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Moderna Australia Fellowship
Moderna Australia is proud to help develop the country’s world-leading health and medical research sector and the next generation of Australian-based scientists through the Moderna Australia Fellowship Program.
APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN
2026 Moderna Australia Fellowship
Applications for the 2026 Moderna Australia Fellowship are open from 4 May to 26 June 2026.
To apply, please complete the following documents:
Once completed, submit your application along with your CV and your supervisor’s CV(s) to RRCAustralia@modernatx.com by 26 June 2026.
Want to Hear More? Join Our Webinar
Interested in applying or want to learn more? Join our upcoming webinar for an overview of the 2026 Moderna Australia Fellowships, including key details about the program and dedicated time for questions.
Wednesday 20 May 2026
1:00 PM AEST
To attend, please email RRCAustralia@modernatx.com to register.
Fellowship program
This annual program supports research that advances mRNA science and its application to human health. Priority will be given to projects aligned with the following areas:
Seasonal Infectious Diseases
Generation and integration of real-world, surveillance, epidemiologic, clinical, and health economic evidence to characterise disease burden, monitor pathogen dynamics, assess public and/or health impact.
Health Security
Research addressing infectious diseases of global health importance, including emerging and neglected pathogens, with a focus on advancing mRNA-based approaches and systematically leveraging endemic and prototype vaccines to generate reusable knowledge on immunogenicity, correlates of protection, variant adaptation, and manufacturing. These efforts are designed to shorten timelines from pathogen identification to effective countermeasures, strengthening readiness and response to novel emerging threats (Disease X).
Oncology
Exploration and advancement of the application of mRNA technologies in oncology, as well as the identification and validation of biomarkers that predict cancer risk, early progression, and opportunities for intervention. Areas of interest include characterisation of early cancer–immune interactions, antigen emergence and presentation in premalignant or early disease states, and discovery of immune-modulating targets or pathways that enable prevention or early intervention. Outputs should generate generalisable insights, datasets, or frameworks that inform development of scalable, off-the-shelf approaches for cancer risk reduction and interception.
Science and Technology
Advancement of mRNA and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technologies, along with enabling fields such as data and computational science. This includes building computational and AI-driven capabilities to transform how mRNA, LNP and biologic therapies are designed and manufactured. Key areas include in silico antibody discovery, predictive modelling of molecular and formulation performance, and advanced process analytics. There should be a strong emphasis on tools that link design decisions to manufacturability and clinical performance. This will enable rapid iteration and deliver step-change improvements in speed, scalability and product quality.
Fostering Australian Research Excellence
The Moderna Australia Fellowship Program is an all-inclusive learning and development opportunity for successful fellows, with training and education covering areas essential for mRNA medicine R&D. In addition to supporting salary and expenses, it also offers a bespoke learning program that leverages Moderna’s world-class, in-house expertise.
Each fellow will be involved in the design of their tailored learning experience, in partnership with their supervisor, an assigned Moderna R&D expert mentor and Moderna’s R&D Director.
This learning program will be delivered via:
Experiential “on the job” learning
Online courses from Moderna University
F2F periodic meetings at the Moderna Centre for Respiratory Medicine & Tropical Diseases in Melbourne
Curricula will include:
Expanding specific R&D capabilities, such as regulatory, translational and quantitative and mRNA pharmaceutical science
General R&D skills, including R&D life-cycle in action, project management
Soft-skills to improve individual effectiveness in R&D, like communication, leadership, working effectively in teams
Eligibility criteria:
Candidates must be at least 1 year post graduation with a doctoral degree (eg. MD, PhD, PharmD) and no more than 10 years post graduation (not including career breaks).
Prior recipients of the Moderna Australia Fellowship are not eligible
Applications are open to a broad spectrum of researchers across basic science, clinical, social and behavioural sciences, engineering, and computational disciplines, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
Must be based in Australia
Priority for Australian citizens and residents
Fellowship must begin in 2027