OPEN POSITIONS
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Please see the list of positions below and get in touch to apply. If you are seeking a supervisor for your PhD or Masters or honours project, or you're looking for a postdoc, please reach out even if no positions are currently advertised!
Honours
Hot and hormonal; The combined impacts of heat stress and endocrine disruption on fertility and sperm small RNAs in Drosophila
The modern world creates a hostile environment for reproduction, particularly due to two paramount concerns: climate change and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The effects of both pose significant issues for reproduction across all species. Both have been studied in isolation, but the effects of heat stress x EDC interaction on reproduction have not been explored. As individuals are likely to be exposed to both heat stress and EDCs concomitantly, there is a clear need to study their combined impacts. The two major reproductive concerns stemming from heat stress and EDCs are resultant infertility in the exposed generation of parents and inherited epigenetic effects in offspring. Focusing on male reproduction, this project will explore these facets by analysing the combined impacts of heat stress and EDC (equol) exposure on the small RNA profile of spermatozoa in a Drosophila model.
Honours
Exploring epididymal maturation in a macropod model
Australia faces an extinction crisis, and macropods are no exception, with 60% under threat. Captive breeding using assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) can be a crucial tool but requires in depth knowledge of the species’ reproductive biology. There has been little research or success in this area in macropods. Given this, we aim to characterise important molecular changes in macropod sperm during epididymal maturation. In doing this, we expect to generate new knowledge of macropod reproductive biology. This is an important first step towards developing effective ARTs for the conservation of threatened and endangered macropods.