Melbourne India Postgraduate Academy (MIPA)

Joint PhD scholarship opportunity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, infection biology, metabolism, and drug resistance at the University of Melbourne in collaboration with IISER Tirupati.

The project is a joint PhD between the laboratories of Associate Professor Raju Mukherjee (IISER Tirupati), Associate Professor Anna Coussens, and the Melbourne group led by Ivanhoe Leung. The research will investigate the molecular mechanisms that allow Mycobacterium tuberculosis to persist during infection and identify metabolic vulnerabilities that could be targeted to develop new therapies against persistent and drug-resistant tuberculosis.

This is a funded PhD scholarship through the Melbourne India Postgraduate Academy (MIPA) program. The student will spend the first two years at IISER Tirupati and the following two years at the University of Melbourne.

Anticipated start date: 1 December 2026. Applications are encouraged as early as possible, and the call will close once a suitable candidate is identified.

Relevant study areas include biology, medical science, chemistry, public health, microbiology, infection biology, and metabolism.