Research opportunities in the Melbourne Veterinary School

Take your research further with graduate research in veterinary science. Find out what kinds of research projects you can join when you study with us.

Research projects for PhD and Masters by Research students

The University's Graduate Research Opportunity Tool is a directory of PhD and Masters by Research projects – search by course, field of research or location to find a research project that you're excited to join.

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Four scenes of scientific research: a horse, an abalone floating in the ocean, a petri dish full of fungal growths, and a visualisation of light bending

Research projects for PhD, Honours and Undergraduate Coursework students

The following list outlines the staff research interests and project offerings for prospective PhD, Honours and undergraduate coursework students this year. Some of them may be supported by grants; contact the staff member involved to find out more.

Animal Welfare Science Centre (AWSC)

Project Leaders	Campus	Project Name
Dr Mia Cobb	Parkville	Animal welfare Animal behaviour Animal physiology Psychology of human-animal interactions Science communication Canine focus (Working and companion dogs)
Dr Carolina Munoz	Parkville	Mulesing: producers’ attitudes to practice change Tail length in sheep: adoption of best practices Adoption of pain relief for tail length and castration in sheep Beef calf mortality: prevalence
Dr Lauren Hemsworth	Parkville	Animal welfare: the effects of housing systems, husbandry and management, environmental enrichment, and handling on animal welfare; development and validation of animal welfare indices and assessment tools; development and application of animal welfare training programs for animal handlers and companion animal owners. Animal behaviour: the effects of housing systems, husbandry and management, environmental enrichment, and handling on animal behaviour. Human-animal interactions and the human-animal relationship in livestock, companion and zoo animals.
Dr Megan Lucas	Parkville	Animal welfare and behaviour Free-range pig production Sow-piglet interaction Thermal comfort for pigs Laying hen cognition and preferences Veterinary perspectives of dog behaviour

Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health

Project Leaders	Campus	Project Name
Prof Glenn Browning	Parkville	Genomic approaches to control colibacillosis Role of uropathogenic virulence factors of Escherichia coli in the pathogenesis of canine pyometra
Prof Joanne Devlin	Parkville	Pathogenesis of infectious laryngotracheitis virus in poultry Influence of herpesvirus glycoprotein G on host immune responses
Prof Amir Noormohammadi	Werribee	Investigation of inclusion body hepatitis outbreaks in Australian meat breeder/broiler flocks and establishment of an avian adenovirus typing facility and service. Investigation of the prevalence of chlamydiosis in the Australian chicken meat industry. Transfer of diagnostic technologies from research laboratories to a core diagnostic facility for the benefit of the Australian poultry industry.
Prof Mark Stevenson	Parkville	Spatial epidemiology Infectious disease modelling. Epidemiology of infectious, production limiting and behavioural disorders of livestock.
A/Prof Stuart Barber	Parkville	Investigation in causes of mastitis of sheep. Production of virtual reality agricultural enterprises using 360 imagery.
A/Prof Simon Firestone	Parkville	Modelling and development of decision-support tools for early phases of outbreaks Diagnostic test evaluation using Bayesian latent class modelling One Health: Q fever epidemiology, Ross River virus forecasting, Zoonoses in reptiles, controlling foodborne disease at source
A/Prof Laura Hardefeldt	Parkville	Big Data for Veterinary Antimicrobial Stewardship Using qualitative research to optimise veterinary Antimicrobial Stewardship Interventions
A/Prof Karim Mardani	Parkville	Molecular detection characterisation of avian coronaviruses in farm and wild birds Developing a reverse genetics system for avian coronaviruses Transcriptional and pathological host responses to infection with avian coronaviruses in chickens
A/Prof Anke Wiethoelter	Parkville	Metabarcoding using nanopore sequencing to characterise the diversity of vector-borne apicomplexan parasites from dogs across Mongolia Brucella suis in pet food
Dr Sathya Kulappu Arachchige	Parkville	Investigation of upper respiratory tract infections in free-range layers in Australia
Dr Alistair Legione	Parkville	Faecal microbiota of native marsupials Genome sequencing of bacterial and viral pathogens of animals Development of rapid molecular diagnostics for wildlife and/or livestock
Dr Christina Marth	Werribee	Microbiome and pregnancy loss Plasma proteomics/ metabolomics and pregnancy loss Heat stress and fertility Interactions between bacteria and the immune system on the mucosal interface of the reproductive tract
Dr Sandra Steele	Parkville	One Health - Operationalisation of One Health, including capacity building across health systems Preparedness and response of human and animal health clinicians to zoonoses and emerging diseases
Dr Kelly Tivendale	Parkville	Determining the function of bacterial proteins and their role in pathogenesis Identifying bacterial proteins as targets for improving vaccines and diagnostic methods
Dr Paola Vaz	Parkville	Viral-bacterial coinfection dynamics of respiratory pathogens in vitro and in vivo 2D and 3D culture systems Wildlife virology, microbiology and diagnostics Herpesvirus evolution
Dr Nadeeka Wawegama	Parkville	Investigation of bacterial virulence factors role in their pathogenesis Investigation of host markers for infection and or vaccine protection through omics approach

