Available Projects
Many of these PhD projects may be eligible for the various scholarship opportunities offered by CDU.
- Strengthening the remote multidisciplinary health workforce – Alexandra Edelman
- Genomic Surveillance Strategies for Malaria Control Programs: Economic Evaluation and Open-Access Tool Development– Associate Professor Angela Devine
- Improving outcomes of recurrent preschool wheeze: a multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) with biomarker discovery– Professor Anne Chang
- Further insights from the Darwin Prospective Melioidosis Study – Professor Bart Currie
- Improving pregnancy outcomes through perinatal data audit at Port Moresby General Hospital, Papua New Guinea– A/Prof Holger Unger
- Atypical bacteria in chronic suppurative otitis media – Dr Jemima Beissbarth
- NEARER ECHO: task-sharing echocardiography for improved diagnosis and care of people with rheumatic heart disease– Professor Joshua Francis
- Improving community engagement in clinical trials– Professor Kamala Thriemer
- MicroD-Kids: Vitamin D, the infant microbiome and respiratory infection risk– Associate Professor Michael Binks
- Life-course and intergenerational pathways to chronic disease in Indigenous populations– Associate Professor Oyelola Adegboye
- Treating P. vivax malaria with artemisinin combination therapies and tafenoquine – Dr. Robert Commons
- Exploring the ‘lost’ traditional practices of Menarche in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea– Dr Sophie Pascoe
- Characterization of the hidden splenic burden of malaria in Africa– Dr Steven Kho
- Climate preparedness in very remote communities: a citizen science approach– Associate Professor Supriya Mathew
Strengthening the remote multidisciplinary health workforce
(Currently Available)
A/Prof Edelman leads the Wellbeing and Preventable Chronic Diseases Division and the Remote Health Systems and Climate Change Centre in Menzies. She has over 20 years’ experience working in health-related academic and policy roles in northern Queensland and the Northern Territory. Originally based in WA’s Kimberley region and now leading teams in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), A/Prof Edelman is focussed on rural and remote health in Australia as well as systems strengthening in low-resource settings with the World Health Organization. Her expertise as a researcher is in the fields of health systems, policy, knowledge translation, and qualitative/mixed methods research.
Project details
Project Title: Strengthening the remote multidisciplinary health workforce
Field of Research: Health policy and systems research
Project Summary: Health systems in remote Australia are broken. Workforce shortages, non-viable services, and fragmentation of care persist. Remote health services often struggle to keep clinics open, with many clinics forced to close or offer reduced services. Residents of remote areas of Australia, characterised by the poorest health status and greatest health needs, and many with multiple complex chronic diseases, are bearing the brunt of the current health system crisis and marked decline in access to critical services, especially primary health care. The aim of this project is to map health workforce gaps and needs and co-generate strategies to strengthen the multidisciplinary health workforce in remote contexts. Details of the research plan will be co-developed with the student/s. It is anticipated that the research will include at least one literature review using systematic methods and both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The research will be informed by place-based and participatory research frameworks and involve appropriate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance and capacity building to ensure benefits for First Nations peoples in remote Australia.
NB: This project is available only for Domestic applicants
Skillset of the student/applicant: Domestic student with an interest in health policy and systems research and health equity. Ideally based in Alice Springs or elsewhere in rural/remote Australia.
Genomic Surveillance Strategies for Malaria Control Programs: Economic Evaluation and Open-Access Tool Development
(Currently Available)
Angela Devine’s primary research interest is in providing policy-relevant economic evidence on the control and treatment of malaria. Her broader interests in infectious diseases extend from malaria to HIV, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, antimicrobial resistance, and dengue. Methodological research interests include the joint costs and consequences of co-infections, the measurement and valuation of productivity losses, and the development of online tools to address policy decisions.
