PhD scholarship opportunity: Joint Monash-Leipzig PhD Program in Drug design and Discovery

Applications are invited for outstanding candidates to join our joint PhD programme between the School of Chemistry at Monash University (Australia) and the Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy at Leipzig University (Germany). There are 5 joint PhD projects on offer with a preferred start date in January to June 2024 (the start date is negotiable). The projects cover a broad area of research in the design and synthesis of new therapeutics for treating cancer and antimicrobial resistance. Through both universities, students will have access to state-of-the-art synthetic, characterisation and computational laboratories and will work with leading chemists in Australia and Germany in drug design and discovery.

Program structure

Within the program, the student performs a joint research project supervised by Monash University together with a research laboratory in the partner University. The main condition of the program is to spend at least 12 months in the overseas laboratory. The student will be simultaneously enrolled in both universities. At the end of the 36-month (which can be extended up to a maximum of 42 months) program, the student is awarded the Doctor of Philosophy degree from both Monash University and Leipzig University. Please visit the Exchange Programs website for more information including the 5 projects being offered as part of this program.

Who should apply?

Applicants must hold at minimum an undergraduate degree in Chemistry. Those who do not hold such a degree need not apply.

Applicants must show excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to conduct self-motivated research within a group of high-performing and target-driven group of researchers. They should have a research-based Honours or Master’s Degree (or equivalent) in chemistry or relevant area of research and preferably have a record of publishing their research in mainstream scientific journals. Successful candidates will have to demonstrate excellence in academic studies and strong experience in research. Shortlisted will be interviewed over Zoom. The interviews will be conducted in English.

• PhD admission criteria
• English language profciency requirements
• Competitive scholarship selection process requirements

Applicants should ensure they familiarise themselves with these requirements before deciding whether they should apply. Please note: applicants who already hold a PhD will not be considered and need not apply.

Application procedure

For information on the 5 projects and to submit an expression of interest, please see Monash University’s Exchange Programs website. Scroll down the page to the Joint Award program section. The submission of an expression of interest is through the online Google form that can be found on the Exchange Programs website. Applications by email will not be accepted.

3 scholarships are available for the 2024 intake for outstanding students who will receive a Research Living Allowance, at current value of $33,000AUD per annum in 2023 full-time rate (tax-free stipend), indexed yearly plus allowances as per RTP stipend scholarship conditions. Monash University will provide a full tuition fee sponsorship for the course duration (up to a maximum 42 months), which includes 57 months of Overseas Student Health Cover. Applications are open to all individuals irrespective of nationality or country of residence.

Closing date: November 4^th 2023.

For more information please contact Anna Severin, Senior Graduate Research Administrator, sci-chem-HDRgeneral@monash.edu or Prof. Katya Pas, Coordinator of the Joint Doctoral Degree Program, Katya.Pas@monash.edu