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SciencesExecutive Dean: Professor Bob Hill Program enquiries: Enrolment enquiries: Adelaide Graduate Centre
* Research Training Scheme (RTS) - Currently all commencing "local" higher degree by research students at the University of Adelaide are awarded a Research Training Scheme (RTS) place. The RTS place
entitles the student to a maximum period of four years
of tuition fee exempt candidature to undertake
a PhD program or two years of tuition fee
exempt candidature to undertake a Masters
program. This means there is no HECS debt
at the end of the program. International About the FacultyThe Faculty of Sciences is committed to excellence in teaching and research and strives to create future leaders of the scientific community. Members of the Faculty collaborate extensively with local, national, and international organisations, and their research and teaching activities are supported by industry, local government and national funding agencies, including the Australian Research Council, Grains Research and Development Corporation, and the National Health and Medical Research Council. The Faculty ranks amongst the best nationally in terms of research performance, as indicated by research income and publications. The Faculty of Sciences offers postgraduate research programs in a broad range of areas, including Agriculture, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Environmental Biology, Genetics, Geology and Geophysics, Microbiology and Immunology, Natural Resource Management, Physics, Physiology and Wine Sciences. Major specialist research and teaching centres in which the Faculty of Sciences participates include the Special Research Centre for the Subatomic Structure of Matter, the Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre, the Special Research Centre for the Molecular Genetics of Development, the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics and the Biotechnology Centre of Excellence. Cooperative Research Centres include Biological Control of Pest Animals, Beef Quality, Molecular Plant Breeding, Weed Management Systems, Australian Poultry, Viticulture, Poultry, Pork Quality and Plant-based Solutions to Dryland Salinity. Further partnerships include the Research Centre for Reproductive Health, the National Health and Medical Research Council Program for the Early Origins of Adult Health, the Australian Stem Cell Centre, and the Centre for Human Movement Control. The Faculty's Roseworthy and Waite campus communities include collaborative research partners such as the CSIRO Divisions of Land and Water, Mathematics and Information Sciences and Plant Industry (Horticulture Unit); Primary Industries and Resources South Australia (PIRSA); the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) and Murray Institute of Technical and Further Education Primary Industries Faculty. This co-location of national and state research agencies represents the strongest concentration of applied biological and land management sciences in the Southern Hemisphere. Research InterestsResearch programs in the Faculty of Sciences can be undertaken in the following Schools, some of whose research interests are listed below.
School of Agriculture, Food and WineAgriculture, Food & Wine Student Centre The School of Agriculture, Food and Wine provides a world-class concentration of scientific research, education and infrastructure across the Waite and Roseworthy Campuses of the University of Adelaide. The School has well-established links, extensive external and co-located industry partners. These include: the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, the South Australian Research Development Institute, the Pig and Poultry Production Institute, the National Wine Industry Cluster and Australian Grain Technologies Pty Ltd, the largest wheat breeding company in the world. The School is involved in various Cooperative Research Centres including:
The School's research interests include:
Agricultural and Animal ScienceAnimal Science research focuses on underlying biological principles for producing high quality wool, meat or milk. Expertise includes molecular biology, gene mapping, gastrointestinal form and function and nutritional biochemistry of animals. Our research groups are also involved in the more applied management of sheep, beef cattle, dairy cows, pigs and poultry, and all of the research activities occur within the framework of sustainable, humane and profitable production systems. This research is supported by access to well-equipped laboratories, excellent animal facilities, and access to the resources of the farm at Roseworthy Campus. Major research themes include:
Further information on specific research projects. Agri-Food and Wine BusinessAgri-Food and Wine Business aims to improve the management of a full range of businesses associated with the wine and agricultural industries. It has particular experise in the marketing of wine and other agricultural products and in integrated business management for pastoral, horticultural, viticultural and wine related enterprises. It is based at both the Waite and the Roseworthy Campus. Major research themes include:
Further information on specific research projects. Plant and Food ScienceBased at the Waite and Roseworthy Campuses, the discipline boasts one of the most prestigious agricultural research and education facilities in the southern hemisphere and has access to Australia's finest resources for training in the area of plant science. Major research themes include:
Further information on specific research projects. Wine and HorticultureResearch is conducted at the Waite campus, where students learn to combine cutting edge and world's best-practice wine marketing knowledge with a working knowledge and skills in both winemaking and viticulture. In addition, we offer Australia's first university programs in wine business for internal and external studies. Specific research topics include:
Further information on specific research projects.
