Role type: Full-Time (Part-Time option (from 0.5 FTE) can be considered for this role); Fixed-term for 3 years
Faculty: Science
Salary: Level of appointment is subject to qualification and experience
Level A $105,518 - $113,262 p.a. plus 17% super
Level B $119,231 - $141,581 p.a. plus 17% super
- Design, breed, transform, and phenotype plant systems for space habitation.
- Collaborate with top-tier researchers, industry partners, and NASA, inspiring innovation.
- Salary packaging, subsidised health and wellbeing services, fitness and cultural clubs, Myki discounts, and a 25% discount on graduate courses to our staff and their immediate families!
About the Role
Join ongoing research to re-domesticate fruiting plants, initially focusing on strawberries, to optimise harvest index in soil-less systems for space environments. You will design, breed, transform, and phenotype plant systems for space habitation. This role also involves selecting and crossing natural Earth populations combined with genetic modification to develop complete-use plants.
The successful applicant will report to Prof. Michelle Watt, Adrienne Clarke Chair of Botany, and be a part of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space (P4S).
Your responsibilities will include:
- You are expected to significantly contribute towards the research effort of the team and P4S and to develop your research expertise with an increasing degree of autonomy.
- Under the guidance (Level A) and in collaboration (Level B) of Senior Academic staff conduct internationally competitive research, resulting in publications in high impact journals.
- Contribute to and publish academic papers and other scholarly outputs to a high academic standard in accordance with the research expectations of the University.
- Actively participate in research seminars and conferences to disseminate research findings as opportunities arise.
Who We Are Looking For
You will bring your passion for space habitation and on-Earth sustainability, focusing on controlled environment agriculture and plant re-design. Essential experience includes pre-breeding, plant growth analysis, molecular biology, gene construct design and testing, plant phenotyping, and trait evaluation.
You will also have:
- Completion of a PhD in Plant Sciences or a related discipline
- Demonstrated experience in growing plants for growth analysis and in molecular biology.
- Knowledge or experience in pre-breeding or breeding plants.
- A demonstrated aptitude for research, with a sound publication record in relevant areas, commensurate with experience and opportunities.
- Demonstrated ability to prepare research reports and manuscripts for publication.
For further information regarding responsibilities and requirements, please refer to the attached PD.
This role requires that the successful candidate must undergo and maintain an up-to-date Working with Children Check. This is essential to guarantee a secure environment for all individuals at the University. In the case the selected candidate doesn't have a valid Working with Children Check, they will be able to apply for the WWCC as part of the initial onboarding procedures.
Please note: Visa sponsorship is available for this position.
Your New Team – “School of BioSciences, The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space“
This position presents an opportunity to join our School of BioSciences. BioSciences houses 60 continuing academic staff, and more than 150 academic staff overall (including postdocs, and other research contingent staff) all working on the world’s top biological challenges – from climate change, biosecurity and pollution to reproductive health and food production. Collectively members of our School lead more than 240 research projects in the general areas of ecology, evolution, zoology, marine biology, genetics, plant science, genomics, biosecurity, biological pollution, reproductive biology and data science.
What We Offer You!
In addition, we offer the opportunity to be part of a vibrant community and enjoy a range of benefits, including generous leave provisions, salary packaging, health and well-being services and discounts on graduate courses. For more information, check out our benefits page!
About us
We’re tightly connected with the community, both at home and abroad. We take pride in our people, who all contribute to our mission to benefit society through the transformative impact of education and research. Discover more via our website and stay connected with our stories and people on LinkedIn.
Be Yourself
We values the unique backgrounds, experiences and contributions that each person brings to our community and welcomes and celebrates diversity. First Nations people, those identifying as LGBTQIA+, parents, carers, people of all ages, abilities and genders, and people of diverse ethnicity, nationality and faith are encouraged to apply. Our aim is to create a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community in which we live. For more information please visit our Diversity and Inclusion page.
We are dedicated to ensuring barrier free and inclusive practices to recruit the most talented candidates. If you require reasonable adjustments, please contact the employee listed on the first page of the found below, with an email containing your name and contact details for a confidential discussion. Please ensure your email is titled "Reasonable Adjustments Request".
