Australian Society of Plant Scientists | Employment Opportunities at ASPS

Employment Opportunities

Please note that positions are listed in order of nominal closing date. Positions whose closing dates are approaching will be at the top of the list, but note that positions without a specified closing date are listed separately at the bottom of this list. Job numbers appear before each entry, identifying chronological order of inclusion on this page.

Enquiries can be directed to

No. 505

Research Projects Officer — Soil Biology and Root Growth

CSIRO Plant Industry

The position:

CSIRO Plant Industry (CPI) is seeking a Research Projects Officer to support a research team working on improving the root systems and root-soil interactions in wheat and the closely related genetic model Brachypodium. You will be assisting with plant growth experiments in controlled conditions and the field, measuring shoot and root growth with destructive and non-destructive imaging methods, and assisting in the laboratory conducting simple genotyping methods including DNA extractions and PCR reactions. The successful applicant will have skills in plant growth and physiology, basic molecular techniques and experience and willingness to work in the field. In the first three years, the person will directly support a team of two Postdoctoral Fellows, a PhD student and a more senior Molecular Research Support Officer.

This is a full-time position, although a job share arrangement would be considered.

Location:

Black Mountain, Canberra

Salary:

$40K — $51K plus superannuation

Ref No:

2010/460

Closing date:

8 September 2010

Specifically you'll:

1.Support a research team conduct research on wheat and Brachypodium plants to identify better root systems and tolerance to root disease microorganisms.

2.Help phenotype roots and shoots in the field and glasshouse. 3.Help in the laboratory with DNA extractions, PCRs, root imaging and other simple microscopy and microbiology methods

4.Communicate research results to other members of the project team.

To be successful you'll:

1.Strong ability to work and communicate effectively in a multidisciplinary team.

2.High tolerance of activities changing direction depending on research outcomes.

3.Highly motivated.

About CSIRO:

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is Australia's national science agency and one of the largest and most diverse research agencies in the world. By igniting the creative spirit of our people we deliver great science and innovative solutions for industry, society and the environment.

CSIRO Plant Industry (CPI) seeks to benefit Australia’s agri-business industries through research that improves international competitiveness and sustains the resource base. This is achieved by applying strategic research in the plant sciences to promote profitable and sustainable agri-food and fibre industries, develop novel plant produces and improve natural resource management.

For more information regarding this role, or to apply, please visit CSIRO Careers Online and enter reference number 2010/460.

Closing date: Wednesday, 8 September 2010

No. 500

Research Projects Officer — Molecular and Physiological Wheat Breeding

CSIRO Plant Industry,Canberra

The position:

The Molecular and Physiological Wheat Breeding Group provide directed research targeting improved wheat adaptation to Australian wheat-growing regions. The groups comprise researchers and technical staff from Canberra, Brisbane and Perth. Research is undertaken across the Australian wheat belt with the aim of identifying and developing wheat germplasm containing specific traits for improving productivity. Herein a multidisciplinary approach is used to engage expertise in physiology, genetics, pathology and breeding in selection and release of elite germplasm for use in commercial breeding.

The role of the Research Projects Officer is to assist CSIRO scientists in the development of advanced wheat breeding lines containing new characteristics.

Location:

Black Mountain, Canberra

Salary:

$53K — $68K plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Ref No:

2010/486

Closing Date:

10 September 2010

Specifically you will:

1. Be an expert in growing wheat plants in glasshouse and field conditions, particularly in relation to the production of healthy plants and high quality grain.

2. Assist with and coordinate activities across different research team members in relation to the characterisation of overgrowth mutants of wheat.

3. Contribute to the effective function of the research team, and where necessary provide input and make adjustments to research strategies so as to accelerate the delivery of research outputs according to project requirements.

4. Maintain accurate experimental records and display a high level of technical skills in characterising wheat lines, along with the ability to accurately process experimental data.

To be successful you'll need:

1. Previous technical research experience particularly in relation to the conduct of plant biochemistry and physiology research in glasshouse and field material.

2. High degree of personal motivation and ability to meet goals and standards with high level of accuracy

3. Sound record keeping and effective time management.

4. Ability to work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary research team.

5. Ability to allocate activities and manage resources to meet challenging goals with a high degree of adaptability and capacity to adjust to changing circumstances.

6. Recognise the need to conduct work in accordance with Health, Safety and Environment principles.

About CSIRO:

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is Australia's national science agency and one of the largest and most diverse research agencies in the world. By igniting the creative spirit of our people we deliver great science and innovative solutions for industry, society and the environment.

