Title: Development of automatic control systems for integrated microfluidic chips used in mRNA vaccine manufacturing
Project: The MRFF project aims to create a fully automated continuous-flow system for manufacturing customized Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines on a small scale. Messenger RNA or mRNA offers a versatile foundation for vaccine development. The process encompasses both mRNA production (the upstream phase) and mRNA encapsulation and formulation (the downstream phase). Each of these stages incorporates multiple distinct 'unit operations,' which are integrated into a chip to streamline the entire process. Creating and verifying a protein-based subunit vaccine can be challenging, as it involves not only producing the protein but also conducting a thorough assessment to ensure its accurate and stable configuration. To achieve this, appropriate control and monitoring of the entire processes are required. In this project, the successful candidate will be involved in developing automated control for this miniaturized mRNA vaccine production facility, with the goal of achieving precise control over various parameters, such as flow rate, temperature, pH, mRNA concentration, and mRNA quality. They should possess a strong educational background in fields like Chemical Engineering, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related disciplines from reputable universities.
Student Requirements: The candidate will preferably have a Master degree or work experience in a related field and publications (recommended) from reputable universities. The successful candidate will join a team of expert researchers seconded from The University of Adelaide for a PhD position. His/Her skillset will complement the University's considerable existing expertise in sensing, process control engineering, and automation.
Supervisor: The project will be supervised by Assoc.
Prof. Rini Akmeliawati (https://www.adelaide.edu.au/directory/rini.akmeliawati).
Rini has demonstrated national and international research standings in control system design for various complex systems, such as biological and mechatronic systems, as well as in system modelling and identification. She has an excellent track-record of publications (>230 research articles) in top international journals, and a strong history of successful competitive grants (>$3M). She has mentored and supervised 13 ECRs and 15 PhDs. Currently she is supervising 9 PhD students. She is a Fellow of Engineers Australia (Electrical College) and has strong experience in industrial engagement and translation of findings, project management, and international collaborations. Additionally, she is the coordinator of the Robotics and Automation Research Group and Program Director of Mechatronics and Robotics. She will lead the automation aspect of the MRFF project and oversee the experimental design, manuscript preparation, dissemination of results, and supervision.
Facilities: The project will be conducted jointly by the School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (EME) and the School of Chemical Engineering. Both schools provide high-end research infrastructures to facilitate the project. The research team has established a substantial suite of fabrication and characterisation facilities; such as cutting-edge environments in nanofabrication and optical and electrochemical chemo- and biosensing, including two fully computerised semi-industrial anodisation stations, two electrochemical workstations, two metal and oxide coating systems, 3D printing microfluidic chips, optical microscope coupled with optical fibre spectrometer, digital imaging characterisation, and several UV–visible–NIR spectrometers. Beyond our own independent research laboratory, we have access to a broad range of world-class nanofabrication and characterisation facilities. The School of Chemical Engineering provides an outstanding research environment with an analytical laboratory worth >$15M, which houses over 40 items of equipment, including research infrastructures of relevance to the proposed research (ALD, Raman, FTIR, PL, XRD, TGA–MS/FTIR, HPLCs, Mastersizer, DLS, BET). Furthermore, the supportive and high-quality research environment is also provided by the School of EME, which will provide computing facilities for experimental data analysis and modelling and control optimization. Specific and essential software, such as MATLAB/Simulink and AUTODESK, are available. Further to that, as members of the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS), our research team has access to multiple research infrastructures across different Schools, Departments, and Research Institutes, such as the THz spectroscopy characterisation facility), NMR 600 MHz with cryoprobe and 500 MHz with autosampler spectrometers, and Optofab Node of ANFF with IR and visible ellipsometers, optical profilers. Our team has also access to the research infrastructures located at the central facilities of the South Australian and Victorian nodes of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF–SA and –VIC), which are world-class nanofabrication centres with >$100M investment in micro- and nanotechnology infrastructure, including cleanrooms classes 10,000 and 100, photolithography and nanolithography, and deposition systems at subsidised costs.
Scholarship: The University of Adelaide offers Research Scholarships of $AU 32,500 p.a. fully funded as part of the MRFF project.
How to Apply: If you are ready to seize this remarkable opportunity, please submit a comprehensive application including your CV, academic transcripts, and a brief paragraph introducing yourself, your motivation, and your interests to rini.akmeliawati@adelaide.edu.au
We look forward to receiving your application.
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