PhD Opportunities

For information about available projects please contact our Postgraduate Research Coordinator, Dr Gwénaëlle Proust, phone: 9036 9491. Why do a PhD? Underlying the outward appearance of objects and organisms in the world around us is a complex microstructure. It is the task of microscopy and microanalysis to explore this inner complexity and relate it to the functions of the organism or material. Research within the Australian Key Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis (AKCMM) involves the development of techniques and new methods in microscopy and microanalysis. This includes microscopy, tomography, diffraction and spectroscopy and imaging science. Breakthroughs in these areas provide the gateway to discovery for researchers in many fields of research endeavour. With the growth in high-tech fields such as biotechnology and nanotechnology, microscopy and microanalysis is set to play an increasingly important role. This is a particularly exciting time as there are many new instruments, approaches and technologies currently being developed. In addition to developing new approaches and techniques, the AKCMM is active in research to understand and design the properties and functions of materials, both organic and inorganic.

Scholarships
For information about scholarship opportunities, please refer to the Scholarships page.

The University of Sydney advantage
The AKCMM is the premier research facility in Australia in microscopy and microanalysis. It has the country’s most comprehensive array of imaging, analysis and specimen preparation equipment. While the AKCMM prides itself on its state-of-the-art instruments, it supports a full range of conventional instruments for optical, electron and X-ray imaging. The AKCMM is a foundation node of the Australian Microscopy & Microanalysis Research Facility (AMMRF) and serves as the facility-headquarters. Therefore, students undertake their study in a national research facility with access to a national grid of facilities including over $70M worth of infrastructure, over 120 staff and world-class equipment and support for understanding nanomolecular characteristics of materials. Students are encouraged to develop interactions with staff and students from other nodes of the facility and support is available for this.

Instruments available in the AKCMM include:

• Optical and confocal microscopes;
• Conventional scanning electron microscopes (SEMs), focussed ion beam microscope (FIB) and transmission electron microscopes (TEMs);
• Field-emission SEM for high-resolution surface studies;
• Near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM)
• Dedicated scanning transmission electron microscope for high-resolution analytical studies;
• Local electrode atom probes;
• Field-emission TEM for atomic-resolution imaging and high-resolution analysis;
• X-ray diffraction instruments, including high-temperature stages;
• X-ray fluorescence instrument;
• Micro-CT for non-destructive high-resolution X-ray tomographic studies;
• Scanned probe microscope;
• A wide range of specimen preparation equipment for both biological and physical specimen preparation.