CSIRO Plant Industry is one of the world’s leading research centres for plant science, employing 750 staff located at nine sites around Australia. It conducts research to promote profitable and sustainable agrifood, fibre and horticultural industries, develop new plant products and improve natural resource management.

For more information regarding this role, or to apply, please visit CSIRO Careers Online and enter reference number 2010/486.

Closing date: Friday, 10 September 2010

No. 494

METABOLIC ENGINEERING and SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY (competition # 7789)

The Michael Smith Laboratories and the Centre for High-Throughput Biology ( The University of British Columbia )

The Michael Smith Laboratories (MSL) and the Centre for High-throughput Biology (CHiBi) at the University of British Columbia are jointly launching a major recruiting initiative and invite applications for two new faculty positions. These full-time tenure-track positions will be filled primarily at the Assistant Professor level but exceptional candidates at a higher rank may be considered. The two new faculty will be located in exceptional research space at the centre of campus within a highly interdisciplinary and collaborative environment that includes biological and physical scientists and engineers, as well as proteomics and bioinformatics experts.

All facets of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, from technology development and computational approaches to innovative applications, will be considered. Applicants with an interest in bioenergy and biorefining are particularly encouraged to apply.

The Michael Smith Laboratories and the Centre for High-throughput Biology comprise a diverse group of 22 research and teaching faculty and over 150 graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and research associates. Research strengths include medical and animal molecular genetics/biology, plant and forest molecular genetics/biology, bioprocess engineering, chemical biology, proteomics, micro-fluidics, bioinformatics and statistical genomics. Importantly the group is also providing leadership for the Bio-energy and Refining Innovation (BERI) network as part of a university-wide initiative in sustainability. Applicants are strongly encouraged to visit http://www.michaelsmith.ubc.ca/ and http://www.chibi.ubc.ca/ to learn more about the unique technological and research opportunities available to new faculty members. Substantial start-up funds and exceptional mentoring will be provided.

Applications are being accepted on-line at http://www.hr.ubc.ca/careers/faculty_postings.html and should include a letter of application indicating the appropriate competition number, a detailed curriculum vitae, a list of publications, a statement of research and teaching interests, and the name, address, e-mail address and phone number of at least three referees. All positions are subject to final budgetary approval. The closing date for all applications is September 14, 2010.

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. We encourage all qualified persons to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

Closing date: Tuesday, 14 September 2010

No. 496

COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (competition # 7795)

The Michael Smith Laboratories and the Centre for High-Throughput Biology ( The University of British Columbia )

The two new faculty will be located in exceptional research space at the centre of campus within a highly interdisciplinary and collaborative environment that includes biological and physical scientists and engineers, as well as proteomics and bioinformatics experts.

The development of innovative technologies, devices, computational approaches or chemical and biophysical techniques is welcomed, with particular emphasis on genome-wide and high-throughput approaches.

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. We encourage all qualified persons to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

Closing date: Tuesday, 14 September 2010

No. 495

CHEMICAL, MOLECULAR AND SYSTEMS BIOLOGY, and BIOENGINEERING (competition # 7790)

The Michael Smith Laboratories and the Centre for High-Throughput Biology ( The University of British Columbia )

Approaches using molecular genetics, chemical, computational or molecular biology or bioengineering to probe animals, plants and unicellular organisms, and models of disease therein, will be considered.

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. We encourage all qualified persons to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

Closing date: Tuesday, 14 September 2010

No. 504

PhD Scolarship

School of Life Sciences , La Trobe University, Melbourne

We are seeking an enthusiastic student to undertake a PhD at La Trobe University on aspects of phytoremediation. The PhD project forms part of the ARC-funded project “Phyto-extraction approaches to mitigating heavy metal release from unlined and loosely capped rural landfills”. The overall aims of the ARC project are to 1) identify multi-metal tolerant native plant and tree species and study the associated mechanisms of metal tolerance, 2) design novel plant systems that comprise metal tolerant (metallophyte) shallow-rooted native plant species and metal-hyper accumulators in tandem with deep-rooted high-biomass trees for rural landfills containing heavy metals, 3) provide management options which maximize biomass production and heavy-metal phyto extraction, and 4) develop novel analytical synchrotron and flow injection based techniques for metal speciation and mobility studies in the rhizosphere soil samples. The successful candidate will work in a stimulating environment, with access to excellent facilities. The PhD project will involve a mixture of field and glasshouse studies, and provides a great opportunity to undertake fundamental research.