Bone and Muscle Cell Biology

Project Leaders	Campus	Project Name
A/Prof Charles Pagel	Parkville	Investigation of skeletal and cardiac muscle regeneration
Dr Reza Senaei	Parkville	Adapting Confocal Microscopy for the Assessment of Biomedical Metal Implants

Equine Orthopaedic Research Group

Project Leaders	Campus	Project Name
A/Prof Peta Hitchens	Werribee	Racehorse injuries and fatalities Horse racing safety and welfare Working equid welfare Welfare and ethics of animals in sports and entertainment

The MacKinnon Project

Project Leaders	Campus	Project Name
Dr John Webb Ware	Werribee	The Mackinnon Project is a recognised leader in sheep and beef consultancy both in Australia and internationally. Its functions include education, research and whole farm consultancy for the extensive livestock industries and consultancy services to agribusiness. Mackinnon Project consultants are actively involved in a range of research projects. This research always aims at solving practical problems encountered by grazing enterprises.

One Health Research Group

Project Leaders	Campus	Project Name
Prof Lee Skerratt A/Prof Lee Berger	Werribee	Understanding immunology and genetics of resistance against the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
A/Prof Jasmin Hufschmid	Werribee	Ecotoxicology – impacts on wildlife Toxoplasmosis in wildlife Conservation medicine
Dr Laura Brannelly	Werribee	Exploring the effects of disease on reproduction in declining frog species
Dr Tiffany Kosch	Werribee	Amphibian comparative genomics Understanding the genetic basis of immunity to chytridiomycosis Developing Targeted Genetic Intervention (TGI) in wildlife

Parasitology

Project Leaders	Campus	Project Name
Prof Abdul Jabbar	Werribee	Assessment of two sheep breeds for their natural resistance to a parasitic nematode, Haemonchus contortus. Development of novel diagnostic methods for the detection and quantification of horse parasites Epidemiology of coccidiosis in Australian dairy goats Anthelmintic resistance in parasites of Australian Thoroughbred horses
Prof Robin Gasser	Parkville	Development and application of genomic and bioinformatic methods to identify and explore crucial biological pathways in socio-economically important parasites Using genomic and bioinformatic technologies to understand parasite-host interactions and parasitic disease Development and use of molecular tools to detect and characterise waterborne, food-borne and other zoonotic pathogens Development of advanced molecular methods for the diagnosis of parasitic infections and diseases Identification of new anti-parasite drug targets using advanced -omic technologies Development of new drugs against parasites Characterisation and exploration of mitochondrial and nuclear genomes of parasites Population genetics to characterise parasitic worm biodiversity Epidemiological investigations of parasites of socioeconomic importance
Prof Robin Gasser A/Prof Aaron Jex	Parkville	Mitogenomics of key pathogens – an international research co-operative
Prof Robin Gasser A/Prof Neil Young	Parkville	Development of genomic tools to characterise conserved and novel parasite protein families Genome-guided population genetics of blood flukes (schistosomes) affecting humans
A/Prof Clare Anstead Dr Shilpa Kapoor	Parkville	World-first pipeline for anti-blowfly drug discovery Projects underpinning the establishment of an integrated pipeline for blowfly (Lucilia cuprina) drug development by identifying druggable targets using population genetics data, defining compounds that kill blowfly larvae in vitro, and confirming drug mechanisms of action. RNAi is used to silence expression of highest priority targets. Use of next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics analyses to assemble the genomes and transcriptomes of Lucilia species and subspecies to provide important insights into their biology and parasitism.
A/Prof Neil Young	Parkville	Resolve the taxonomy of Australian freshwater snails and assess their ability to transmit parasites to Australian livestock Conduct field work and use cutting-edge tools to study phylogenetics, genomics and transcriptomic responses to parasitic infection.

Veterinary Anatomic Pathology

Project Leaders	Campus	Project Name
Dr Smitha Georgy	Werribee	Understanding the pathogeneis of canine atopic dermatitis using organoid models Histopathologic evaluation of laboratory animal models of COVID and influenza viruses
Dr Panayiotis Loukopoulos	Werribee	Buruli ulcer in foxes and possums Canine, feline and avian osteosarcoma: in vivo models, metabolomics, pathology Investigating the mechanism of action and effects of polyacrylamide hydrogel on the joints of Thoroughbred horses Causes of diarrhoea in sheep and goats Diagnostic investigation of domestic animal and wildlife diseases.

Veterinary Clinical Sciences

Project Leaders	Campus	Project Name
Dr Claire Cannon	Werribee	Factors impacting decision making and outcomes for limb amputation in Australian dogs

Veterinary Inflammation and Metabolism

Project Leaders	Campus	Project Name
Prof Simon Bailey	Parkville	Pathophysiology of laminitis in horses. Equine stem cell function. Pathophysiology of endotoxaemia in horses and mechanisms of leukocyte activation. Relationships between insulin resistance, diet and obesity in ponies and horses. Biotechnology (Therapeutics) - Antibody therapy for an important equine disease Causes of insulin dysregulation in ponies and horses Novel treatments for equine laminitis Biotechnology (Therapeutics) - Antibody therapy for an important equine disease