Project details
Project Title: Genomic Surveillance Strategies for Malaria Control Programs: Economic Evaluation and Open-Access Tool Development
Field of Research: Health economics
Project Summary: This PhD project will estimate the costs and cost-effectiveness of new genomic and surveillance techniques for malaria, generating evidence to inform policy decisions and their integration into National Malaria Control and Elimination Programs. These new genomic and surveillance techniques have the potential to move countries towards malaria elimination more quickly, but this promise is not being realised to its full potential as the trade-offs between cost and impact are not well understood. This project will inform future decisions about what tools provide the best the value for money.
NB: This project is available only for International applicants
Skillset of the student/applicant: The ideal student will have previous education and experience in economic evaluation. Strong quantitative skills, coding, and a drive to learn are also required. Experience or interest in malaria and other infectious diseases would be a plus.
Improving outcomes of recurrent preschool wheeze: a multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) with biomarker discovery
(Currently Available)
Professor Anne Chang, a NHMRC leadership 3 fellow, is an internationally recognised clinician‑scientist and leader in paediatric respiratory medicine. She pioneered the paradigm linking protracted bacterial bronchitis with bronchiectasis, transforming global understanding of chronic cough in children. As Head of the Child Health Division at Menzies School of Health Research and a senior respiratory physician at Queensland Children’s Hospital, she leads multicentre trials, advances evidence‑based care, and champions equity for Indigenous and underserved populations. A dedicated mentor, she has built research capacity nationally and internationally, shaping the next generation of respiratory clinicians and researchers.
Project details
Project Title: Improving outcomes of recurrent preschool wheeze: a multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) with biomarker discovery
Field of Research: Respiratory Diseases in Children
Project Summary: Wheezing in preschool children and those with asthma are very common problems. Yet, doctors often disagree with parents (>50%) whether wheeze is present. We plan a multicentre study where we will use a portable technology that objectively detects wheeze (WheezeScan) with a management plan to determine if this tech reduces unscheduled doctor visits/hospitalisations and improves quality of life. We also plan a discovery arm based on pilot data using blood gene expression markers and saliva extracellular vesicles. Our study undertaken in Brisbane, Indigenous Outreach clinics, Sydney, Melb, Perth and Darwin will recruit 206 children.
NB: This project is available only for Domestic applicants
Skillset of the student/applicant: A scholar with a clinical background who is interested in randomised controlled trials
Further insights from the Darwin Prospective Melioidosis Study
(Currently Available)
Bart Currie is an infectious diseases and public health physician at Royal Darwin Hospital and Professor in Medicine at the Northern Territory Medical Program. He leads the Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases team at Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University. Previous roles include Director of Rheumatic Heart Disease Australia, Director of HOT NORTH (NHMRC-funded Improving Health Outcomes across Northern Australia Program), member of the National COVID-19 Health and Research Advisory Committee (NCHRAC), and member of the Technical Reference Group for the Australian Government’s Regional Health Security Initiative. He began the Darwin Prospective Melioidosis Study 35 years ago and the Menzies melioidosis team collaborate and publish on melioidosis with colleagues globally. He is a founding member of the International Melioidosis Network.
Project details
Project Title: Further insights from the Darwin Prospective Melioidosis Study
Field of Research: Infectious Diseases and Public Health
Project Summary: As of February 2026, the Darwin Prospective Melioidosis Study has documented 1538 cases of culture-confirmed melioidosis, with 159 (10%) being fatal. Each case has data on demography, clinical risk factors, occupational and recreational exposures, clinical presentation, laboratory and radiological parameters, therapy and outcomes. In addition, the bacterial genomes from the infecting strain of Burkholderia pseudomallei are available for 95% of the individual cases. This unique and rich dataset enables analysis and addressing multiple hypotheses around nature of infection, disease presentation and progression and outcomes and the influence of potential virulence determinants of the bacteria and their diversity.
NB: This project is available only for Domestic applicants
Skillset of the student/applicant: We seek either a medical graduate or a graduate from other health professions who has enthusiasm and capacity for analysing datasets that include clinical information as well as epidemiology. An additional interest in pathogen genomics would be helpful.
