Dwan Vilcins

Exploring the Impact of Air Pollution and Antioxidant-Rich Diets on Child Health

In this project you will explore the effects of air pollution on childhood health and the potential mitigating role of antioxidant-rich diets. This project aims to investigate how early-life exposure to air pollution impacts respiratory health, gut microbiome, lipid profiles, inflammation, and oxidative stress in children up to 10 years of age. We will examine whether diets rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients can modify these effects, providing insights into the biological pathways involved and potential interventions.

We are seeking a highly motivated and dedicated PhD student with a background in environmental health, nutrition, epidemiology, or a related field. The ideal candidate should have strong analytical skills, experience with data analysis, and a keen interest in child health and environmental research.

Exploring Green Space, Nature Contact, and Child Health

Urban green space is one of the most promising environmental assets for promoting public health. Evidence is rapidly growing that access to green space and nature contact can support children’s physical and mental wellbeing. Benefits include reduced stress and cortisol levels, increased physical activity, enhanced cognitive development, stronger social cohesion, and exposure to beneficial environmental microbiota. Green space may also buffer harmful exposures such as air pollution and extreme temperatures.

Despite these promising findings, much remains unknown—particularly about how green space influences child health and development, and the mechanisms involved.

This PhD project offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to this emerging field. Using data from a large, longitudinal cohort of Australian children, the candidate will investigate how residential green space and nature-based activities relate to a range of child health outcomes, including physical health, neurodevelopment, and mental wellbeing. Advanced statistical methods, including causal mediation analysis, will be used to explore potential pathways and mechanisms of effect.

We are seeking a motivated PhD student with a background in statistics, epidemiology, environmental health, or public health. Experience with data analysis and a passion for child health and environmental research will be highly valued.

Determining the characteristics of EPFRs that are detrimental to human health

Project Overview Air pollution is a major global health concern, yet the mechanisms driving its harmful effects remain unclear. This project focuses on environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs)—long-lived radicals found in particulate matter that can persist for weeks or even years. EPFRs are powerful oxidants capable of generating reactive oxygen species, potentially making them a key link between combustion by-products and chronic health impacts. Understanding which EPFR characteristics are most detrimental to human health could transform our approach to air pollution and wildfire exposure.

What You’ll Do As a PhD candidate, you’ll combine advanced spectroscopy (EPR, NMR) with predictive modeling to identify and quantify EPFR types, particularly oxygen-centered radicals, and explore how burn conditions influence their formation. You’ll also investigate their biological effects using epithelial cell models and real-world exposure assessments with firefighters. This interdisciplinary project spans chemistry, environmental science, and health—ideal for candidates passionate about tackling complex environmental health challenges with cutting-edge techniques.

Supervision team:

• Dwan Vilcins, Children’s Health and Environment Program, Child Health, Research Centre, UQ
• Jeffrey Harmer, Centre for Advanced Imaging, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, UQ
• Ayaho Yamamoto, Children’s Health and Environment Program, Child Health, Research Centre, UQ
• David Morrisset, Fire Safety Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, UQ

Desired background: undergraduate degree in chemistry/mathematics/engineering/ biomedical engineering. Some laboratory experience desirable. Willingness to learn cell culture methods is required.

Environmental exposures and genetic susceptibility shape maternal gut microbiome and infant risk of severe lower respiratory illness.

Project Summary This project investigates how prenatal, perinatal, and early-life environmental exposures influence the maternal gut microbiome (MGM) and, through it, the infant’s immune development and risk of severe lower respiratory illness (sLRI) in the first year of life. It will integrate exposome data (air quality, diet, chemical exposures, stress), metagenomic profiles of the MGM, infant immune profiles at birth, and genetic susceptibility scores for oxidative stress and inflammation. Analyses will use data from the Barwon Infant Study (BIS) to model complex pathways linking environment, microbiome, genetics, and respiratory outcomes.

Student Role and Required Skills The student will develop composite exposure variables, apply advanced statistical and bioinformatic methods (including random forest regression, mediation analysis, and pathway-based genetic risk scoring), and interpret metagenomic and immunological data. Strong skills in epidemiology, biostatistics, and data science are essential, along with experience or willingness to learn microbiome analysis, exposomics, and systems biology approaches.