School of Chemistry and PhysicsPhone: 61 8 8303 5996 The School of Chemistry and Physics at The University of Adelaide brings together and consolidates the University's broad-ranging and cutting-edge research in the fundamental disciplines of Chemistry and Physics. Research within the School receives extensive external funding and involves major collaborations with researchers nationally and internationally. To conduct its research, the School has a wide range of state-of-the-art equipment, IT and infrastructure supported by technical and workshop staff. Within the School is the ARC Special Research Centre for the Sub-Atomic Structure of Matter and the National Institute for Theoretical Physics. The School hosts the South Australian Partnership for Advanced Computing. ChemistryResearch within the field of Chemical Sciences has international recognition for excellence in the areas of Ion Chemistry, Molecular Recognition and New Materials. Molecular design and nanoscience research at the University involves the design and construction of new molecules and molecular assemblies, incorporates fundamental scientific advances and involves a range of advanced materials such as polymers, catalysts, molecular wires and optical switches and sensors. Research on compounds that may be used as molecular wires or as optical limiters is carried out in collaboration with computational and synthetic groups in France and Germany. Researchers within Chemistry have been extremely successful in attracting funding for instrumentation and Adelaide has spectroscopic facilities unsurpassed in Australia. The research interests in Chemistry are grouped into the following themes:
Further information on specific research projects. PhysicsResearch staff within Physics participate in an active and internationally recognised research program. University of Adelaide researchers are leading the world in research into black holes and their influence over the evolution of galaxies. The high-energy astrophysics group is closely associated with the Pierre Auger Observatory project and their collaboration with the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research of the University of Tokyo led to construction of a 10m gamma ray telescope at Woomera as part of the CANGAROO project. The Optics group is at the forefront of research in gravitational radiation and part of the Australian Consortium for Interferometric Gravitational Astronomy, which collaborates with many international largescale interferometric detector projects. The Centre of Expertise in Photonics is a new research initiative within the School of Chemistry & Physics at the University of Adelaide, focusing on the area of soft glass optical fibres. The Centre is a joint venture between the University and the DSTO, with support by the SA state government. The Centre of Expertise in Photonics works closely with DSTO to develop new classes of optical fibre for defence applications. The Centre also collaborates with other academic groups (nationally and internationally) and with industry. In Theoretical Physics, the Centre for the Subatomic Structure of Matter (CSSM) carries out research activities that are in the forefront of theoretical nuclear and particle physics, with special emphasis on the strong interactions and their importance in determining the nature of matter. CSSM is making major advances of world significance in understanding of the structure of hadronic matter and is viewed internationally as one of the three centres in the world for research in nuclear theory. CSSM is not part of the Centre for Complex Systems and Simulations (CCSS), which is focussing theoretical effort within the School and uses the resources of the co-located South Australian Partnership for Advanced Computing (SAPAC). CCSS is applying theoretical and computational techniques to topics in Science and Engineering such as chaotic systems, photonics, atmospheric physics, computational chemistry, bioimformatics, nanoscience, robotics and defence science. Major research programs include:
Further information on specific research projects.
School of Earth and Environmental SciencesPhone: 61 8 8303 5504 The School of Earth and Environmental Sciences provides a world-class concentration of scientific research, education and infrastructure across the North Terrace and Waite Campuses of the University. The School's research interests include ecology, environmental physiology, systematics & biodiversity, earth materials, earth structures, earth resources, earth environments, natural resource management, cropping systems and molecular interactions between plants and microorganisms. Core research disciplines within the school are:
There is strong interaction between a number of groups within the School, other University disciplines on both the North Terrace and Waite Campuses, and other institutions, especially the SA Museum, Botanic Gardens, and several SA Government research laboratories. Ecology & Evolutionary BiologyEcology and Evolutionary Biology is concerned with understanding, managing and conserving the natural systems of the Australian continent. Marine and coastal systems, natural and constructed wetlands, estuaries, woodlands and the arid zone are all covered. More than 100 staff and postgraduate students undertake research on the biology of plants and animals from taxonomic and systematic studies, to physiological and behavioural studies on individual organisms, to ecological studies on populations, communities and ecosystems. A suite of strategically placed field stations on islands, on coasts and inland promote field research. The Australian Centre for Ancient DNA is a research initiative within Ecology & Evolutionary Biology which will study evolution and environmental change through time using preserved genetic records in human, animal, plant and sedimentary material. Professor Alan Cooper from Oxford University, one of the world leaders in the field of fragmentary DNA research, was awarded a Federation Fellowship to establish this Centre. With Professor Cooper's expertise and collaborative support from organisations such as the SA Museum and the Botanic Gardens, Adelaide is set to become an international centre for genetic palaeoenvironmental research. Key research themes include:
Further information on specific research projects. Geology and GeophysicsGeology and Geophysics research enquires into earth materials and earth structures, into earth processes and earth history, and thus is central to the human concerns of earth resources and earth environments. The Discipline has an outstanding record of achievement in a broad range of research fields as evident by consistently high levels of international publications and conference presentations, extensive funding from government agencies (ARC large and collaborative grant schemes, ARC fellowship scheme) and collaboration with government organisations, corporations and industry groups and by numerous active links with international research groups. Specific research interests include:
Further information on specific research projects. Soil and Land SystemsSoil and Land Systems focuses on the management of resources in natural and agro-ecosystems, aimed at environmental and agricultural sustainability and soil health. Researchers address issues related to growing crops, pastures and trees, particularly in dryland farming environments and soils adversely affected by salinity and sodicity; soil biological processes particularly related to nutrient cycling and plant growth; soil structure and organic matter; water quality in catchments; soil water management; environmental contamination, toxicology and bioremediation, waste recycling. Basic research in the dynamics of root growth, mycorrhizal symbioses, clay cohesion underpins strategic and applied projects including the Eyre Peninsula Farming Systems Project. We are interested in economic viability and planning of rural businesses as well as environmental sustainability. Areas of expertise include:
Further information on specific research projects.
