Investigating Insect Olfactory System of Red Flour Beetle (Triboliumcastaneum)

PhD project

Investigating insect olfactory system of Red Flour Beetle (Triboliumcastaneum)

A PhD opportunity is available on a project under supervision of DrWei Xu and Prof Yonglin Ren of Murdoch University’s School of Veterinary and Life Sciences.

Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Entomologytechniques will be used to studyinsect olfactory system, and to explore the insect-food, insect-insect interactions and evolutions.The hostgroup has been working on insect chemical ecology for many years, and has access to a vast array of facilities and techniques in house and through collaboration. Existing knowledge and access to ample facilities provides an excellent platform for a motivated student to advance this field through the adoption of diverse approaches and methods.

This project is part of anARC DECRAproject DE160100382-Odorant recognition in insect olfactory system to control insect behaviour.The binding affinity of odorant binding proteins (OBPs) is an ideal molecular target to identify odorant based insectattractants from a large pool of compounds. However, our understanding of the molecular mechanism thatmediates chemoreception in insects is still limited. This project will provide valuable insight into the role of molecular recognition in the insect olfactory system. Further, this project will develop a new concept for screeningattractants using advanced biochemical screening andbiophysical methods. This will support more efficient and accurate identification of novel target compounds whichcould be used to impact the behaviours of crop pests and disease vectors.

Research partners in this project include University of California, Davis (UC Davis) and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). These institutions bring vast expertise and research capacity to this research program, and maintain a highly collaborative research culture. Accordingly, this project will be very well supported in terms of supervision, collaborative opportunities, facilities and funding.

The successful candidate will be based primarily at Murdoch University, where there is a large research community of Academics, Research Fellows and Research Students working on diverse aspects of insect, molecular biology and biochemistry.

This scholarship is available to eligible candidates to undertake:
Direct entry into a 3 year PhD program.
The value and tenure of the scholarship is:
» $30,000 pa for up to 3 years offer for direct entry to PhD.

To be eligible for a scholarship, applicants are expected to have a record of excellent academic performance and preferably additional relevant research experience and/or peer-reviewed research activity, awards and/or prizes in line with the University’s scholarship rating guidelines.

Enquiries are welcome, and interested applicants are encouraged to make initial informal contact before applying. Interested applicants should email a letter of interest, academic transcripts, curriculum vitae and the names and contact information of three referees to Dr Wei Xu () .

Closing Date: TBA, until position is filled

Wei Xu, PhD

Lecturer in Entomology

School of Veterinary and Life Sciences

Biological Sciences Building 1-008,

Murdoch University,

MURDOCH WA 6150

Phone: +61 08 93606772

Email: