Higher Degree by Research Application Portal
| Title | Probing the roles bacteria play in infant health: Investigations into the glycobiology of human milk oligosaccharides. |
|---|---|
| Supervisor | Dr Keith Stubbs |
| Course | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Keywords | synthetic organic chemistry, glycobiology |
| Research area | Chemical Sciences |
| Project description | One important type of glycoconjugates is those found in human milk and they are termed human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). These compounds are present at 10 to 20 g/litre in human milk and are important for bifidobacteria, which are Gram-positive anaerobic bacteria, that naturally colonize the human intestinal tract and these bacteria are believed to be important for infant health. To date though, limited chemical tools have been generated to study these fundamentally important molecules and therefore the development of such tools is important. Project(s) described here will be to design and synthesize molecules of interest for use in biological studies with bifidobacteria to understand how these bacteria process these important oligosaccharides. As well, through strong international collaborations with researchers in Japan (opportunity to travel to this institutions in this country is encouraged), these compounds will also be co-crystallized with proteins of interest. |
| Opportunity status | Open |
| Open date | 28 Aug 2026 |
| Close date | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Funding source | Commonwealth Government |
| School | Graduate Research School |
| Contact | Professor Keith Stubbs (keith.stubbs@uwa.edu.au) |
| Specific project requirement | General UWA PhD entrance requirements can be found on the Future Students website. The level of experience required will depend on the project involved. |
| Additional information | The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a program of independent, supervised research that is assessed solely on the basis of a thesis, sometimes including a creative work component, that is examined externally. The work presented for a PhD must be a substantial and original contribution to scholarship, demonstrating mastery of the subject of interest as well as an advance in that field of knowledge. |
| Course type | Doctorates |
| Description | The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a program of independent, supervised research that is assessed solely on the basis of a thesis, sometimes including a creative work component, that is examined externally. The work presented for a PhD must be a substantial and original contribution to scholarship, demonstrating mastery of the subject of interest as well as an advance in that field of knowledge. Visit the course webpage for full details of this course including admission requirements, course rules and the relevant CRICOS code/s. |
| Duration | 4 years |