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<TITLE>PhD scholarship available-The University of Melbourne (Australia)</TITLE>
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<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">A full PhD scholarship (approx. $18,837 p.a) is offered for a student to complete a PhD investigating the mechanisms involved in retinal degeneration. Students successful in gaining a Melbourne Research Scholarship or Australian Postgraduate Award will be offered a top-up scholarship.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">Retinitis Pigmentosa is a hereditary form of blindness that affects around 1:5000 people. There are currently no treatments available to combat the relentless loss of vision. This project will examine the changes that occur in retinal glial cells and the role these cells play in remodeling the retina. This has important implications for developing novel treatments such as retinal prostheses, implantation of retinal tissue, or stem cell therapy.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">Experimental work will involve histological and functional assays on rodent models of retinal degeneration. The work will be conducted in the Visual Neuroscience Laboratory within the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. However, a component of this project could involve an international exchange.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">The suitable student will be completing or have completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours) or equivalent, or be a graduate of a health related area (eg Medicine, dentristry, optometry). Although a detailed knowledge of vision is NOT required, some knowledge of any<U> one</U> of the following areas would be desirable: Anatomical techniques such as immunocytochemistry, neuroscience, pharmacology, biochemistry, pathology, or physiology. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">For further information please contact: Dr Erica Fletcher Tel: 8344-3218; Email: </FONT></SPAN><A HREF="mailto:elf@unimelb.edu.au"><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial">elf@unimelb.edu.au</FONT></U></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"></SPAN>
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<P><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">Dr Erica Fletcher, MScOptom PhD</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">Senior Lecturer</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">The University of Melbourne</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">Grattan St</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">Parkville 3010</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">Ph: Int+61-3-8344-3218</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">Fax: Int+61-3-9347-5219</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">Email: elf@unimelb.edu.au</FONT></SPAN>
<BR><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">Website: </FONT></SPAN><A HREF="http://www.anatomy.unimelb.edu.au/researchlabs/fletcher/index.html"><SPAN LANG="en-au"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" SIZE=2 FACE="Times New Roman">http://www.anatomy.unimelb.edu.au/researchlabs/fletcher/index.html</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-au"></SPAN>
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