Postgraduate Research Scholarship in Non-Human Bioinformatics

1. Background

a. This Scholarship has been established to provide financial assistance to a PhD student who is undertaking research on bioinformatics and use of AI for the assembly and annotation of frog genomes for the discovery of novel peptides from Australian species to address challenges in health, agriculture and industry.

b. This Scholarship is funded by the School of Life and Environmental Sciences contributing to the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence in Advanced Peptide Engineering (CAPE).

2. Eligibility

a. The Scholarship is offered subject to the applicant having an unconditional offer of admission or being currently enrolled to study full-time in a PhD within the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney.

b. Applicant without an unconditional offer of admission may apply and be selected, however, no scholarship offer will be sent until the applicant has an unconditional offer of admission.

c. Applicants must be willing to conduct research into bioinformatics and use of AI for the assembly and annotation of frog genomes for the discovery of novel peptides from Australian species to address challenges in health, agriculture and industry.

d. Applicant must also hold one of the following qualifications in related fields of biology, bioinformatics:
I. an Honours degree (First Class) or equivalent, or
II. a Master’s degree.

e. Applicants must have prior experience working in the fields of biology, bioinformatics and AI.

f. Applicant must have practical knowledge in phylogenomics and ability to work with biological datasets.

g. Applicant must have experience in computational and statistical analysis, as well as knowledge in programming.

3. Selection Criteria

a. The successful applicant will be awarded the Scholarship on the basis of:

I. academic merit,
II. area of study and research proposal,
III. previous research experience demonstrated via list of research publications, and
IV. curriculum vitae including information about clauses 2e, 2f and 2g.

b. The successful applicant will be awarded the Scholarship on the nomination of the relevant research supervisor(s), or their nominated delegate(s).

4. Value

The Scholarship will provide a stipend allowance of $46,000 per annum (indexed at USYD RTP rate percentage on 1 January each year) for up to 14 research periods, subject to satisfactory academic performance.

a. Periods of study already undertaken towards the degree prior to the commencement of the Scholarship will be deducted from the maximum duration of the Scholarship excluding any potential extension period.

b. The Scholarship is for commencement in the relevant research period in which it is offered and cannot be deferred or transferred to another area of research without prior approval.

c. No other amount is payable.

d. The Scholarship will be offered subject to the availability of funding.

5. Eligibility for Progression

a. Progression is subject to attending and passing the annual progress evaluation.

6. Leave Arrangements

a. The Scholarship recipient receives up to 20 working days recreation leave each year of the Scholarship and this may be accrued. However, the student will forfeit any unused leave remaining when the Scholarship is terminated or complete. Recreation leave does not attract a leave loading and the supervisor's agreement must be obtained before leave is taken.

b. The Scholarship recipient may take up to 10 working days sick leave each year of the Scholarship and this may be accrued over the tenure of the Scholarship. Students with family responsibilities, caring for sick children or relatives, or experiencing domestic violence, may convert up to five days of their annual sick leave entitlement to carer’s leave on presentation of medical certificate(s). Students taking sick leave must inform their supervisor as soon as practicable.

c. Once holders of the Scholarship have completed four research periods of their award, they are entitled to a maximum of twelve weeks paid parental leave or additional paid sick leave during the tenure of the Scholarship. Recipients applying for the additional paid sick leave must do so at the start of absence or as soon as practicable and should be for medically substantiated periods of illness where the recipient has insufficient sick leave entitlements available under Clause 6b above, periods of additional paid sick leave are added to the duration of the Scholarship with the approval of the relevant research supervisor. Recipients applying for paid parental leave should do so at least four weeks prior leave commencement date. Periods of paid parental leave are added to the duration of the Scholarship. Holders of the Scholarship who have not completed four research periods of their award may access unpaid parental leave through the suspension provisions. When applying for parental leave, applicant should include at least one of the following documents:

I. letter from medical professional related to pregnancy,
II. a surrogacy agreement,
III. birth certificate of the child,
IV. adoption documents, or
V. documentation that substantiates the application.

