18 Mar 2025
PhD positions are available in our lab at the School of Computing, Australian National University (ANU). We are seeking highly motivated students to work on the next generation of models and methods for phylogenetic analysis in the genomic era. The specific research direction will be shaped by your interests and experience, with potential areas including: developing machine learning methods for phylogenetics; designing efficient algorithms for tree search; co-estimating multiple trees; inferring time trees; modeling evolutions with mixture models; and exploring new approaches for cancer phylogenetics. Students will implement novel models and methods in the widely used IQ-TREE software.
The ANU campus is situated in the heart of Australia’s capital city, Canberra, which has been named the second-best city in the world for quality of life according to the Oxford Economics Global Cities report. ANU holds an international reputation for research excellence and is ranked among the top universities worldwide (30th globally in the QS World University Rankings 2025).
Candidate requirements:
Excellent programming skills and a solid background in computing, with a degree in computer science or a related field.
Outstanding academic record, including a high-distinction honours degree, a Master’s by research, or equivalent research experience.
Biological knowledge is beneficial but not essential; high school-level biology is sufficient.
Good oral and written English skills.
Scholarship opportunities: ANU scholarships are competitive, covering all fees and providing a stipend of approximately $38K per annum. There are multiple scholarship opportunities available - please refer to the list below this post for more details.
How to apply?
Please email m.bui (at) anu.edu.au with the following:
A detailed CV.
Full academic transcripts.
A written statement explaining why you would be a good fit for the lab.
A brief description of your research interests and how they intersect with this project.
The next scholarship round closes in August 2025; please contact us by 30 May 2025 to discuss your proposal and strengthen your application for better scholarship chances.
03 Apr 2024
We are always looking for enthusiastic students to join our lab. Opportunities may occasionally arise and you can contact the lab leader, A/Prof. Minh Bui, m.bui (at) anu.edu.au for more details. In your email please always include:
Please navigate through the following sections for further information depending on the position you are applying for.
We always offer a few student projects every semester. Please contact the lab leader Minh Bui as early as possible, at least one month before the semester starts, to discuss a suitable project. A list of current projects offered by the School of Computing can be found at:
https://comp.anu.edu.au/study/projects/
Projects currently offered in the lab:
However, other topics may be discussed depending on your background and profile.
Please first have a careful look at:
There are typically two ANU scholarship rounds per year with deadline depending on whether you are an international or domestic student. You should contact Dr. Minh Bui at least 4-5 months before the deadline to discuss opportunities and your suitability.
ANU scholarships are highly competitive, and cover all fees and a ~$36,000 stipend. In order to be put forward, you will need excellent undergraduate marks, a high-distiction honours or Masters by research (or be expecting to gain one soon) or equivalent research experience, excellent oral and written English skills.
There are also other source for scholarships. Here are some further information we have found:
16 Dec 2019
THIS POSITION WAS FILLED
Closing date: 15 January 2020
Opportunity: Remote working possible, full-time or part-time.
A software developer position is available for the development of the IQ-TREE software. The position is funded by the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative for one year at the Australian National University, either at professional staff or academic salary level B, AU$ 99K – 106K (depending on experience) plus 17% superannuation. The position is available from February 2020 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The software developer will report directly to Dr. Minh Bui and Dr. Rob Lanfear. Our groups are broadly working on models and methods for phylogenetic inference. The software developer will be part of the IQ-TREE development team and actively involved in IQ-TREE workshops and hackathons. The tasks of the software developer include:
The software developer should have: a Bachelor or Masters degree in computer science or a related area; demonstrated skills in C++ programming and high performance computing; demonstrated ability to write efficient code and rigorous tests; the ability to work both independently and as part of a small team; enthusiasm for open-source software and community building.
Please send your expression of interests to m.bui (at) anu.edu.au until 15 January 2020, which include a CV with contact details of two referees and a letter of motivation (up to 2 pages).
PhD position in phylogenomic inference
18 Mar 2025
How to join us
03 Apr 2024
C++ software developer for IQ-TREE
16 Dec 2019