PhD Global Excellence and Mobility Scholarship (GEMS 2027). Shotgun Metagenomic Profiling of Seasonal and Climatic Effects on Gut Microbiome and Resistome Dynamics in a Community Cohort

About the project

About the Project Climate change and extreme weather events are increasingly recognised as drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), yet their influence on the human gut microbiome and resistome remains poorly understood. This project will engage a community-based cohort to investigate climate-associated changes in gut microbial composition and AMR gene dynamics longitudinally. Serial stool samples will be collected from community participants and matched for sociodemographic and clinical factors. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing will be used to characterise gut microbiome and resistome. Metagenomic data will be integrated with open-source meteorological data. The outcome from this study will generate foundational evidence to inform AMR surveillance strategies and the design of climate-responsive public health interventions. The candidate selection criteria prioritize local candidates best equipped to manage on-the-ground community engagement, local hospital operations, and multi-scale data collection. Selection Criteria Essential Criteria Academic Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree requiring at least four years of full-time study with First Class Honours (H1) or a Master’s degree by research (H2A equivalent or CGPA ≥ 3.50) in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genomics, Microbiology, or a closely related discipline from a recognized university. English Language Proficiency: Meets Monash Graduate Education English Language Proficiency requirements (e.g., IELTS minimum overall score of 6.5 with no individual band below 6.0, or TOEFL/PTE equivalent). Core Technical Competencies: Demonstrated experience with high-throughput sequencing data analysis and proficiency in Unix/Linux command-line environments and statistical programming (R or Python). Residency & Field Access: Malaysian Citizenship or Permanent Residency (strongly desired due to the operational demands of longitudinal community cohort recruitment, local fieldwork coordination, and participant retention). Preferred Criteria Language Proficiency: Fluency in Malay language (spoken and written) to facilitate direct engagement and matched sociodemographic data collection with local community participants. Sample Handling & Data Management: Hands-on experience in managing human biological specimens (stool) and handling multivariate epidemiological datasets. For enquiries, please contact Dr Polly Yap For more information about this project, please visit our GEMS website. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to Apply When you apply for admission into your preferred degree program you will be able to select your scholarship type. No separate application is required. By clicking on a course , you will be directed to further information, including details on ‘How to Apply’. However, before applying for a GEMS, it is recommended that you first contact the main supervisor for this GEMS research topic. Please provide details of your academic background and achievements to the supervisor so that they can assess your suitability for the GEMS research topic you are interested in. Main Supervisor (Malaysia): Dr Polly Yap Associate Supervisor (Malaysia): Dr Vengadesh Letchumanan , Assoc. Prof. Chong Chun Wie Associate Supervisor (Australia): Prof. Anton Peleg , Dr Andre Mu

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