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Master of Science

Course code/s: SMSR - Melbourne

A Master of Science (Research) can be conducted in the following areas:

• biochemistry
• botany
• chemistry
• computer science and computer engineering
• electronics
• environmental management and ecology (Albury-Wodonga only)
• environmental science
• genetics
• mathematics
• microbiology
• physics
• psychology
• statistical science
• zoology.

For detailed information on areas of research within each department, please refer to the appropriate department below.

Biochemistry

Prospective candidates, should in the first instance, contact the postgraduate coordinator in the Department.

The Department has a very strong research culture. There are currently 14 research groups in Biochemistry, each one supported by substantial external funding more than $8.5 million per annum for the department as a whole. Departmental staff are involved in the Cooperative Research Centre for Biomarker Translation, the Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-ray Science and a NHMRC program grant on cancer research.

Research projects may be undertaken in the following areas:

• protein isolation, structure, folding and trafficking
• anti-cancer and anti-malarial strategies
• plant defence mechanisms.

Professor Nick Hoogenraad: The role of molecular chaperones in the targeting of proteins to mitochondria in mammalian cells, protein folding of newly imported proteins, and how cells cope with various forms of stress. Techniques include protein isolation, gene cloning and the analysis of the molecular basis of the regulation of chaperone genes.

Professor Don Phillips and Dr Suzanne Cutts: The molecular and cellular responses to clinical and experimental DNA-acting anti-cancer agents. Develop strategies to enhance the anticancer activity of these drugs, overcome resistance to these agents, define downstream molecular targets and signalling processes, and develop tumour-targeting procedures. Techniques include growth inhibition and colony survival cell culture assays, flow cytometry, Comet assay, gene-specific cross-linking assays, quantitative PCR.

Professor Leann Tilley: Transfection technology to study protein trafficking in malaria parasite-infected erythrocytes. Development of novel anti-malarial drugs. Techniques include confocal, electron and X-ray microscopy.

Dr Michael Foley: The structure and function of malarial antigens to understand how the malaria parasite interacts with the host in order to design an effective molecular vaccine against the disease. Phage display is used to construct large libraries of recombinant antibodies or peptides which allow rapid isolation of antibodies.

Professor Marilyn Anderson: Serine proteinase inhibitors and other defence proteins produced in the female reproductive tissues of the ornamental tobacco, Nicotiana alata. Techniques include protein purification and recombinant DNA technology to focus on the structure of the molecules, their interaction with insect digestive enzymes, and how they are targeted to the plant vacuole.

Dr Mike Ryan: Characterisation of the way in which mitochondria distribute within the cell, and to analyse mitochondrial protein biogenesis and defects that cause disease. Techniques include protein expression, purification and structural analysis, in vitro import, blue native PAGE, RNAi and live cell imaging.

Professor Robin Anders: Projects are available in this laboratory in two areas of malaria vaccine research. One area focuses on the structure of proteins that are considered priority vaccine candidates, with a particular emphasis on defining the conformational epitopes recognised by protective antibody responses in vaccinated and naturally immune populations. The second area will use mouse malaria models to examine the efficacy of vaccine candidates and to explore mechanisms whereby the parasite evades protective immune responses.

Dr David Dougan: The protein network responsible for protein quality control in the bacterial cell, in particular, how AAA+ proteins bind to and process their substrates. Techniques include molecular biology in protein chemistry and fluorescence.

Dr Kaye Truscott: Regulated protein degradation by AAA+ protease machines in bacteria and mitochondria. Biomedical and molecular biology techniques used.

Professor David Vaux: The molecular mechanisms of programmed cell death, in particular the IAP proteins, regulation of survival by cytokines, and the structure/function of RING bearing proteins. Techniques include lentiviral gene transduction, protein analysis by Western and co-IP, and generation of transgenic and knockout mice.

Dr John Silke: The role that inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) plays in contributing to tumour progression and in signalling from the TNF and BMP receptor superfamilies. Using a novel anti-tumour drug obtained in collaboration with an American pharmaceutical to knockout IAP function, a battery of conditional genetic knockouts, and an inducible lentiviral system that we have developed, we are in a strong position to make fundamental discoveries that may affect treating tumours.

Dr Christine Hawkins: Physiological cell death (apoptosis) pathways in normal and cancerous cells, in particular, tumour types which are resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Techniques include sophisticated cell-based, molecular, microbiological and biochemical approaches to probe apoptosis pathways, identify pathway components and determine their mechanisms of action.