Australian School of PetroleumPhone: 61 8 8303 8010 The Australian School of Petroleum (ASP) is Australia's pre-eminent centre for education, training and research in petroleum geoscience, engineering and management. Research within ASP focuses on underground engineering management of petroleum liquid and gas reservoirs, with the overall aim of understanding and reducing risk for the petroleum industry and to foster cooperation between the petroleum industry, academia and government, for mutual benefit, and of the society at large. ASP's research programs include:
Further information on specific research projects.
School of Molecular and Biomedical ScienceContact: Academic Programs Officer The School of Molecular and Biomedical Science has been outstandingly successful in producing biochemists, molecular geneticists, microbiologists and physiologists who have attained national and international prominence in their fields. The School consists of the disciplines of Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology & Immunology and Physiology and the principal research areas include: an understanding of and potential cures for major diseases such as cancer, neurological disorders, developmental abnormalities, genetic and viral diseases, chronic inflammatory diseases, and bacterial infections. The School has collaborated with two Cooperative Research Centres (the former CRC for Tissue Growth & Repair and the CRC for Biological Control of Pest Animals), and houses the Special Research Centre for Molecular Genetics of Development. The School is an integral part of the Australian Stem Cell Centre (ASCC), Australia's Biotechnology Centre of Excellence, and houses the University's Healthy Ageing Research Cluster. The school also houses the Network in Genes and Environment in Development (NGED). There are further strong interactions with the research centre for Reproductive Health, and the Research Clusters for Healthy Development, and for Computational Neuroscience. The Adelaide Proteomics Centre is located within the School and houses state-of-the-art proteomics equipment, including a MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometer, the most advanced instrument of its kind in Australia. This technology will enable researchers to maintain and extend their leading edge cancer research. Co-localised with the Adelaide Proteomics Centre is also the Adelaide Microarray Facility responsible for the global analysis of gene expression in cells and tissues using modern DNA chip technology. BiochemistryResearchers within Biochemistry are internationally renowned for their cutting edge research in areas such as stem cell therapy, protein structure and function interactions, understanding gene regulation in different tissues, during development and understanding the control of cell proliferation during early development. Applications of this research have the potential to be used in the treatment of a number of diseases, for example Stem Cell Therapy has the potential to be used in the treatment of any disease caused by cell damage or dysfunction. Examples of specific research projects include:
Further information on specific research projects. GeneticsGenetics is concerned with the nature of the genetic material, its replication, transmission, organisation, expression and its role in development, behaviour, ecology and evolution. The genetic information controls the development, behaviour and reproduction of all biological organisms. Variation in this genetic information underpins biological evolution and heredity including the inheritance of genetic disease. Consequently, Genetics is a unifying discipline of biology because genes are the principal determinants of all life processes. Major research themes include:
Further information on specific research projects. Microbiology and ImmunologyThe Discipline offers research education in the fields of molecular biology, microbiology, immunology and virology. Investigations in immunobiology focus on inflammatory diseases and immunoparasitology. Animal models of multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and asthma are used to study the mechanisms responsible for local tissue damage. Complementary information is gained by studying the inflammatory responses to parasites. The research conducted within Microbiology is at the forefront of international efforts to understand the complex interactions between pathogenic bacteria and their hosts. Virology research within the School involves study of bacterial viruses and viruses leading to persistent infections of man - hepatitis viruses, HIV/AIDS, herpes and papillomaviruses - each of which have complex relationships with the infected host, and each of which can cause progressive long-term diseases including cancer. In addition to fully equipped laboratories, researchers have access to state of the art facilities for DNA sequencing, real time PCR, confocal microscopy, high speed flow cytometry and cell sorting, DNA microarray preparation and analysis, and high throughput proteomics. Specific research projects include:
Further information on specific research projects. PhysiologyThe Discipline of Physiology offers postgraduate research training within its three major research groupings: Cellular Physiology and Neurobiology, Human Movement and Endocrinology, Growth & Development. These groupings consist of internationally recognised internal and external research laboratories, each having substantial national and international competitive grant funding. Nationally, the Discipline was ranked first amongst cognate departments for research publications and research higher degree load, and second for national competitive grant income, in recent years. Research training is supported by a wide range of modern facilities and equipment, with recent expansion of the SA Facility for Cellular Imaging and Ion Channel Analysis and the Molecular Biology Facility with real-time PCR. Specific areas of research include:
Further information on specific research projects.
Special Research Centre for the Molecular Genetics of DevelopmentThe Special Research Centre for the Molecular Genetics of Development (CMGD) was established to work towards a molecular understanding of the rules and mechanisms that govern the behaviour of cells during development. A key focus of the research of the Centre is to investigate molecular processes that underpin cell behaviour during development. The CMGD also has key interests in the application of Developmental Biology research to problems in human health and development. Research themes include:
Further information on specific research projects. |
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