DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY POSTGRADUATE STUDY Applying to do Postgraduate Research Postgraduate Degrees Scholarships International Students Current Students Seminars and Literature Review Bosch Young Investigators ASCEPT Postgraduate Research Support Scheme Annual Interviews Postgraduate Committee APPLYING TO DO POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH Student interested in Postgraduate Research in Pharmacology should first read the information on this web site and then contact Robert Vandenberg (robv@pharmacol.usyd.edu.au ) for further information. POSTGRADUATE DEGREES The contribution of postgraduate students to the research and general environment of the Department is highly regarded, with much research being directly performed by postgraduate students. Listed below is a brief outline of the postgraduate research degrees which may be undertaken in the Department of Pharmacology: Master of Philosophy (MPhil) Graduates may enrol for the degree of Master of Philosophy, by research and thesis. Candidature lasts from two to three years Enrolment for this degree is made through the Faculty of Medicine. The candidate is expected to complete an appropriate research project and submit a thesis. The student conducts research under the supervision of a member of the academic staff of the department, and therefore becomes a member of the research team of the supervisor's laboratory. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Candidates for the PhD degree must be graduates, usually of either Science or Medicine, and are expected to complete an appropriate research project and submit a thesis. The student conducts research under the supervision of a member of the academic staff of the department, and therefore becomes a member of the research team of the supervisor's laboratory. Most full-time students are funded by one of the following: Australian Postgraduate Awards (APAs); University of Sydney Postgraduate Awards; Faculty Scholarships; National Health and Medical Research Council Scholarships; and independent scholarships funded by research grants and foundations (see below for application details). Students wishing to be considered for PhD or MPhil candidatures in the Discipline of Pharmacology should proceed as follows: Look carefully at the current Research of the various academic staff Either contact the staff member directly to enquire about the possibility of proceeding towards a higher degree under his/her supervision, or contact the Postgraduate Coordinator - Dr Robert Vandenberg - email: robv@pharmacol.usyd.edu.au or Ph +61-2-9351-6734, indicating those people under whose supervision you might wish to study. Send a complete curriculum vitae, including grades obtained in various undergraduate courses. Also send letters of support from at least two academic referees who can comment on your suitability for postgraduate research training. You will be advised as soon as possible as to whether or not the Department is willing to support an application by you for the appropriate degree. At this stage you should contact the Postgraduate Administration Office to obtain application forms. Students normally commence postgraduate candidature at the beginning of 1st Semester (late February - early March), but it is possible to commence at the beginning of 2nd Semester (late July). POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS A number of postgraduate scholarships are available for students. The following is a list of scholarship and the approximate closing dates for applications: Australian Postgraduate Awards - October University Postgraduate Research Awards - June and October International Postgraduate Research Scholarships - August Students can apply for an APA before they enrol in a research degree or in any of the subsequent years of their candidature. University Postgraduate Research Awards are only available for newly enrolling students. The Research and Scholarships Office has more details and forms for scholarship applications. For more detailed information about the requirements for postgraduate study at the University of Sydney, follow this link: Postgraduate Handbook (on line copy of the University's Postgraduate Studies Handbook; provides information about degree regulations, contact names of postgraduate co-ordinators in faculties and departments, etc.) INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Prospective international students should visit the International Office web page, as it contains information about applying to study at the University of Sydney, fees, scholarships, cost of living, accommodation, services for international students, etc. International students can also make enquiries through the Ministry of Education of their own government about international cooperation plans and scholarship schemes. Useful information about postgraduate study, and resources available for students, is located on the home page of SUPRA (Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association) CURRENT STUDENTS Seminars and Literature Review Bosch Young Investigators ASCEPT Postgraduate Research Support Scheme Annual Interviews Postgraduate Studies Committee Seminars and Literature Review When students enrol in a postgraduate degree they are admitted as a probationary student for 1 year. At the end of the first year all students must complete a literature review of the research topic and present a short seminar to the Discipline on their research topic. If a student fails to complete these tasks their candidature will be terminated. All postgraduate students are expected to attend the weekly seminars, which are generously supported by the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists. Lunch is provided at the seminars. Bosch Young Investigators Research students in the discipline of Pharmacology are members of the Bosch Institute (http://www.bosch.org.au/), which is a multidisciplinary Research Institute of the Faculty of Medicine. The Bosch Institute runs various programs in which students are encouraged to participate. Some of the events include: Monthly Postgraduate and Postdoctoral Research Seminars (Friday afternoons, once per month and includes free drinks and food! Annual Young Investigators Symposium, which is held in early December in which the best research conducted by postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers is presented Young Investigators Retreat, a 2 day meeting at Kiola, on the South Coast of NSW. Bosch Special Seminars, presented by some of the leading researchers in Australia. Bosch Annual Scientific Meeting, a 1 day meeting that focuses on a topic of major importance to human health. Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT) Research students are encouraged to join ASCEPT, which holds an annual scientific meeting at the various capital cities around Australia and New Zealand. ASCEPT provides travel grants for all students presenting at the Annual Scientific conference, which usually covers the cost of a return airfare to the conference. Every second year the ASCEPT scientific conference is held as part of the Australian Health and Medical Research Congress, which is a large multidisciplinary meeting. Postgraduate Research Support Scheme The University provide funds for the support of research activities of students. These funds can be used for Travel to conferences, purchase of small items of equipment or consumeables for the research project.. PhD students can apply for this funding on 3 occasions during their candidature and MPhil students can apply twice during their candidature. In most years, the standard allocation is approximately $500, but it is hoped that all students will receive one allocation during their candidature of up to $1000 for travel to an International conference. To be eligible for this support, students must present a short seminar to the Discipline. Annual Interviews and Postgraduate Studies Committee The Postgraduate Studies Committee reviews the progress of each postgraduate student in the Department. The Committee consists of members of the Pharmacology Research Committee. The Committee interviews each postgraduate student annually, commencing in the first year of candidature. The interview is designed to check on the student's progress and to enable the student to voice any concerns about his/her candidature. Complaints by candidates and disputes between candidates and supervisors are dealt with by the appropriate member of the Committee, and other suggestions made by students during the interview may be incorporated into Departmental policy where applicable. PhD THESIS PRODUCTION AND EXAMINATION APA and UPA scholarship holders are allocated funds for the production of their PhD thesis. All students should contact the Research Office to obtain more information about their entitlements.For students without a scholarship, the Discipline of Pharmacology will support the production costs of the thesis. The PhD thesis is examined by 3 independent examiners, who are nominated by the supervisor. Students are allowed to discuss potential examiners with their supervisor, but the final choice of examiners is by the supervisor and the student should not be aware of the final choices. The examiner nomination form can be obtained from the Postgraduate Research Office web site and should be filled out and sent to the Postgraduate Coordinator (Robert Vandenberg robv@med.usyd.edu.au) for endorsing before it is sent to the Board of Postgraduate Studies for ratification. Supervisors are encouraged to organise examiners approximately 3 months prior to the expected thesis submission date. [Research Page] [Lecturing Staff Page] [Department of Pharmacology Home Page] This page is maintained by Robert Vandenberg (robv@pharmacol.usyd.edu.au) Date of last update: 3 June 2008