Dr Hamsa Puthalakath: Role of ER stress response in mammalian cell apoptosis and immune system homeostasis. Role of BH-3 only proteins, particularly Bim in ER stress response. Transcriptional and posttranslational regulation of Bim. Techniques include protein analysis (Western blot), mRNA analysis (Northern blot), generation and analysis of transgenic mice, yeast two hybrid and reverse two hybrid screens for protein-protein interaction studies and yeast 1 hybrid screen for DNA-protein interaction studies.

Botany

Research leading to a Postgraduate Diploma, Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy may be undertaken in the following areas:

Dr Tony Gendall: plant physiology – the physiology and molecular biology of flowering time.

Dr Peter Green: plant ecology – plant community dynamics, mechanisms maintaining diversity in species communities, invasion biology, evolutionary ecology of variation in seed size.

Dr Susan Hoebee – interaction between gene flow and natural selection on the structure of plant populations from an evolutionary and conservation perspective.

Dr Philip J. Keane: plant pathology – particularly disease resistance, rust resistance in cereals, leaf diseases in Eucalyptus, biological control and diseases of cocoa.

Dr John W. Morgan: vegetation science – emphasising the ecology of biological invasions, fire, and regeneration processes in native plant communities.

Professor Roger W. Parish: plant molecular biology – plant signal transduction (the molecular mechanisms underlying the responses of plants to hormones, and environmental stimuli). Myb genes and development in Arabidopsis. Plant biotechnology: improving crop production. Mechanisms of tumour cell invasion.

Dr Kim Plummer: molecular plant pathology – molecular studies of fungi, especially parasitic fungi.

Chemistry

Prospective candidates should, in the first instance, write to or email the Postgraduate Coordinator.

Research projects may be undertaken in the following areas:

Dr Belinda M. Abbott: Medicinal chemistry. Design and synthesis of heterocyclic compounds as small molecule inhibitors of phosphodiesterases and kinases with the aim of increasing the understanding of cell signalling pathways and to identify opportunities for novel drug therapies. Enzymes of interest include PDE2 and PDE3, PI3K, PDK1 and smMLCK.

Dr Peter Barnard: Bioinorganic chemistry. We are interested in the synthesis of new inorganic and supramolecular compounds for use as medical imaging agents and sensors. A particular focus is the development of metal-based imaging agents for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr Conor F. Hogan: Sensor Technology. Electrochemiluminescence and the preparation and characterisation of modified electrode/microelectrode surfaces for application as electrochemical/optical sensors. Fundamental studies into the dynamics and energetics of electron transfer and the use of electrochemistry and spectro-electrochemistry to elucidate the behaviour and properties of novel organic and inorganic species.

Dr Andrew B. Hughes: Organic Synthesis and Medicinal Chemistry: The total synthesis of biologically active natural and unnatural products with emphasis on peptides, modified peptides, peptidomimetics and alkaloids.

Dr Adam Mechler: Lipidomics: the chemistry of biomembranes. Lipidomics aims at describing the structural and chemical characteristics of cell membranes deterministic of protein function and activity. I study the formation and physicochemical properties of phospholipid bilayers with microscopic and microspectroscopic methods. The aim is to create artificial membranes to mimic the physiological environment of living cells, for applications including the biocompatible coating of implants or autonomous microscopic surgical tools, and providing an in vitro platform for redox enzyme activity (biocatalysis, biosensors) and ion channel activity (water purification, sensing).

Dr Ian D. Potter: Analytical and environmental chemistry. Development of membrane technology for the extraction and sensing of analytes of environmental, biological, and industrial interest.

Analytical measurements using a variety of techniques such as AAS, ICP, chromatography and flow injection analysis.

Dr Anne Richards: Synthetic inorganic and organometallic chemistry. Current themes involve using �?�-diketiminate and ketiminate ligands to support low valent group selenium and tellurium complexes. Also design and synthesis of novel functionalized organo phosphonic acids, such as pyrazine phosphonic acid.

Dr Evan Robertson: Spectroscopy. Biological and atmospheric molecules and their clusters are studied in the gas phase, with a focus on conformation and on the structural and energetic aspects of hydrogen-bonding interactions. Techniques include high resolution synchrotron FTIR spectroscopy and UV-laser based spectroscopy combined with computational quantum chemistry.

