CSIRO PhD Top-Up Scholarship - Improving Surveillance of Buruli Ulcer

In recent years, cases of Buruli ulcer (BU) have increased dramatically in Victoria and the epidemic area has now expanded to include regions of the state’s two largest cities, Melbourne and Geelong. Cases of this chronic and debilitating disease of skin and soft tissue have increased by approximately 800% in 2022 in Geelong compared with 4 years previously. Previous studies have strongly indicated the importance of possums as a reservoir for Mycobacterium ulcerans in Victoria and a primary driver of its environmental circulation. Environmental surveys of possum faeces in Geelong and elsewhere have found that the distribution of M. ulcerans-positive possums correlates with human BU cases and appears to precede them in occurrence (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10154024/). This suggests that regular possum faecal surveillance could provide early warning of the ongoing spread of M. ulcerans and allow targeted public health campaigns. However, current surveillance methods utilise standard molecular testing methods which are both expensive and time consuming to perform. The development of a quicker, cheaper and field-deployable 'point-of-care' style methods would increase the feasibility of regular surveillance and enable quicker responses.    

1. Quality and relevance of student project:  The primary assessment criterion for a CSIRO PhD Top-Up Scholarship is the quality and relevance of the project being proposed.  The research must be aligned with the advertised priority research area.
2. Academic calibre of the student:  The quality of the student is also critical to the assessment of a scholarship and candidates must hold (or expect to gain) a relevant first or upper second class honours (or equivalent) degree from a recognised university.
3. Availability of appropriate university supervision:  The relevance of the university supervisor’s research background and their willingness to supervise the student in collaboration with the CSIRO supervisor should also be made clear. 

How to apply:

You will be required to:

1. submit a Resume/CV and Cover Letter (as one document) in the ‘Resume/CV’ field which includes:
   • the names and contact details of two previous supervisors or academic/professional referees; and
   • a one-page proposal stating how your research interests align with the project aims.
2. upload your academic results in the ‘Cover Letter’ field.