotic microorganisms in the hindgut of marine herbivorous fishes, in which we have identified potential mechanisms for this process. We will examine nitrogen recycling and protein synthesis by the gut microflora by molecular and labelling methods, and use stable isotopes and other biomarkers to determine the relative contribution that dietary and symbiont sources of protein make to host fish nutrition. The projects will be supervised by Assoc. Prof. Kendall Clements (School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland), Prof. Esther Angert (Microbiology Department, Cornell University), and Dr Lindsey White (School of Applied Sciences, Auckland University of Technology). One of the students will focus on microbial processes, and the other on nutritional analyses and histological work. The former of these students will learn a variety of techniques during a planned two-month visit during the first year to the Microbiology Department at Cornell University. Both projects will involve extensive marine fieldwork in New Zealand and on the Great Barrier Reef. Interested applicants should contact Assoc. Prof. Kendall Clements (k.clements@auckland.ac.nz) for more details. Closing Date: 15th December 2009 Please note: For those applicants whose first language is not English evidence of proficiency in English will be required. |
