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Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Microbial Ecology

Queensland University Of Technology Brisbane, Brisbane

Job Description

  • $104,290 to $123,858
  • Fixed-term, full-time
  • Translational Research Institute

Who are we looking for?

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Microbial Ecology to join School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Academic Division.

The successful applicant will work on the ecology of anaerobic methanotrophic microorganisms present in freshwater sediments. Anaerobic archaea are the linchpin in the global methane cycle, as its biological source and an as-yet poorly quantified anaerobic methane sink – a role historically attributed only to aerobic bacteria. Since a large amount of methane is emitted from freshwater systems, understanding the microbes able to consume it under anaerobic conditions before it is emitted to the atmosphere is a vital knowledge gap. The influence of these anaerobic methanotrophs (ANME) on the atmospheric methane budget is poorly parameterized in models, partly because their metabolisms are often syntrophic, and they are yet to be grown in pure culture. A key focus of the postdoctoral fellow’s work will be to visualise syntrophic partnerships between these ANME and their syntrophic partners using novel fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH)-based methods. In addition, the applicant will also develop and apply high throughput anaerobic isolation methods for their targeted enrichment and isolation, enabling for their detailed characterisation.

Real world impact

QUT is a major Australian university with a global outlook and a ‘real world’ focus. We are an ambitious and collaborative institution that seeks to equip our students and graduates with the skills they will need in an increasingly disrupted and challenged world.

About the Faculty
QUT has embraced a collaborative approach to improving the health of our nation, bridging the gap between science and better health through a focus on prevention, evidence, innovation and real outcomes.

The Faculty of Health is led by the Executive Dean and the Executive Management Team comprising the Deputy Dean, Heads of Schools, and other senior faculty staff. Each of the Schools within the Faculty is established around disciplines that promote integration and collaboration in teaching and research, and provide a sustainable foundation upon which to build areas of strength. Its organisational structure includes the:

•    School of Biomedical Sciences
•    School of Clinical Sciences
•    School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
•    School of Nursing
•    School of Optometry and Vision Science
•    School of Psychology and Counselling
•    School of Public Health and Social Work.

QUT’s Faculty of Health attracts high-quality students with more than 10 000 students enrolled in undergraduate, postgraduate coursework and research higher degree programs across its seven schools.

Drawing on its reputation for teaching excellence, the Faculty of Health produces graduates who are highly sought after in the commercial, scientific, health and community sectors. The faculty’s applied research activity is focused on improving health and wellbeing and preventing disease. This high-impact and internationally recognised research continues to make a significant and positive contribution to the ongoing development of the brand of QUT, as well as providing opportunities to develop partnerships.

The Faculty of Health operates across the university’s two campuses, Kelvin Grove and Gardens Point, and several distributed sites. The proximity of the Kelvin Grove campus to hospital facilities at Herston provides the faculty with a distinct competitive advantage and a renowned precinct that offers transformative education, aligned biomedical research and industry engagement.

About the School of Biomedical Sciences
The School of Biomedical Sciences provides innovative undergraduate degree programs in Medical Laboratory Science and Biomedical Science. Our Biomedical Science degree pathway also offers undergraduate students the option to enrol in double degrees with Law, Business and Mathematics. Teaching is carried out in contemporary learning spaces and laboratories, building on our reputation for emphasising the acquisition of practical skills as well as theoretical instruction.
Undergraduate students are also encouraged to engage in Work Integrated Learning and Vacation Research programs and gain further early experience in research through our postgraduate Honours program. The School also operates a postgraduate degree program in Diagnostic Genomics and has recently launched a new vertical degree, B. Biomedical Science/Master of Data Analytics. We are actively developing further postgraduate programs that bridge aspiring students to our research programs. 

