Careers and study
Student opportunities
Explore research projects currently open for expressions of interest from Masters, Doctorate or PhD students.
AI, eyes and cardiovascular disease
Artificial intelligence system to detect eye and cardiovascular disease
Supervisor: Professor Mingguang He
Email: mingguang.he@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: PhD or MPhil
Retinal photography gives us the ability to visualise the retina, optic disc, macula and blood vessels. It is the most important, low-cost and non-invasive diagnostic tool for common eye diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy (DR), and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Artificial intelligence system to detect eye and cardiovascular disease
Supervisor: Professor Mingguang He
Email: mingguang.he@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: PhD or MPhil
Retinal photography gives us the ability to visualise the retina, optic disc, macula and blood vessels. It is the most important, low-cost and non-invasive diagnostic tool for common eye diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy (DR), and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
AI for early diagnosis
Integrating retinal photography and AI for improved early diagnosis of eye disease.
Supervisor: Professor Mingguang He
Email: mingguang.he@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: PhD or MPhil
Funded by an NHMRC Partnership Grant, this project will be based on Professor He’s current AI-based fundus image diagnosis system, a do-it-yourself (DIY) screening system that is less dependent on technicians for image acquisition, and less dependent on eye care professionals in the interpretation of clinical images.
Integrating retinal photography and AI for improved early diagnosis of eye disease.
Supervisor: Professor Mingguang He
Email: mingguang.he@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: PhD or MPhil
Funded by an NHMRC Partnership Grant, this project will be based on Professor He’s current AI-based fundus image diagnosis system, a do-it-yourself (DIY) screening system that is less dependent on technicians for image acquisition, and less dependent on eye care professionals in the interpretation of clinical images.
Artificial intelligence in ophthalmology
From data to algorithm and real-world application
Supervisor: Professor Mingguang He
Email: mingguang.he@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: PhD or MPhil
Funded by a NHMRC Investigator Grant from 2020-2025, this project aims to further evolve artificial intelligence technology to develop and validate a clinical decision system that can predict disease outcomes and prognosis, as well as help clinicians decide on treatment options, based on real-world multi-modality clinical data.
From data to algorithm and real-world application
Supervisor: Professor Mingguang He
Email: mingguang.he@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: PhD or MPhil
Funded by a NHMRC Investigator Grant from 2020-2025, this project aims to further evolve artificial intelligence technology to develop and validate a clinical decision system that can predict disease outcomes and prognosis, as well as help clinicians decide on treatment options, based on real-world multi-modality clinical data.
Atrophic AMD treatment
Enabling treatment trials of atrophic age-related macular degeneration
Primary Supervisor: Dr Zhichao Wu
Email: wu.z@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: PhD
Although treatments currently exist for the acute, neovascular complications of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), individuals that develop atrophic complications currently face an inevitable future of progressive central vision loss since no effective treatments are available to prevent or slow the unrelenting degeneration of the retina.
Enabling treatment trials of atrophic age-related macular degeneration
Primary Supervisor: Dr Zhichao Wu
Email: wu.z@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: PhD
Although treatments currently exist for the acute, neovascular complications of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), individuals that develop atrophic complications currently face an inevitable future of progressive central vision loss since no effective treatments are available to prevent or slow the unrelenting degeneration of the retina.
Cell reprogramming to regenerate retina
Development of regenerative therapy for retina using cellular reprogramming technology
Supervisor: Dr Raymond Wong
Email: wongcb@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: PhD or Masters
Retinal degeneration causes vision loss in millions of patients, but cellular reprogramming shows promise in slowing or even reversing the condition. This project aims to develop cell reprogramming technology to generate new retinal neurons and provide a novel regenerative therapy approach to treat retinal degeneration.
Development of regenerative therapy for retina using cellular reprogramming technology
Supervisor: Dr Raymond Wong
Email: wongcb@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: PhD or Masters
Retinal degeneration causes vision loss in millions of patients, but cellular reprogramming shows promise in slowing or even reversing the condition. This project aims to develop cell reprogramming technology to generate new retinal neurons and provide a novel regenerative therapy approach to treat retinal degeneration.
Glaucoma novel imaging
Taking the ‘guesswork’ out of clinical management with novel imaging
Supervisor: Dr Zhichao Wu
Email: wu.z@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: PhD
The clinical management of glaucoma seeks to prevent patients from experiencing visual disability from the progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells. This task is especially difficult by the lack of effective methods to detect and characterise disease progression accurately and meaningfully.