Dr David J. Wilson: Computational quantum chemistry. The full range of ab initio, density functional theory, semi-empirical and molecular mechanics computational methods applied to model structures, reaction mechanisms and properties of molecules, with a particular emphasis on magnetic, electric and optical properties of molecules.

Computer Science and Computer Engineering

Prospective candidates should apply to the postgraduate coordinator in the Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering.

The normal requirement for admission to the program is an Honours degree from a recognised university or college. Candidates who have completed the Postgraduate Diploma of Computer Science, including a minor thesis, may be eligible for admission.

The four main areas of research emphasis in the Department are:

Intelligent computing and data engineering

• symbolic artificial intelligence systems
• neural networks
• fuzzy systems
• autonomous agents
• multiagent systems
• object-relational systems modelling
• hybrid systems
• object-relational systems
• case-based systems
• AI and the law, intelligent law
• databases – intelligent databases, data mining, parallel data mining, Object-oriented and relational databases, parallel databases, web databases, ontology, browser technology, data access control, bioinformatic databases, data warehousing
• intelligent system design and analysis.

Cooperating computer systems

• wireless sensor networks
• mobile banking security
• WiMAX
• 4G or long term evolution
• vehicular communications
• cross-layer techniques
• wireless multimedia
• RFID and sensor network security and privacy
• computer networks
• web-based systems
• web-based design tracking
• performance issues
• multiple processor systems
• distributed systems
• Fault-tolerant computer systems
• protocol engineering
• reliability modelling of computer systems and intrusion-safe systems
• wireless network
• network congestion
• intrusion detection and prevention
• network protocols
• mobile and ubiquitous computing
• mobile e-commerce security
• e-commerce databases
• XML and XGL
• enterprise computing.

Software engineering

• Object-oriented specification, design and software development
• user interface engineering
• design recording requirements
• project management
• estimating
• system description techniques
• software testing
• multisite software development
• process recording
• program slicers
• software reliability
• integration of hypertext and case
• philosophy of software engineering
• software dynamics
• software engineering education
• software quality
• e-commerce
• web-based design tracking
• software architecture
• multisite software development.

Multimedia and visual interaction

• design of multimedia systems
• video compression
• computer graphics
• virtual reality
• image recognition
• graphics game development
• game builder.

Other research interests include mathematical software, industry policy and computer science education.

Electronic Engineering

Qualified prospective students who have research interests in areas covered by the Department of Electronic Engineering may be accepted for candidature for the degree of Master of Science. This course is well suited to students who have an engineering degree or to students who do not have an engineering qualification, but are suitably qualified with Honours in science or graduates with a biomedical, telecommunications, signal and image processing, electronic design automation or material physics background who wish to undertake a postgraduate research degree. The research areas of the Department are:

• communications engineering (telecommunication systems engineering, optical communications, signal and image processing)
• electronic systems engineering (biomedical engineering, electronic design automation, semiconductor materials and devices).

Prospective candidates should contact the Department of Electronic Engineering for further details.

Environmental Management and Ecology

Genetics

Masters and PhD postgraduate degrees by research may be pursued in the Department of Genetics. Enquiries should be directed in the first instance to the postgraduate coordinator in the Department, but a formal application should be addressed to Research Services.

Research is currently in progress in the following fields:

• genetics and cell biology of stem cells in Drosophila melanogastor
• molecular population genetics
• DNA sequence evolution
• molecular phylogeny
• ecological and conservation genetics
• genetics, behaviour and life history of nematodes
• genetic manipulation of nematodes for biocontrol.

In 2010, it is anticipated that staff will offer research in a range of areas, including those listed below. For further details of research areas, see www.latrobe.edu.au/genetics.

Dr John Mitchell: Analysis of variation on the Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA to understand human evolution and population structure; forensic genetics, especially expanding usefulness of DNA markers; molecular and population genetic studies of the tasting response.

Dr Warwick Grant: The use of functional genomic tools to analyse nematode behaviour and evolution. Behavioural studies utilise the free-living model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the evolutionary studies utilise Parastrongyloides trichosuri (a parasite of brushtail possums) as a model. Current research areas include: genetics of drug action in nematodes; genetics of evolution of life history traits in parasitic nematodes and genetic manipulation of nematodes as biocontrol agents.

Dr Jan Strugnell: Evolution of Antarctic and deep sea octopuses. Evolutionary history of fish species in Australian waters using molecular genetic approaches using nuclear and mitochondrial sequences and computer modelling.

