Advancing Chicken Helminthology for Sustainable Worm Control

The Project

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate for the project ‘Advancing chicken helminthology to meet the challenges of cage-free production systems’ funded by Australian Research Council through its Early Career Industry Fellowship Program with Dr Teka Dewo.

The trend towards more floor and outdoor based production systems has resulted in renewed importance of parasitic nematode infections in commercial poultry operations. In chickens, Ascaridia galli and Heterakis gallinarum are the most prevalent intestinal nematodes. The methods available for managing and researching nematodes in chickens lag behind those of ruminant livestock. This includes limitations in the methods available for anthelmintic resistance testing, prolonged laboratory maintenance of defined nematode strains, and practical methods of defining worm burdens in mixed infections. Recently, progress has been made towards development of in vitro drug sensitivity assays, infection models for critical experimentation, tools for rapid field diagnosis of infection and understanding the basic requirements for the prolonged storage of worm eggs. However, significant research questions and challenges remain and addressing these is necessary to reach a point where the underlying mechanisms are fully understood and application of the methods is a reality. By implementing a mix of laboratory and controlled animal experimentation as well as field studies, this project aims at delivering key outcomes towards sustainable worm control into the future as the trend towards cage-free production continues.
The planed studies under this project aim to;
  1. Optimise in vitro assays for anthelmintic efficacy testing;
  2. Develop methods for cryopreservation of chicken nematode strains to enable prolonged storage;
  3. Develop a chicken infection model with artificially hatched A. galli larvae;
  4. Evaluate the variation in mass anthelmintic administration practices and consequences on efficacy;
  5. Define the temporal change in the viability and infectivity of stored chicken nematode egg cultures; and determine the level of detection of A. galli and H. gallinarum eggs in intestinal and caecal faeces.

Scholarship Information

This scholarship includes a Research Training Program (RTP) Domestic Scholarship stipend of $35,411 per annum (2024 rate) tax-free for a full time on campus domestic student, paid in fortnightly instalments.

The scholarship is tenable for three years and six month (3.5) full-time for a doctoral degree. The duration of an Research Training Program (RTP) stipend scholarship cannot be extended and is subject to CPI% increase annually.

For more information regarding the Research Training Program (RTP) and the scholarship terms and conditions please visit the following website.

Selection Criteria

Essential

  • Bachelor of Veterinary Science or Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree
  • Masters of Science in Veterinary Parasitology/Pathology/Pharmacology or related fields
  • At least three years’ experience in animal health practice or research

Desirable

  • Experience in poultry practice
  • High motivation and interest in nematode parasites research
  • Ability to work in a team

Special Requirements

  • The research project involves collaboration with industry partners and poultry producers requiring the student to travel and spend time at various locations within Australia.
  • Willingness and ability to travel for field study work.

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

  • Critical appraisal of scientific literature relevant to the project
  • Collaborating with research supervisors to design and conduct experiments
  • Preparing animal ethics applications and experimental study protocols
  • Clear recording and reporting of experimental methods and results
  • Contributing to general laboratory duties and other activities
  • Maintaining detailed records of experiments undertaken and results obtained
  • Preparing scientific manuscripts arising from the project for publication
  • Contributing to regular reports, conference and seminar papers
  • Completing and submitting a thesis at the end of the candidature

How to Apply

To apply for this scholarship, applicants must complete and submit a candidature and scholarship application along with all the required supporting documentation.

For more information on submitting a candidature application please see our web page on how to apply/enrol for candidature.

Enquiries: Dr Teka Dewo - tdewo2@une.edu.au