Improving pregnancy outcomes through perinatal data audit at Port Moresby General Hospital, Papua New Guinea
(Currently Available)
A/Prof Holger Unger is a Principal Research Fellow at Menzies and a staff specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology at Royal Darwin Hospital. His research focuses on developing new interventions for prevention of malaria in pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes in the Asia-Pacific region. Working with partners in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Bangladesh, he conducts clinical trials, observational research studies, individual participant data meta-analyses, and qualitative research.
Project details
Project Title: Improving pregnancy outcomes through perinatal data audit at Port Moresby General Hospital, Papua New Guinea
Field of Research: Health Science, Maternal and Child Health
Project Summary: Perinatal audit is a critical tool to reduce adverse perinatal outcomes such as maternal and perinatal death. Perinatal audit requires systematic and continuous collection of perinatal data in birthing units. Port Moresby General Hospital in Papua New Guinea, where rates of maternal and neonatal death are high, caters for up to 14,000 births per annum. This project aims to review current data collection practices to establish an online perinatal database that enables the identification of preventable risk factors for maternal and perinatal deaths and near-misses.
NB: This project is available only for International applicants.
Skillset of the student/applicant: The study requires a clinician and Master level student (i.e, has obtained Master in Public Health or Clinical Research). Ideally, the student would be from Port Moresby General Hospital and an obstetrician or midwife.
Atypical bacteria in chronic suppurative otitis media
(Currently Available)
Dr Jemima Beissbarth (PhD, GCClinEpi, BSc, BT) is an early career researcher, developing a program in chronic suppurative otitis media aetiology and treatment, and prevention of progression to chronic ear disease for infants. With a laboratory background, she has particular interest prevention or hinderance of bacterial colonisation to prevent early infections. She also is passionate about evidence-based treatment clinical trials to improve outcomes for children with otitis media, especially for severe infections where current best practice treatments are often ineffective.
Project details
Project Title: Atypical bacteria in chronic suppurative otitis media
Field of Research: Clinical microbiology
Project Summary: Our ear discharge bacteriome analysis of chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) identified a genus rarely reported in ears. Culture targeting this atypical genus recovered Oligella urethralis and a novel (new) Oligella species we have named Oligella otitidis.
This project will progress understanding of whether O. otitidis may contribute to CSOM pathogenesis, and whether Oligella are present across different CSOM populations. Our aims are: i) use bacteriome analysis to guide culture-based recovery, establish antibiotic susceptibility, and determine genomic diversity, ii) determine whether Oligella is present in different populations; iii) Develop a PCR assay to support detection and identification.
NB: This project is available only for Domestic applicants
Skillset of the student/applicant: This project would suit a student with laboratory experience in microbiology and molecular methods, and interest in bioinformatics.
NEARER ECHO: task-sharing echocardiography for improved diagnosis and care of people with rheumatic heart disease
(Currently Available)
Professor Joshua Francis is a Paediatric Infectious Diseases Physician at Royal Darwin Hospital, and a Senior Principal Research Fellow at Menzies School of Health Research. He leads programs in Timor-Leste and the Northern Territory focused on teaching, capacity strengthening, health systems improvement and research. His research is based on a principle of ‘akompana’, partnering with community and local research and health leaders, to develop, implement and evaluate strategies for tackling priority health challenges including rheumatic heart disease, tuberculosis and antimicrobial resistance.
Project details
Project Title: NEARER ECHO: task-sharing echocardiography for improved diagnosis and care of people with rheumatic heart disease
Field of Research: Health science, public health, cardiovascular medicine, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing
Project Summary: The Non-Expert Acquisition and Remote Expert Review Echocardiography in Communities to improve Health Outcomes (NEARER ECHO) study is a type II effectiveness-implementation hybrid study, evaluating implementation of task-sharing echocardiography for early detection and improved care for people with rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in high-risk populations in the Northern Territory and Timor-Leste. The PhD student will contribute to co-design of implementation strategies using human centred design principles and an approach called akompana, and conduct mixed methods evaluation using developmental evaluation and quasi-experimental evaluation of implementation measures, health economic evaluation, and quantitative evaluation of clinical impacts of implementation.
