Job Description

PhD Opportunities | Interdisciplinary Biology @ Monash University
We at SKB Lab – where science is fun! and GATC Lab – Genetics At The Core! are looking to recruit motivated and curious PhD students to join our teams at Monash University.
Our labs work across plants and humans, combining molecular biology, genomics, and AI-driven computational biology to uncover how living systems sense and respond to their environment.
Research areas include:
Thermal responses in plants
We are dissecting the genes and mechanisms that control how plants sense and respond to temperature. Building on our recent Singh Yadav et al, Science, 2025 review, this project will explore AI-based modelling, CRISPR screening, and synthetic biology to understand molecular mechanisms of thermal responses in plants and their adaptation. Our discoveries have also led us into the exciting world of epigenetic regulation, as featured in our recent Sureshkumar et al, Nature Plants, 2024 paper.
RNA splicing and human disease
Expanding on our recent Dent et al, Nature Communications, 2025 study, this project investigates how splicing regulation influences human diseases, integrating experimental genomics and AI-powered analysis.
We are looking for students with a strong background in genetics/genomics, molecular biology, biochemistry or computational biology (including AI/modelling) who are eager to work in an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment.
If you are curiosity-driven, motivated, and ready to explore cutting-edge biology, we’d love to hear from you!
Contact: mb.suresh@monash.edu or sridevi.sureshkumar@monash.edu

Web links:
https://www.skblab.org/
https://gatclab.org/