Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Immunology (uq)

Job Description

• Frazer Institute – The University of Queensland

• Join a university ranked in the world’s top 50

• Access state-of-the-art facilities to further your research endeavours.

• Collaborate with highly awarded, world-class colleagues.

• Based in Brisbane

About UQ

As part of the UQ community, you’ll have the opportunity to work alongside the brightest minds, who have joined us from all over the world, and within an environment where interdisciplinary collaborations are encouraged.

At the core of our teaching remains our students, and their experience with us sets a foundation for success far beyond graduation. UQ has made a commitment to making education opportunities available for all Queenslanders, regardless of personal, financial, or geographical barriers.

As part of our commitment to excellence in research and professional practice in academic contexts, we are proud to provide our staff with access to world-class facilities and equipment, grant writing support, greater research funding opportunities, and other forms of staff support and development.

About This Opportunity 

This is an exciting opportunity for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to drive a new vaccine development program.

The successful applicant will take a leadership role in research projects and will play a central role in the administration and organisation of the relevant project(s) within the Belz research group at the Frazer Institute, Translational Research Institute to facilitate day-to-day research activities. 

The projects encompass:

design, organisation, and interpretation of experiments together with data analysis, performing flow cytometry and immunological characterisation of immune responses to vaccines, undertaking, and developing immunological assays for vaccine development. Characterisation experiments will include ELISA, PCR, multicolour flow cytometry, bacterial culture and molecular biology. assisting in vaccine efficacy studies and undertaking tasks involved in vaccine assessment including animal studies, assist in the assessment of serological response to vaccines using flow cytometry and other associated immunological studies. Support vaccine assessment including animal studies to understand innate and adaptive immune cells, to determine correlates of immune protection against pathogens.

As a research focused academic at level A-B you will be supported and guided by more senior academic research staff with the expectation of an increasing degree of autonomy over time.

Key responsibilities will include: 

• Research: Produce High quality research outputs consistent with discipline norms by publishing or exhibiting in high quality outlets in the area agreed by the supervisor

• Participate in applications for competitive research funding to support projects and activities.

• Supervision and Researcher Development: Contribute to the effective supervision of Research Assistants and Higher Degree by Research Students

• Effectively lead and develop supervise performance and conduct by providing feedback, coaching and professional development.

At Level B

• Demonstrate independent capacity within the research program to achieve national recognition and impact in the research area.

• Produces quality research outputs consistent with discipline norms by publishing international research journals, other appropriate refereed publications and conference publications, with a lead role in some outputs.

• Participate in or contribute as chief investigator role (often in conjunction with more experienced researchers) in applications for competitive research funding to support projects and activities, which includes actively seeking, obtaining and managing research funding.

Supervision and Researcher Development

• Contribute to the effective supervision of Research Assistants(s) and Higher Degree by Research students (as appropriate).

• Demonstrates personal effectiveness in supervision and the management of researcher development.

At level B

• Demonstrate a track record of the effective supervision of Honours and Higher Degree by Research students.

• Facilitate engagement opportunities for Higher Degree by Research supervisees.

This is a research focused position. Further information can be found by viewing UQ’s Criteria for Academic Performance.

This is a full-time (100%), fixed-term position for 12 months. At Academic level A/B.

At Academic Level A the full-time equivalent base salary will be in the range $75,808 - $100,926, plus a generous super allowance of up to 17%. The total FTE package will be up to $88,696 - $118,084 annually. 

At Academic Level B the full-time equivalent base salary will be in the range $106,079 - $125,687 plus a generous super allowance of up to 17%. The total FTE package will be up to $124,113 - $147,054 annually. 

As this role is covered by an Enterprise Agreement, you will also receive regular remuneration increases – at least once a year.

The greater benefits of joining the UQ community are broad:  from being part of a Group of Eight university, to recognition of prior service with other Australian universities, up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave, 17.5% annual leave loading, and genuine career progression opportunities via the academic promotions process.

About You  

• Completion (level B) or near completion (level A) PhD qualification majoring in immunology or molecular biology, or an equivalent combination of experience and education/training.

• An emerging profile in research in the discipline area.

• Evidence of contributions towards successfully obtaining external research funding.

• Basic understanding of immunology, molecular biology, microbiology or biochemistry

• The ability to plan, execute and interpret research in a semi-independent/independent manner.

• Advanced experience with flow cytometry, PCR, ELISA assays, microbiology, immunology studies, tissue culture, bacterial culture and aseptic technique, laboratory animal handling and procedures.

• Ability to quickly acquire new laboratory techniques and to perform them routinely at a high level of accuracy and efficiency.

• Evidence of publications in reputed refereed journals and presenting at conferences.

• Ability to work as a member of a team and high level of inter-personal and communication skills.

• Sound knowledge of OH&S guidelines and laboratory safety.

• Some experience in meaningful internal service roles and contributions towards external activities

At level B

• A growing profile in research in the discipline area.

• A developing reputation and track record of publications in reputed refereed journals and presenting at conferences.

• Evidence of successfully seeking, obtaining and managing external research funding.

• A growing record of supervision of Honours and Research Higher Degree students to successful completion.

• Experience in meaningful internal service roles in conjunction with active contributions to external activities

In addition, the following mandatory requirements apply:

• Out of business hours work: Availability to check on laboratory animals on occasions out of business hours.

• Mandatory Immunisations: It is a condition of employment for this role that you will be required to provide evidence of immunisation against certain vaccine preventable diseases.  

• Work Rights: You must have unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this appointment to apply. Visa sponsorship is not available for this appointment.  

Questions? 

For more information about this opportunity, please contact Chair in Immunology Professor Gabrielle Belz g.belz@uq.edu.au.

For application queries or a full job description, please contact recruitment@uq.edu.au stating the job reference number (below) in the subject line.
 

Want to Apply? 

All applicants must upload the following documents in order for your application to be considered:

• Resume

• Cover letter

• Responses to the ‘About You’ section

Other Information 

At UQ we know that our greatest strengths come from our diverse mix of colleagues, this is reflected in our ongoing commitment to creating an environment focused on equity, diversity and inclusion.  We ensure that we are always attracting, retaining and promoting colleagues who are representative of the diversity in the broader community, whether that be gender identity, LGBTQIA+, cultural and/or linguistic, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, or people with a disability. Accessibility requirements and/or adjustments can be directed to recruitment@uq.edu.au 

If you are a current employee (including casual staff and HDR scholars) or hold an unpaid/affiliate appointment, please login to your staff Workday account and visit the internal careers board to apply for this opportunity. Please do NOT apply via the external job board.

Applications close 14th January at 11.00pm AEST (R-34051). Please note that interviews have been tentatively scheduled for 22nd January.

Please note that UQ will be closed from 23 December until 2 January (inclusive). All applicants for this position will be contacted in the new year. We thank you for your patience during this time.