The University of Sydney’s Faculty of Science is offering a scholarship worth $3,500 to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who are keen to conduct research on how genomics can assist communities in addressing Type-2 Diabetes and related Cardiometabolic diseases. This scholarship is available for honours level students.
Highlights:
Key highlights of the honours scholarship program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at the University of Sydney are:
- Valued at $3,500 per annum
- Open to full-time enrolled or commencing students in the Data Science or Statistics Honours Program
- Available for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander individuals with a WAM of 65 and above in previous tertiary studies
- Aimed at tackling Type-2 Diabetes and related Cardiometabolic diseases through genomics research
- Applications open on April 3, 2023
- Applications close on June 30, 2023.
Scholarship Benefits:
This scholarship has an annual value of $3,500 and can be availed for one year. In addition to this, the scholarship provides extra benefits like up to $1,000 for interstate travel and registration for bioinformatics conferences.
Eligible Criteria:
To be eligible for this scholarship, you must meet the following criteria:
- Self-identify as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person, in accordance with the University of Sydney’s Confirmation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Identity Policy 2015.
- Currently enrolled, or have an unconditional offer of admission, to commence full-time study in the Data Science or Statistics Honours Program within the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney.
- Have obtained a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 65 or above, or an equivalent score in your previous tertiary studies.
- Be under the supervision of Professor Alex Brown and Associate Professor Jimmy Breen at Black Ochre Data Labs.
Background:
This scholarship aims to provide support to Indigenous students interested in genomics to combat Type-2 Diabetes and related Cardiometabolic diseases within the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney. T2D is prevalent among Indigenous Australians, with up to 50% of adults over 50 years old affected. This condition has a significant impact on the quality and length of life and contributes to wide life expectancy gaps, mainly due to the rapid development of renal, cardiovascular, and ophthalmological complications.
To address this issue, the Sydney Precision Data Science Centre and Black Ochre Data Labs have partnered to offer honours scholarships for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The projects will focus on analyzing multi-omics data from The Aboriginal Diabetes Study PROPHECY, which involves 1385 Indigenous South Australian participants from metropolitan, regional, and remote areas. The data collected includes clinical, psychosocial, pathological, and genomic outcomes, exposures, and traits.
The primary objective of this collaboration is to enhance the understanding of the burden, natural history, and complication development propensity in Aboriginal people with or at risk of T2D. The project will outline the social, psychological, environmental, clinical, and genomic factors that predict disease and its progression.