NB: This project is available only for International applicants.
Skillset of the student/applicant: The student will lead on implementation evaluation, with supervision and support from an experienced team who are committed to working effectively with and listening to communities, and developing strategies for RHD detection and follow-up that can be sustainably implemented at scale. Interested candidates should be willing to travel to remote communities, have excellent listening and communication skills, and some background experience in health research. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and Timorese citizens are strongly encouraged to apply.
Improving community engagement in clinical trials
(Currently Available)
Prof Kamala Thriemer leads large scale multi-center clinical trials to optimise malaria treatments. Closely linked to her clinical research she has an emerging program focused on improving community engagement within medical research.
Project details
Project Title: Improving community engagement in clinical trials
Field of Research: Health
Project Summary: The aim of this PhD project is to improve and expand community engagement in the Menzies School of Health Research malaria clinical trial research program in Ethiopia. This will be achieved through a set of studies including a systematic literature review mapping community engagement mechanism in low- and middle-income countries, formative research to inform the establishment of a local community advisory board and to assess it’s feasibility and acceptability.
NB: This project is available only for International applicants.
Skillset of the student/applicant: The ideal candidate will have formal training in public health and experience working within clinical trials in low- and middle-income country settings. Strong skills in qualitative and quantitative research, Good Clinical Practice, and ethical conduct are essential. Prior involvement in malaria trials and peer-reviewed publications would be highly advantageous, enabling the candidate to contribute directly to strengthening community engagement within ongoing trials.
MicroD-Kids: Vitamin D, the infant microbiome and respiratory infection risk
(Currently Available)
Associate Professor Michael Binks is a Principal Research Fellow and Program Leader in the Maternal and Child Health Division at Menzies School of Health Research in the Northern Territory of Australia, and an Honorary Research Fellow at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute. He holds a BSc from Monash University, a BHSc from the Australian College of Nutritional Medicine, and a PhD from Charles Darwin University. He is a biomedical scientist, epidemiologist, and clinical trialist whose research focuses on preventing respiratory infections in high-risk infants, particularly First Nations children, through vaccine, nutritional, and microbiological studies.
Project details
Project Title: MicroD-Kids: Vitamin D, the infant microbiome and respiratory infection risk
Field of Research: Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine; Nutrition and Dietetics; Microbiology
Project Summary: Acute respiratory infections are a leading cause of hospitalisation in First Nations infants. This PhD will investigate whether maternal and early infant vitamin D supplementation influences microbiome development and infection risk in the first year of life. The student will analyse longitudinal stool, nasal and breast milk samples from a completed clinical trial using microbiome sequencing and integrated modelling approaches. This project offers the opportunity to generate new insights into early immune development and identify prevention strategies to improve respiratory health outcomes for First Nations infants.
NB: This project is available only for Domestic applicants
Skillset of the student/applicant: The ideal candidate will have a background in biomedical science, microbiology, public health, or a related field, and an interest in early-life health, microbiome research or infection prevention. They should be curious, motivated and comfortable working with complex biological and clinical data. Experience in laboratory methods, bioinformatics or statistical analysis would be advantageous but not essential. A willingness to engage in translational and community-informed research aimed at improving First Nations child health is important.
Life-course and intergenerational pathways to chronic disease in Indigenous populations
(Currently Available)
Oyelola Adegboye is an Associate Professor of Biostatistics at the Menzies School of Health Research. He holds a PhD in Statistics from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, and an MSc in Biostatistics from Hasselt University, Belgium. He is a chartered and accredited statistician with extensive experience in public health research and adheres to the highest ethical standards. A/Prof Adegboye’s career spans over two decades, including academic and applied research roles across Africa, the Middle East, and Australia. A/Prof Adegboye’s research integrates biostatistics, spatial epidemiology, and environmental health, with a strong focus on chronic conditions, infectious diseases, climate-health interactions, maternal and child health, and Indigenous health equity.
