ProfessorTony Weiss

Project Title 1: How do living cells respond to their elastic environments?

Summary:

In every species of mammal, bird and reptile, and across almost the entire vertebrate world, the skin, lung, arteries and other tissues require elasticity in order to function. What bestows this elasticity is the protein elastin, which in turn is assembled from a structural protein building-block known as tropoelastin. Tropoelastin has remarkable abilities: it can repair many types of damaged tissues; and it can prolong cell lifespan, delaying senescence and helping cells maintain youth-associated phenotype and function. Despite these critical abilities, and even though the tropoelastin gene is essential for life, paradoxically the body’s production of tropoelastin drops precipitously with age.

We have collaboratively harnessed the innate abilities of tropoelastin and delivered synthetic tissue-materials for treating burns, healing surgical wounds, modulating immunity, and fixing broken bones and arteries; we have also discovered that tropoelastin improves cardiac function and reduces scar tissue after a heart attack. Yet there remains a large gap in our knowledge about how tropoelastin possesses such remarkably diverse functions.

Your PhD project will address the fundamental question: How does tropoelastin interact with cells and tissues to drive these biological changes?

Working in a multi-award-winning, well-funded laboratory, you will employ an interdisciplinary array of cutting-edge approaches, including:

• Proximity labeling and advanced proteomics to map tropoelastin’s interaction network and identify key protein partners.

• Multi-omics studies and pathway analyses to uncover signaling cascades and cellular responses.

• Advanced tools to explore how tropoelastin influences metabolism, oxidative stress, and cell survival.

• High-resolution imaging to visualise structural and functional changes in living cells.

This project offers a unique opportunity to combine molecular biology, bioinformatics, and systems-level approaches to answer questions with profound implications for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

Additional Information:

This opportunity/project is part of the Faculty of Science Health and Medical Science Research Scholarship scheme and will be advertised on the Scholarship Office website from 1 December 2025 to 5 January 2026. Visit this link here.
-    The selected applicant is expected to commence their candidature from 2 March 2026 onward. 
-    The scholarship application process is separate from applying for admission to the University of Sydney.  
-    The scholarship will only be awarded once the successful scholarship applicant has received an unconditional offer of admission. 
-    International applicants are responsible for securing any necessary visas and costs to enable study based in Sydney.