Micheal Stern Fellowship
Westmead Millennium Institute PhD Scholarship in Polycystic Kidney Disease
Brief Description
A full-time postgraduate scholarship is available for a suitably qualified candidate to develop new treatments to prevent kidney failure due to polycystic kidney disease. The scholarship will provide support for up to 3 years on a full-time basis for a research project leading to a PhD in polycystic kidney disease. The candidate will be working with the Westmead Polycystic Kidney Disease Group, Centre for Transplant and Renal Research at the Westmead Millennium Institute, supervised by Dr. Gopi Rangan and Professor David Harris. The specific PhD research program will be laboratory-based and have a strong translational focus, aimed at identifying new therapeutic targets and developing drug- and molecular-based approaches that can be used in future clinical trials to treat humans with polycystic kidney disease. The project will utilize animal and cell-culture models of polycystic kidney disease, that have been established by the group at Westmead
Eligibility
Candidates must possess either a Medical Degree or a Science Degree with Honors (Class 1) and have a strong interest in laboratory-based research of the kidney. Previous experience using animal models and molecular biology would be advantageous. The candidate must be capable of working in a team environment and willing to collaborate. Applicants must be Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents or New Zealand citizens, and must be eligible to successfully enroll in a PhD at the University of Sydney. It is expected that a suitable applicant will commence work on the project and enroll as a PhD candidate in the first semester of 2012.
Amount awarded
The scholarship will be administered through the Westmead Millennium Institute and will be valued at $22,860 per annum (tax exempt; equivalent to NHMRC standard stipend) plus a top-up of $6000/year, indexed annually and will be renewed for up to three years, subject to satisfactory progress. A maintenance allowance of $1500 per year will be available for the purchase of consumables relevant to the Scholarship or attending appropriate courses in polycystic kidney disease and drug development. Conference travel up to $2500 per year will be available to be used towards presenting at relevant national and international conferences.
Further information: Contact Dr. Gopi Rangan (gopala.rangan@sydney.edu.au)
Closing date: 27th August 2011
Cutting edge projects focusing on the mechanisms of autoimmune disease/inflammation. These projects include novel pathways that regulate macrophages, and T cells, macrophage biology linked to autoimmune disease, determining the unique and shared role of the principle macrophage developmental molecules in immune mediated inflammation, and the power of the programmed death pathway in regulating tissue injury. Furthermore, studies focus on renal regeneration mediated by resident cells and macrophages. Unique transgenic strains and knockout mice with reporter genes have been constructed on lupus susceptible strains for these projects. These projects dissect the basic mechanisms of autoimmune disease (kidney, skin, heart) and have human translational components.
Experience:
Immunology, and/or Molecular biology and Cell Biology
Knowledge of histopathology desirable
Mouse systems
Computer literacy is necessary
Desired:
Responsible, hard-working individual who is able to multi-task and to work independently
MD, or PhD required, position for two years or longer within the Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Please send three references.
Interested candidates contact: Dr. Vicki Rubin Kelley, Harvard Institutes of Medicine, 4 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115; FAX 617-525-5830; e-mail: vkelley@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
The University of Aarhus and Department of Nephrology, Aarhus University Hospital Skejby, Denmark is offering a fully financed 3-year PhD programme as part of "mobility-programme" - the intention being to attract PhD students from other parts of the world.
The programme would appeal to someone with a research interest and possibly at little bit of research background who may be interested in going to Denmark to study the role of endocytic membrane receptors in kidney proximal tubule.
The focus of the PhD will be the role of the megalin/cubilin receptor complex in the development and progression of acute and chronic kidney disease. Receptor knock out models have been established and will be used in combination with models of chronic kidney disease to explore the role of megalin and cubilin in the metabolic and signalling changes that has been reported to occur in kidney diseases. Both animal models and receptor expression systems in cell culture to further explore the molecular mechanism regulating receptor function and dysfunction will be used.
Information about the programme is available at https://www.health.au.dk/medias/media11051.pdf
The relevant part of the programme (GP1) is theme T1 "Receptor mediated endocytosis and proteinuria: Renal proximal tubule membrane receptors in kidney disease".
Professor Erik Christensen is the responsible researcher.
Further information is available by contacting Professor Henrik Birn, Staff Specialist, who is also involved in the programme.
Phone: +45 8942 5596 or +45 61717870
Fax: +45 8942 3060
Email: HB@ANA.AU.DK
Information regarding JDRF Travel and Summer Student Grants are available from
CEO, JDFA, Level 4, 80-84 Chandos Street, St Leonards NSW 2065.
Phone: (02) 9966 0400 ext 201
Fax No: (02) 9966 0172
Email: vwilson@jdrf.org.au
Website: www.jdrf.org.au
Dr. Bernd Tersteegen, the founder of the Verband Deutsche Nierenzentren (DN) e.V., was dedicated to the improvement of outpatient treatment modalities in end-stage renal disease. Specifically he focused on further technical development of hemodialysis. The Bernd Tersteegen award was established following the death of Dr. Tersteegen in 1995. The prize is awarded internationally both for basic and particularly for clinical research related to chronic renal insufficiency and to advances in treatment of end-stage renal disease.
The annual award of 8000 Euro is usually given to a single applicant but may be shared under certain circumstances. Applicants should be physicians, researchers, or engineers who are involved in research in the area of renal failure and renal replacement therapy. Only research papers that have been published in 2010 or 2011 or have not yet been published are suitable for submission. Papers should be written in German or English. Review articles, dissertations, university habilitation works and manuscripts already entered in other competitions may not be submitted.
Groups of authors, who submit a work, must agree to the designation of a single speaker for the group. The written consent of all co-authors of a paper to the designation of the speaker must accompany the application. An abbreviated curriculum vitae and a list of publications to date should also be submitted.
Five copies of the work must be submitted by July 15, 2011 to the following address:
Verband Deutsche Nierenzentren (DN) e.V.
President
Immermannstraße 65 A
40210 Düsseldorf, Germany
The members of the prize committee are chosen by the executive board of the DN. The president of the DN serves as chairman of the committee.
In the case in which no work is found suitable for the award, the prize money is carried over to the following year. An appeal is not allowed.
The award will be conferred at the Annual Meeting of the Association of German Nephrology Centers of the DN on November 19, 2011 in Mannheim, Germany. The presence of the award winner at the award ceremony is required. The award winner will be informed in due time.
The jury reserves the right to honour those works of particular scientific interest with an independent "special award by the scientific institute of nephrology".