The School’s research program has undergone an extensive reorganisation, resulting in the launch of major Centres focused on the delivery of inter-disciplinary research programs. Our researchers and higher degree research students enjoy world class facilities across our own campus and collaborative research institutes, enabling our close alignment to healthcare, translational opportunities, and industry drivers. Our current areas of research strength include: 

•    Cancer 
•    Immunology and Infection Control 
•    Genomics and Personalised Health
•    Microbiome Research

Our research is supported by close inter-Faculty collaboration with other major research strengths including data science, cell and tissue engineering, and biomedical technology. 
These research areas contribute to specialty undergraduate teaching and development of a research-informed curriculum in Anatomical Sciences, Physiology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Human Biochemistry, and Infectious Diseases.

About the Centre for Microbiome Research (CMR)
The Centre for Microbiome Research was established in 2020 by Professor Gene Tyson, an expert in the field of microbial ecology. Professor Tyson and his team are actively involved in the development of innovative culture-independent molecular approaches and bioinformatic tools, and their application to  answer important questions about microbial  communities across a range of ecosystems. The team is made up of researchers with  diverse expertise within microbial ecology  and genomics, providing an intellectually robust and collaborative environment.

The Centre is located within the Translational Research Institute (TRI) – a unique multidisciplinary facility located at the Princess Alexandra hospital with a strong focus on translational research. This positions the team amongst top researchers and clinicians from diverse disciplines such as genomics, bioinformatics, immunology, oncology and gastroenterology, and provides the team with access to state-of-the-art core facilities. The Centre also has a dedicated PC2-certified laboratory fully equipped for molecular biology that includes an in-house white light laser confocal microscope (Leica), a PromethION (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) and access to a NovaSeq 6000 (Illumina). The Centre has a BD FACSAria Fusion fluorescence activated cell sorter with small particle detection and liquid handling robots for single cell genomic and culturing work, and maintains anaerobic culture and quarantine facilities. CMR houses its own high-performance computing resources consisting of >1,000 cores and 9 nodes. The operation of these facilities is supported by professional staff for microscopy, flow cytometry, sequencing and bioinformatics.

What you need to succeed

You will demonstrate:

1.    Education, training and/or relevant experience equivalent to the completion of a PhD in a relevant field (microbial ecology, microbial genomics, bioinformatics). 
2.    Demonstrated experience and knowledge of either anaerobic culture, fluorescence microscopy or single cell genomics
3.    Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team, along with proven ability to autonomously organise and prioritise tasks and workflow to meet project deadlines.
4.    High level communication skills, including demonstrated written communication skills and strong interpersonal skills. 
5.    Ability to problem solve, logically plan and coordinate research activities, and critically assess existing literature and methods.

Careers at QUT

Our culture is vibrant, inspiring and challenging. It’s a world where like-minds come together with a commitment to making a real world difference, no matter what the area of expertise.

Beyond personal and professional fulfilment, a career at QUT brings a broad range of tangible benefits. QUT is a high quality and flexible organisation that is proud of its excellent employment conditions which include but are not limited to:

  • Parental leave provisions
  • Study support encompassing leave and financial assistance
  • Comprehensive professional development
  • Salary Packaging

Reference number:  23115

Term:  Fixed-term, full time for 3 years

Remuneration:  $AUD123,419 to $AUD146,575 pa (LEVB) (inclusive of $AUD104,290 to $AUD123,858 pa salary, 17% superannuation and leave loading)

Location:  Translational Research Institute

Job opens:  14-Feb-2023

Applications Close: 15-Mar-2023 at 11.30pm

At QUT, our values reflect what we believe in, and what is important to us as an organisation. They capture our strengths, our distinctiveness and sit alongside the priorities outlined in our QUT Connections, and guide our decisions and actions.

QUT aims to inspire and shape the future with talented students and staff from , united by our core values of Ambition, Curiosity, Integrity, Inclusiveness,  Innovation and Academic freedom.

  This job vacancy was been posted over 40 days ago, but is still active and currently accepting new applications.

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Queensland University Of Technology