Education

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Study Opportunities

The Department of Infectious Diseases (DID) is a premier centre for clinical and biomedical research and education, offering undergraduate and postgraduate study programs.

The Department integrates clinical services with clinical and basic science research. The clinical services work closely with research staff and laboratories are based within the Burnet Institute, with a presence within the Central Clinical School.

Supervisor Connect: find a research project

Information on the various groups and research areas being studied within the department can also be found via the Department of Infectious Disease Research homepage,

Student inquiries
Brian Price, Business Manager | E: brian.price@monash.edu | T: +61 3 9076 3981

Infectious Diseases PhD program

The Department of Infectious Diseases, The Alfred and Monash University is a world-leading clinical care and research centre that specialises in the fields of HIV medicine, Infections in Immunocompromised Hosts, Infections in the Intensive Care Unit, Hospital-associated Infections and Epidemiology, Antibiotic Resistance and Pathogenesis, Surgical Site Infections, Influenza, Viral Hepatitis, and International Public Health.

The Department of Infectious Diseases is committed to basic and clinical research that fosters innovation and strives for improvements in patient outcomes. As part of this commitment, the department offers a formalised PhD Program.

Please email the Department with a CV and short description of your PhD research interests to DIDConnect@alfred.org.au for further details.

Find out more about the program from the sections below.

This competitive program provides a three-year, comprehensive research experience for those interested in pursuing an academic career within a robust clinical department. The program provides resources, funding and mentorship to undertake doctoral studies, providing the foundation for future leaders in infectious diseases and microbiology research. Established links with international research centres will promote opportunities for international collaboration and exchange during doctoral studies and beyond. The Department of Infectious Diseases is located within the Alfred Research Alliance, facilitating integration with other research institutes and clinical services. For physicians, this unique program includes scope for clinical consultant sessions or equivalent through Alfred Health, embedding this research program within health service delivery.
The Department of Infectious Diseases PhD Program Structure is comprised of the following:
Preparation support
- Nomination and establishment of the supervisory team
- Assistance with formulation of the research question, design and plan
- Assistance with funding applications including Scholarship Funding and/or Research Funding, as required
- Establishment of the mentorship and career development pathways
Doctoral studies
Research support
- Assistance with Ethics Applications
- Assistance with patient recruitment and/or database support as required
- Statistical support/ Research Training
- One-on-one biostatistical assistance for study design and analysis, facilitated through Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
Infrastructure support
- Office space and computer support
- Laboratory and / or freezer space as required
Funding support
- Assistance with funding applications for scholarship and / or research support
- Candidates can apply for consideration of additional funding to cover:
  - Project costs (disposables/ drug purchase etc.)
  - Ongoing education costs (i.e. software courses, database courses etc.)
Clinical appointment
At the discretion of Professor Peleg, and in alignment with the clinical needs of the unit, there will be the potential for clinical appointment at Alfred Health through the Department of Infectious Diseases for physician candidates who will be based in Australia. Negotiable within their area of research and may include:
- Specialist Outpatient Clinic
- MBS billing clinical work
- Ward service
- Outreach services
- Composite of the above
Postdoctoral career
The Department will offer mentorship and assistance with postdoctoral research career including:
- Assistance with postdoctoral fellowship applications
- Fostering of local, national and international collaborations for fellowship and / or research
- Mentorship for ongoing clinician-investigator career development
- HIV
- Infections in Immunocompromised Hosts
- Hospital Epidemiology
- Antibiotic Resistance and / or Pathogenesis
- Surgical Site Infections
- Infections in the Intensive Care Unit
- Influenza Epidemiology
- Viral Hepatitis
- International Public Health
Dr Iain Abbott, MBBS FRACP FRCPA
Dr Iain Abbott completed dual Infectious Diseases and Microbiology training prior to enrolling in the PhD program with the Department of Infectious Diseases, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Monash University.
Having had to juggle clinical work and research projects during his Advanced Training, there was much appeal in now taking the opportunity to commit to full-time research. Faced with practical clinical problems such as treating critically ill patients with multidrug-resistant infections, Iain has embarked upon a research that targets antibiotic pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) in order to investigate how to optimise antibiotic therapy to improve efficacy and combat the emergence of resistance.
The first step in this research project was to identify who were the “big names” in antibiotic PK/PD and the emergence of resistance. Following that was then to make contact and see if collaborative research options were available. In this end, Iain has found himself at Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, collaborating with experts in the field of in-vitro PK/PD modelling.
Being immersed in self-directed research has been a complete life changing time, with many challenges and rewards along the way. Iain will continue in his work on developing in-vitro models of clinical infection syndromes to test the treatment effects, with a hope that his findings will not only inform clinical practice, but also help preserve existing antibiotics for future use. Iain will return to the Department of Infectious Diseases to complete his PhD.

Supervisors

Enquiries

Honours: Lia Schneider | E: stm.honours@monash.edu | +61 3 9903 9440
Graduate Research: Ms Sharmila Ramesh | E: stm.gradresearch@monash.edu | P: +61 3 9903 0368

Apply

Visit the School of Translational Medicine Education webpage for further information on the Undergraduate, Honours, Masters, PhD, Professional Development and Medical Education programs, application dates, information evenings and more.