Project details
Project Title: Life-course and intergenerational pathways to chronic disease in Indigenous populations
Field of Research: Epidemiology, Clinical sciences, Health services and systems
Project Summary: Social and cultural practices, environmental factors, and policy decisions interact to shape health outcomes. This project examines the developmental and intergenerational origins of chronic disease through a life-course and syndemic framework. Leveraging linked longitudinal data, this study adopts a syndemic approach to investigate the clustering of health conditions, such as diabetes and kidney disease, within the Indigenous population of the NT. It also explores how the interplay of climate factors (heat, rain, drought), environmental factors (water, housing), social elements (food security, unemployment), and policy areas (health, education) influences intergenerational health outcomes.
NB: This project is available only for International applicants.
Skillset of the student/applicant: We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate with a strong quantitative background in biostatistics, epidemiology, public health, or health data science. Applicants should have prior experience using statistical software such as R, Python, or Stata for data analysis and be comfortable working with large, complex datasets. Experience in longitudinal or survival analysis is desirable. Candidates should demonstrate interest in life-course epidemiology, chronic disease prevention, and Indigenous health, and be willing to engage in culturally safe, community-informed research practices.
Treating P. vivax malaria with artemisinin combination therapies and tafenoquine
(Currently Available)
Rob Commons is an infectious diseases and general medicine physician who completed his undergraduate medical degree at The University of Melbourne in 2006 in combination with a Bachelor of Medical Science. He completed his physician training in 2013 while concurrently undertaking a Masters of Public Health and Tropical Medicine through James Cook University. His PhD, which he completed in 2019, investigated primaquine as a radical cure for Plasmodium vivax malaria through the Tropical Medicine Division of Menzies. He continues to research ways to improve vivax radical cure, including undertaking large pooled individual patient data meta-analyses through an extended collaboration with the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN). His research program has a substantial focus on data synthesis, including undertaking systematic reviews, individual patient data meta-analyses and translation of findings into guidelines.
Project details
Project Title: Treating P. vivax malaria with artemisinin combination therapies and tafenoquine
Field of Research: Health
Project Summary: This PhD project will evaluate the efficacy and safety of tafenoquine when co-administered with artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) for the radical cure of Plasmodium vivax malaria, addressing a critical barrier to wider tafenoquine implementation. The research combines a systematic review, a randomized controlled trial in Indonesia, and pooled analysis of international clinical trial data. By generating robust evidence across diverse endemic settings, the project aims to inform optimal treatment strategies and support policy changes that enable broader use of tafenoquine alongside ACTs, improving treatment effectiveness and contributing to global malaria elimination efforts.
NB: This project is available only for International applicants.
Skillset of the student/applicant: We are seeking an Indonesian clinician with specialist training in internal medicine or infectious diseases and strong experience in clinical research and trials. The ideal candidate will be embedded in ongoing malaria research in Indonesia, with prior roles as investigator or sub-investigator in clinical trials, training in Good Clinical Practice, and demonstrated academic productivity. Experience in randomized trials, data analysis, and collaboration with international research teams will ensure successful trial implementation, analysis, and translation of findings into policy and practice.
Exploring the ‘lost’ traditional practices of Menarche in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea
(Currently Available)
Dr Sophie Pascoe is a qualitative researcher focused on consumer-led and locally-grounded projects that directly inform health policy and practice. She has experience collaborating with communities in Northern Australia, Papua New Guinea and Bougainville. Her research interests include Indigenous health, climate change and gender. She lectures in Global Health and Qualitative Research and supervises both Masters and PhD students.
Project details
Project Title: Exploring the ‘lost’ traditional practices of Menarche in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea
Field of Research: Women’s Health
Project Summary: The aim of this research is to understand the intersections between Menarche, Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) and Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and how these intersections are mediated through cultural practices and gender relations. Menarche represents a critical opportunity to introduce adolescent girls to MHH and SRH. To influence health policy and programmes, it is crucial to understand and explore the sociocultural dimensions of menstrual health, including women’s experiences at Menarche and how these influence their MHH and SRH journeys.
