Global Excellence and Mobility Scholarship (GEMS)

This PhD opportunity at Monash University Malaysia is offered under the Global Excellence and Mobility Scholarship (GEMS) 2026, focusing on the development of a streamlined in-silico pipeline for prioritising natural anti-dengue compounds. The research project leverages molecular dynamics (MD) and QSAR modelling to screen curated plant-derived and pharmacopeial libraries against dengue and host targets. The pipeline includes docking, MD evaluation for complex stability (RMSD/RMSF, hydrogen bonds), and binding free energy calculations (MM/GBSA). MD-derived features and chemical descriptors will be used to train QSAR models with public antiviral datasets and internal reference sets. Top candidates will be filtered by drug-likeness and predicted ADMET properties, resulting in a ranked hit list and a mini-panel for wet-lab validation. Outputs will include curated compound libraries, reproducible code, QSAR models, and prioritised compounds for further testing.

This project is part of Monash University Malaysia’s Graduate Research Thematic Cluster, 'Predict-and-Prevent Severe Dengue: AI-Guided Multi-Omics & Natural-Compound Screening.' The ideal candidate should have laboratory experience in molecular virology, strong animal cell culture skills, and competency in molecular biology assays relevant to antiviral testing. Strength in hypothesis-led experimental design, meticulous record-keeping, and data integrity are expected. A background in immunology and exposure to omics-based data analysis for target prioritization or mechanism studies will be considered advantageous. Structured training and cross-site mentoring will be provided, leveraging BDI platforms to advance shortlisted compounds toward validated leads.

The GEMS scholarship, funded by Monash University Malaysia, features regional mobility and is awarded to highly qualified students working on projects of regional and global relevance. Recipients will be funded for an immersive year at Monash University Australia, Monash University Indonesia, or the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (up to 9 months), and will have access to Monash University’s global network of research expertise and infrastructure during their candidature period.

Eligibility requires a minimum academic qualification of First Class Honours (H1) or its equivalence (H1E) recognised by Monash University Malaysia, and satisfaction of English language requirements. Applicants are encouraged to contact the main supervisor, Dr Kooi Yeong Khaw, with their academic background and achievements to determine fit for the research topic. If suitable, applications should be submitted via the provided link, selecting the Global Excellence and Mobility Scholarship (GEMS) and entering the advertised research topic. More information and guidance on application requirements are available through the application submission guide.

Deadline for applications is July 31, 2026. The department hosting this project is Pharmacy, and the research areas include bioinformatics, biotechnology, cell biology, genomics, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, virology, medical statistics, and epidemiology.