We are currently looking for a PhD candidate to work on a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMCR)-funded Ideas Grant led by Dr Zaman. The primary focus of this role is to contribute to the development of our liposomal vaccine platform and delivering antigens to increase immune responses targeting Influenza A-B, and coronavirus infections. The candidate will be supervised by Dr Zaman within the laboratory of Professor Mark von Itzstein (Principal research leader and Institute director).
Within this project the candidate will apply skills in molecular virology, immunology, microbiology, vaccine design and formulation, and testing in pre-clinical models.
Comprising over 200 research scientists, students and support staff, the Institute for Glycomics strives to be a world leader in the discovery and development of next generation drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for diseases of global impact.
Established in 2000, the Institute for Glycomics is one of Australia’s flagship multidisciplinary translational biomedical research institutes, based in the heart of Griffith University’s beautiful Gold Coast campus.
The Institute boasts state-of-the-art facilities combined with some of the world’s most outstanding researchers focused on glycomics, a constantly expanding field that explores the structural and functional properties of carbohydrates (or sugars) and their roles in disease.
The Institute’s research primarily targets identification, prevention and cures for cancers, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative disorders, with a focus on translational research to have a positive impact on human health globally.
Dr Mehfuz Zaman (https://experts.griffith.edu.au/8827-mehfuz-zaman) is a Research Scientist at the Institute for Glycomics. Dr Zaman’s research focuses on preventing infection in the upper respiratory tract (URT), which is the major entry site for multiple pathogens including Influenza A-B, Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococci, GAS) and coronaviruses. The research program aims to improve public health by establishing a ‘modular’ multi-pathogen vaccine platform using liposomes (phospholipid vesicles) that allows the incorporation of both viral and bacterial peptides to prevent URT infection.