NB: This project is available only for Domestic applicants
Skillset of the student/applicant: This project has been designed for a student with expertise in qualitative research, grounded understanding of social and cultural determinants of health and commitment to improving women’s health in Papua New Guinea. Ability to speak Tok Pisin and/or Tok Ples is highly desirable. Capacity to undertake remote, ethnographic fieldwork is required.
Characterization of the hidden splenic burden of malaria in Africa
(Currently Available)
Dr Steven Kho is a Senior Research Fellow at Menzies and leads an international malaria spleen program. He holds a PhD from CDU (2019) and BSc (first-class Honours) from University of WA (2010). His discoveries in malaria have transformed Plasmodium biology, redefining malaria into an infection of the spleen sustained by novel intrasplenic lifecycles. His current work aims to define its mechanistic biology and to target the spleen to reduce global malaria burden. Dr Kho has published in top medical journals, received major awards and competitive grants, and leads an expanding field and laboratory research team across Australia, Indonesia and Africa.
Project details
Project Title: Characterization of the hidden splenic burden of malaria in Africa
Field of Research: Malaria (parasitology, molecular biology, immunology, bioinformatics)
Project Summary: Malaria is a parasitic disease causing >600,000 deaths annually, mostly African children. Our studies in Indonesia have reshaped malaria biology, revealing a large hidden reservoir of malaria parasites in the adult spleen and previously unrecognised intrasplenic lifecycles. Outstanding questions include magnitude and biology of splenic reservoir in children and African populations, where transmission is highest. This project will analyse spleen and blood samples from Ugandan children/adults with current or past malaria using advanced molecular, imaging, and bioinformatic approaches to assess parasite biomass, parasite genetic diversity, transcriptomics host-parasite interactions. Results may lead to improve malaria detection, prevention, and treatment strategies.
NB: This project is available only for Domestic applicants
Skillset of the student/applicant: We seek a PhD student with skills in parasitology, molecular biology and bioinformatics. Prior malaria research experience in these areas will be highly desirable.
Climate preparedness in very remote communities: a citizen science approach
(Currently Available)
Associate Professor Supriya Mathew is Co-Lead of the Remote Health Systems and Climate Change Centre (RHC3) in Alice Springs. She established the climate change program at Menzies, which has secured more than $8 million in funding over the past five years from major national and international funders, including the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, the Medical Research Future Fund, the National Health and Medical Research Council, and the Wellcome Trust. Her work focuses on the intersection of climate change, community resilience, and equity in remote Australia, supporting locally led solutions that strengthen health and wellbeing in the face of a changing climate.
Project details
Project Title: Climate preparedness in very remote communities: a citizen science approach
Field of Research: Climate change
Project Summary: Aboriginal people living in very remote desert communities hold strong local environmental knowledge to inform effective climate adaptation. At the same time, remote desert communities are at risk to climatic changes due to geographic isolation, poor quality of infrastructure available to moderate extreme weather, limited economic resources, limited access to health services, existing health burdens and greater dependence on the environment for social, cultural and economic well-being. Primary Health Care (PHC) providers who operate at the local community level and have established relationships with community members can play a significant role in responding to climate change through the implementation of awareness programs, preventive health measures and supporting community advocacy. The project builds on the rationale that a “one-size-fits-all” adaptation approach that doesn’t consider the unique socio-economic and environmental circumstances of very remote Australian communities and PHC services will exacerbate climate change related health impacts. For effective climate adaptation in very remote communities, it is essential that researchers, remote service staff and remote community members work together to explore local environmental health impacts and co-design effective risk reduction measures. This project will synthesise local environmental knowledge, service staff observations, data from citizen scientists to design contextual and community acceptable risk reduction measures.
NB: This project is available only for Domestic applicants
Skillset of the student/applicant: Mixed methods expertise, with willingness to be based in central Australia
