Offer Description

• Full-time, 3 Years Fixed-Term position at Academic Level B.
• Hawkesbury campus with flexible working arrangements in Narrabri and Trangie.
• Salary: $123,327 - $145,625 per annum, plus 17% Super and Leave Loading.

Advance research into drought-resilient cropping systems through innovative soil, plant and environmental science.

The Opportunity

In this job, you will contribute to the delivery of the Novel Soil Amendments for Drought Resilient Cropping Systems project, undertaking both independent and collaborative research that supports Western Sydney University's research objectives. Working within the School of Science, you will investigate soil function, crop productivity and drought resilience to generate research outcomes that deliver meaningful advances in agricultural systems.

You will be based in either the Australian Cotton Research Institute, Narrabri or the Trangie Agricultural Research Centre, Trangie, NSW to conduct field trials. You will design and deliver field-based and controlled environment experiments, applying robust scientific methods to produce high-quality and reproducible research outcomes. Using field, laboratory and sensor-based methodologies, you will analyse and interpret complex datasets to develop evidence-based recommendations that improve soil and crop management practices.

You will contribute to peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, conference presentations and stakeholder engagement activities. The role also supports research funding opportunities through grant development, collaboration with industry and research partners, and the co-supervision of honours and higher degree research students. You will work across multidisciplinary teams while maintaining compliance with research governance requirements and contributing to outreach activities and occasional teaching associated with the research program.

What Success Looks Like:

• Deliver high-quality research outcomes that advance knowledge of drought resilience, soil function and crop productivity.
• Design and execute rigorous field and controlled environment research programs with reproducible results.
• Publish impactful research outputs and effectively communicate findings to academic and industry audiences.
• Build productive collaborations with industry partners, research organisations and internal stakeholders.
• Support research capability development through mentoring and co-supervising research students.

About You

• A doctoral qualification in Agriculture, Plant Science, Soil Science or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated postdoctoral or equivalent research experience in improving abiotic stress tolerance in plants, ideally relating to drought stress.
• Proven experience in experimental design, research delivery, data analysis and interpretation within agricultural systems.
• A track record of scholarly outputs including peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and related research contributions.
• Strong stakeholder engagement, communication and organisational skills, with the capacity to undertake field research in regional and remote locations and hold, or obtain, a current Australian driver's licence.