Taking the ‘guesswork’ out of clinical management with novel imaging
Supervisor: Dr Zhichao Wu
Email: wu.z@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: PhD
The clinical management of glaucoma seeks to prevent patients from experiencing visual disability from the progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells. This task is especially difficult by the lack of effective methods to detect and characterise disease progression accurately and meaningfully.
Keratoconus and big data
Finding solutions using big data analysis
Supervisors: Dr Srujana Sahebjada and Professor Mark Daniell
Email: srujana.sahebjada@unimelb.edu.au
Keratoconus is a common, sight-threatening corneal condition that affects children and young adults. This project involves a combination of advanced clinical imaging, artificial intelligence, next generation genetic analyses and health outcomes research that will advance our understanding of Keratoconus and avoid the need for corneal transplantation.
Finding solutions using big data analysis
Supervisors: Dr Srujana Sahebjada and Professor Mark Daniell
Email: srujana.sahebjada@unimelb.edu.au
Keratoconus is a common, sight-threatening corneal condition that affects children and young adults. This project involves a combination of advanced clinical imaging, artificial intelligence, next generation genetic analyses and health outcomes research that will advance our understanding of Keratoconus and avoid the need for corneal transplantation.
Mitochondrial optic neuropathy
Validation and characterisation of biomarkers
Supervisor: Dr Isabel Lopez Sanchez
Email: isabel.lopez@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: Honours, MSc, PhD
Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is the most common mitochondrial disease and causes irreversible blindness primarily in young men. Using RNA sequencing we have identified potential protective and pathogenic biomarkers in this disease.
Validation and characterisation of biomarkers
Supervisor: Dr Isabel Lopez Sanchez
Email: isabel.lopez@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: Honours, MSc, PhD
Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is the most common mitochondrial disease and causes irreversible blindness primarily in young men. Using RNA sequencing we have identified potential protective and pathogenic biomarkers in this disease.
Optic atrophy genetic screening
Developing a genetic screening panel for research purposes
Supervisor: Dr Isabel Lopez Sanchez
Email: isabel.lopez@unimelb.edu.au
Project suitable for: Honours, MD project (6 months)
Starting date: Anytime
This project aims to improve the genetic diagnosis of optic atrophy, the most frequently inherited optic nerve disease, for further genotype-phenotype studies.
Developing a genetic screening panel for research purposes
Supervisor: Dr Isabel Lopez Sanchez
Email: isabel.lopez@unimelb.edu.au
Project suitable for: Honours, MD project (6 months)
Starting date: Anytime
This project aims to improve the genetic diagnosis of optic atrophy, the most frequently inherited optic nerve disease, for further genotype-phenotype studies.
Retinal satellite imaging
Using satellite technology to image the retina for early signs of Alzheimer’s disease and glaucoma
Supervisors: Associate Professor Peter van Wijngaarden and Dr Xavier Hadoux
Email: peterv@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: PhD
We aim to be the first group in the world to bring hyperspectral imaging, based on NASA satellite technology, to the clinic to improve the care of Australians with Alzheimer’s disease, glaucoma and a range of retinal diseases.
Using satellite technology to image the retina for early signs of Alzheimer’s disease and glaucoma
Supervisors: Associate Professor Peter van Wijngaarden and Dr Xavier Hadoux
Email: peterv@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: PhD
We aim to be the first group in the world to bring hyperspectral imaging, based on NASA satellite technology, to the clinic to improve the care of Australians with Alzheimer’s disease, glaucoma and a range of retinal diseases.
Study of AMD genetics
Understanding the genetic factors contributing to age-related macular degeneration
Supervisor: Dr Raymond Wong
Email: wongcb@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: Honours or Masters
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) involves complex genetic factors that require further study. This project aims to use CRISPR/Cas9 technology to better understand the role of AMD-associated genes in human retinal cells, provide new AMD pathogenesis insights and identify potential new drug targets to develop AMD treatments.
Understanding the genetic factors contributing to age-related macular degeneration
Supervisor: Dr Raymond Wong
Email: wongcb@unimelb.edu.au
Suitable for: Honours or Masters
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) involves complex genetic factors that require further study. This project aims to use CRISPR/Cas9 technology to better understand the role of AMD-associated genes in human retinal cells, provide new AMD pathogenesis insights and identify potential new drug targets to develop AMD treatments.