7. Research Overseas

a. The Scholarship recipient may not normally conduct research overseas within the first two research periods of award.

b. The Scholarship holder may conduct up to 4 research periods of their research outside Australia. Approval must be sought from the student's supervisor, Head of School and the Faculty via application to the Higher Degree by Research Administration Centre (HDRAC), and will only be granted if the research is essential for completion of the degree. All periods of overseas research are cumulative and will be counted towards a student's candidature. Students must remain enrolled full-time at the University and receive approval to count time away.

8. Suspension

a. The Scholarship recipient cannot suspend their award within their first two research periods of study, unless a legislative provision applies.

b. The Scholarship recipient may apply for up to 4 research periods suspension of the Scholarship for any reason during the tenure of the Scholarship. Periods of Scholarship suspension are cumulative and failure to resume study after suspension will result in the award being terminated. Approval must be sought from the student's supervisor, Head of School and the Faculty via application to the Higher Degree by Research Administration Centre (HDRAC). Periods of study towards the degree during suspension of the Scholarship will be deducted from the maximum tenure of the Scholarship.

9. Changes in Enrolment

a. The Scholarship recipient must notify HDRAC, and their supervisor promptly of any planned changes to their enrolment including but not limited to: attendance pattern, suspension, leave of absence, withdrawal, and course transfer. If the award holder does not provide notice of the changes identified above, the University may require repayment of any overpaid stipend.

10. Termination

a. The Scholarship will be terminated:

I. on resignation or withdrawal of the recipient from their research degree,
II. upon submission of the thesis or at the end of the award,
III. if the recipient ceases to be a full-time student and prior approval has not been obtained to hold the Scholarship on a part-time basis,
IV. upon the recipient having completed the maximum candidature for their degree as per the University of Sydney (Higher Degree by Research) Rule 2026 Policy,
V. if the recipient receives an alternative primary stipend scholarship. In such circumstances this Scholarship will be terminated in favour of the alternative stipend scholarship where it is of higher value,
VI. if the recipient does not resume study at the end of a period of approved leave, or
VII. if the recipient ceases to meet the eligibility requirements specified for this Scholarship, (other than during a period in which the Scholarship has been suspended or during a period of approved leave).

b. The Scholarship may also be terminated by the University before this time if, in the opinion of the University:

I. the course of study is not being carried out with competence and diligence or in accordance with the terms of this offer,
II. the student fails to maintain satisfactory progress, or
III. the student has committed misconduct or other inappropriate conduct.

c. The Scholarship will be suspended throughout the duration of any enquiry/appeal process.

d. Once the Scholarship has been terminated, it will not be reinstated unless due to University error.

11. Misconduct

a. Where during the Scholarship a student engages in misconduct, or other inappropriate conduct (either during the Scholarship or in connection with the student’s application and eligibility for the Scholarship), which in the opinion of the University warrants recovery of funds provided, the University may require the student to repay payments made in connection with the Scholarship. Examples of such conduct include and without limitation; academic dishonesty, research misconduct within the meaning of the Research Code of Conduct 2023 (for example, plagiarism in proposing, carrying out or reporting the results of research, or failure to declare or manage a serious conflict of interests), breach of the Student Charter 2020 and misrepresentation in the application materials or other documentation associated with the Scholarship.

b. The University may require such repayment at any time during or after the Scholarship period. In addition, by accepting this Scholarship, the student consents to all aspects of any investigation into misconduct in connection with this Scholarship being disclosed by the University to the funding body and/or any relevant professional body.

12. Other Conditions

a. As the scholarship recipient contributes to the ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Peptide Engineering research, they may be required to comply with additional conditions around but not limited intellectual property, confidentiality, reporting, publications and acknowledgement. Where this apply, the requirements will be communicated by the relevant research supervisor.