PhD Global Excellence and Mobility Scholarship (GEMS 2026). Research Project: AI-Driven Extracellular Vesicle and microRNA Profiling for Precision Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease

About the Project

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains difficult to diagnose early, as current methods rely on cognitive testing, neuroimaging, and invasive cerebrospinal fluid sampling. These approaches are costly, time-consuming, and often lack sensitivity during the earliest stages of disease, when treatment would be most effective. To address these limitations, this project applies artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to advance both biomarker discovery and potentially diagnosis. Blood samples will be analysed to isolate extracellular vesicles (EVs) and profile surface ligands and microRNAs (miRNAs). These molecular signatures will provide biomarkers for ML models, enabling pattern recognition, classification, and prediction of disease progression to distinguish Alzheimer’s from healthy states with high accuracy. In parallel, large-scale EV and exosome datasets, including protein and miRNA cargo, will be examined to identify optimal ligand-cargo combinations and dosing strategies for therapeutic design. The computational framework will integrate clinical samples and ML to deliver a non-invasive, scalable platform for precision medicine in AD.

This project is part of Monash University Malaysia’s Graduate Research Thematic Cluster, From Biomarkers to Therapeutics: An Integrated Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)

The ideal PhD candidate for this project should meet the following criteria:

1. prefer Malaysian citizen.
2. Degree in fields e.g. Bioinformatics/ Data Science/ Computer Science/Digital health/ Applied AI/ any other relevant fields.
3. Research Skills & Experience (Preferred):
   3i. Familiarity with machine learning model development
   3ii. Experience with bioinformatics or willingness to learn pathway/network analysis tools.
   3iii. Interest or experience in neurodegenerative disease models
   3iv. Experiences with wet-lab skills are an advantage.
4. Highly motivated, independent, and able to work in a multidisciplinary team.
5. Willing to contribute to publication, conference presentations, and grant applications.

For enquiries, please contact Dr Ong Huey Fang

For more information about this project, please visit our GEMS website.

How to Apply

It is suggested that you first contact the main supervisor and provide them with your academic background and achievements to determine whether you are a 'fit' for this research topic.

If you feel you are a good fit, submit your application here and ensure that you enter the same GEMS research topic as advertised on this webpage. To review the application requirements, please refer to our application submission guide. When submitting your application, please select the Global Excellence and Mobility Scholarship (GEMS). More information about GEMS is available here.

Funding Notes

The Global Excellence and Mobility Scholarship (GEMS), funded by Monash University Malaysia, features regional mobility and is awarded to highly qualified students seeking to work on projects of regional and global relevance.

Recipients of GEMS will be funded for an immersive year in either Monash University Australia, Monash University Indonesia, or the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay of up to 9 months and have access to Monash University’s global network of research expertise and infrastructure during their candidature period.

Eligibility

To be eligible for GEMS, you must possess a minimum academic qualification of First Class Honours (H1) or its equivalence (H1E) recognised by Monash University Malaysia and satisfy the English language requirements.