Dr Nick Murphy: Evolution of biodiversity of Australian invertebrates in dessert environments and dessert water holes. Population genetics and Conservation genetics of the Murray-Darling basin.

Dr Greg Somers: Developmental genetics. Identification of novel regulators of stem cell growth in Drosophila and mammalian species.

Mathematics

The mathematics section carries out active research in the following areas:

• dynamical systems
• computer algebra
• differential geometry and topology and their applications
• Lie algebras
• geometric numerical integration
• lattice theory and universal algebra (particularly duality theory)
• modern classical mechanics
• relativity
• statistical mechanics and symmetry
• differential equations.

The department offers thesis supervision towards the PhD and MSc research degrees in the above areas. These degrees are completed solely by submitting a thesis on the candidate’s research, conducted under the direction of a supervisor. The department places a high priority on the supervision of research students and offers a supportive research environment. Research students are expected to be active participants in the research activity of the Department, including attendance at seminars.

Entry to the MSc program requires an Honours degree or its equivalent. Completion of the MSc within two years is encouraged. Entry to the PhD program normally requires a first class Honours degree or its equivalent. Entry to the PhD program is normally via initial enrolment in a Masters by Research. The equivalent can be achieved in the Postgraduate Diploma in Science program. Completion of the PhD within three years is encouraged.

Potential applicants should consult the research interests of individual staff members and then contact a possible supervisor. Up-to-date information on staff members’ research interests and their email addresses may be obtained from the department web page.

Microbiology

Microbiological research is as varied in its nature as the microbial world itself and the research interests of the Department of Microbiology reflect this diversity. MSc (Research) and PhD degrees may be pursued in the Department of Microbiology. Prospective candidates should contact the Head of Department or the postgraduate coordinator.

The current areas of research within the Department include the following:

Professor Paul R. Fisher: Molecular cell biology: genetic and molecular studies of signal transduction during development and behaviour in the model eukaryote, Dictyostelium discoideum. Mitochondrial and neurodegenerative diseases, signal transduction in Dictyostelium, Ca²⁺ signals in Dictyostelium.

Dr Christian Barth: Biology of mitochondria: the identification and functional characterisation of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins in Dictyostelium discoideum and the identification of potential homologs in yeast and mammals. Transcription of the mitochondrial genome, studies on mitochondrial promoter structure and function, regulation of mitochondrial gene expression. Investigation of post-transcriptional processing of mitochondrial RNAs. Replication and repair of the mitochondrial genome.

Dr Vilma A. Stanisich: Molecular genetics: genetic and molecular nature of bacterial plasmids and transposable elements, in particular those from Pseudomonas and from enteric bacteria. Molecular genetic investigation of the biosynthetic and regulatory genes required for (1-3)-Β-glucan [curdlan] production by Agrobacterium.

Dr Naomi E Bishop: Cell biology and molecular virology: molecular and cellular virology, cell biology in health and disease, eukaryotic genomics. Our emphasis is on understanding the endocytic pathway in eukaryotic cells, how it is manipulated during viral replication, and how its malfunction contributes to disease.

Dr Jason Mackenzie: Molecular and cellular virology: molecular virology, cell biology, innate immunity in virus infection, electron microscopy, biochemical pathways and intracellular trafficking. We investigate how pathogenic viruses (the Flavivirus West Nile virus and Norovirus Mouse Norovirus) replicate in infected cells and manipulate host cell machinery to facilitate efficient replication processes. We investigate what the effects this has on the host’s ability to function effectively in clearing infections.

Physics

There are three main research groups in the Department of Physics: the materials and surface science group, the space physics group and the X-ray science group. Areas of research interest in these groups are listed below:

• Associate Professor Paul Pigram, Dr Narelle Brack: micropatterning for biodevice applications.
• Dr Chris Pakes, Emeritus Professor Robert Leckey and Emeritus Professor John Riley: electronic properties of metals and semiconductors determined by photoelectron spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation.
• Dr Chris Pakes, Emeritus Professor John Riley and Emeritus Professor Robert Leckey: the investigation of the electronic states and morphology of low dimensional and nanoscale metal and semiconductor structures.
• Emeritus Professor John Riley and Emeritus Professor Robert Leckey: the investigation of magnetic metal structures.
• Emeritus Professor John Riley and Associate Professor Brian Usher: the investigation of novel materials and structures for the production of optical devices for communication wavelengths.
• Associate Professor Paul Pigram: surface and bulk properties of materials; surface resistivity of insulators and semiconductors.
• Associate Professor Andrew Peele and Dr Chanh Tran: X-ray optics, phase contrast imaging and tomography.
• Associate Professor Andrew Peele: Microfabrication of x-ray optics and samples.
• Associate Professor Andrew Peele and Dr Chanh Tran: x-ray coherence studies.
• Associate Professor Andrew Peele and Dr Chanh Tran: coherent diffractive imaging.
• Associate Professor Paul Pigram: gas adsorption/desorption behaviour of surfaces.
• Dr Roman Makarevich, and Emeritus Professor Peter Dyson: solar-terrestrial physics.
• Dr Roman Makarevich, Dr Svetlana Petelina and Emeritus Professor Peter Dyson,: physics of the upper atmosphere, ionosphere and magnetosphere.
• Emeritus Professor Peter Dyson, Dr Roman Makarevich and Dr Svetlana Petelina: radio propagation via the ionosphere, including the TIGER radar and applications to over-the-horizon radar.
• Emeritus Professor Peter Dyson, Dr Roman Makarevich, and Dr Svetlana Petelina: ionospheric and auroral research from Antarctica.

For further information about the research interests, contact the staff member directly or the Head of Department.

Psychological Science 

Higher degrees by research – PhD, Master of Science and Master of Psychological Science – are completed by submitting a thesis based on the candidate’s research, conducted under the direction of a supervisor who is an academic staff member in the School of Psychological Science.

The School of Psychological Science  has a history of excellence in research including a high level of success in attracting peer reviewed project grant funding, significant output in the form of publications and conference presentations, and for some years the School has had one or the largest postgraduate enrolments in the country.

The School of Psychological Science provides extensive research support. Specialised child development, biochemical and physiological laboratories, as well as a superior animal house and computing facilities, service a wide range of research programs. Our workshops produce specialised mechanical and electronic equipment and the School also provides technical, biochemical, and computer staff support as well as illustrative services and facilities.

The School currently has four key areas of research concentration:

• Clinical and health psychology
• Cognitive  and developmental psychology
• Neuroscience and neuropsychology
• Social psychology

Also see the listing of research-based doctorate including professional training, in section of this handbook shown as “Masters and Doctors of Psychology – Melbourne (Bundoora)”.  

Statistics

Active research in statistics is carried out in the following areas:

• theory of statistical inference
• statistical model selection: including the effect of preliminary statistical model selection on subsequent inference
• dimension reduction: including the application to the analysis of microarray data
• exact confidence intervals from count data: including exact confidence intervals from both studentised and unstudentised test statistics
• time series analysis: including models for financial time series and the effect of parameter estimation error on prediction intervals
• risk analysis: including Value-at-Risk
• foundations of statistical inference
• robust statistics: including dimension reduction methods in regression
• Biostatistics: including analysis of health science data and microarray data
• spatial statistics and random fields
• Shannon sampling theory
• limit theorems

Thesis supervision towards the PhD and MSc research degrees in the above areas is offered. These degrees are completed solely by submitting a thesis on the candidate’s research, conducted under the direction of a supervisor. High priority is placed on supervision of research students and a supportive research environment is offered. Research students are expected to be active participants in the research activity including attendance at seminars.

Entry to the MSc program requires an Honours degree, or an equivalent such as the Postgraduate Diploma in Science. Completion of the MSc within two years is encouraged. Entry to the PhD program normally requires a first class Honours degree or its equivalent. Entry to the PhD program is normally via initial enrolment in a Masters by Research. Candidates who achieve a sufficiently high standard of research in the first year of the Masters by Research may be eligible to transfer to the PhD program. The equivalent can be achieved in the Postgraduate Diploma in Science program. Completion of the PhD within three years is encouraged.

Potential applicants should consult the research interests of individual staff members and the list of recent research papers for a possible supervisor.

Zoology

Research leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy may be carried out in the fields listed below:

• freshwater and marine ecology
• ecology of insects
• conservation and wildlife ecology
• animal behaviour
• evolutionary ecology of amphibians and reptiles
• behaviour and ecology of Australian birds
• cell physiology
• cellular signalling
• physiology of excitable cells
• physiology of skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle
• electrophysiology of normal and diseased muscle
• reproductive and evolutionary physiology

Prospective students who are interested in receiving more detailed information about the fields of research and facilities available are invited to write to the Head of Department, giving full details of their own particular research interests.