The scholarship is valued at $26,669 per year and is available now for at least three years. Applicants should hold an Honours degree (First Class or 2A) or equivalent qualification or experience in soil science, agriculture science, environmental science, or related fields, and are able to work independently as well as collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team. Only Australian permanent residents or citizens are eligible.

To apply please send a copy of your CV and academic record, and contact details of two academic referees to Professor Caixian Tang (see below). The closing date for applications is 30 September 2010 but later applications will be considered if no suitable candidate is identified.

For further information contact:

Professor Caixian Tang, School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Vic 3086. Tel: (03) 9479 2184; Email: A/Professor Peter Sale, School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Vic 3086. Tel: (03) 9479 2188; Email:

Closing date: Thursday, 30 September 2010

No. 225

Bioinformatics Helpdesk Officer

ACPFG School of Agriculture, Food and Wine ,University of Adelaide.

Based at the Waite campus of the University of Adelaide in South Australia the Bioinformatics Helpdesk Officer will work at the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG).

You will be part of ACPFG’s bioinformatics team and provide bioinformatics support and training for researchers, focussing on areas in bioinformatics including basic principles of sequence analysis and alignments, database searches, and the use of bioinformatics software in general. In addition, you will be expected to undertake support projects as part of the service which may include some scripting and webpage design/maintenance.

This fixed-term position is available immediately until 31 December 2010.

Please refer to the duty statement and selection criteria or alternatively contact Mrs Diane Brennan, telephone: ++61 8 8303 7423 or email: .

For further information regarding the position contact Dr Ute Baumann

Position will remain open until filled.
APPLICATIONS :
•Include your résumé/Curriculum Vitae.
•Address the selection criteria.
•Quote the relevant reference number.
•Include residency status.
•Include the names, addresses and/or email details of three referees.

Email applications to

SELECTION CRITERIA:
•Degree in Life Sciences or Information techchnology/Computer Science
•Demonstrated experience in using bioinformatics tools such as BLAST, SignalP, Expasy.
•Demonstrated experience in querying biological databases and data mining.
•Experience in Plant Science and especially comparative genomics.
•Experience using Windows XP and Office 2007.
•The ability to work across different disciplines; switch focus as dictated by day-to-day priorities; work independently yet consistently in a high pressure environment
•A team player with excellent inter-personal and communication skills and ability to work with people with different backgrounds is required.

Liaison with researchers at the other nodes of ACPFG (Melbourne and Brisbane) will require some interstate travel and telephone consultancy.

REQUIREMENTS:
• A degree in Life Sciences or Information Technology/Computer Science.
•Demonstrated experience in using bioinformatics tools such as BLAST, SignalP and Expasy.
•Demonstrated experience in querying biological databases and data mining.
•Experience using Windows XP and Office 2007.

SALARY:
(HEO5/6) $46,011 — $60,705 per annum. Plus an employer superannuation contribution of 17% applies.

DESIRABLE:
•Scripting/ Programming skills in languages such as Perl, Python or VB, VBA.
•Experience with web technology (Javascript, CSS, HTML, RSS, PHP).
•Basic knowledge in statistics.

DUTY STATEMENT:
•Support the ACPFG bioinformatics research group and provide the first point of contact for staff and students at all ACPFG nodes.
•Assist ACPFG researchers and students with their day-to-day Bioinformatics problems.
•Assist with the design and delivery of training courses in bioinformatics for ACPFG staff and students
• Installation of bioinformatics software, quality assessment, customization and trouble-shooting.
•Provide bioinformatics software advice and assistance.
•Undertake small projects, including developing and maintaining web pages, as part of a team.
•Keep informed on the state-of-the-art bioinformatics technologies and software.
•Perform other cognate duties as directed.

Closing date: Friday, 31 December 2010

Positions without a nominated closing date

PhD in Chemical Ecology

The Australian University

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated PhD candidate in the field of Chemical Ecology and/or Natural product chemistry to join our multidisciplinary research team, which is investigating the chemical ecology of orchid-pollinator interactions.

The PhD project will include performing chemical extractions of plant volatiles, chemical analysis by GC and GC-MS and GC-EAD analysis, chemical elucidation and synthesis of known and novel plant volatiles. Willingness to participate in field work in both eastern and Western Australia is highly desirable.

The PhD project will be associated with the Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage project entitled: A multidisciplinary research program to assess limiting factors and predict impacts of climate change for endangered Australian orchids. This project represents a partnership between the Australian National University in Canberra, and the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority (BGPA) and the University of Western Australia (UWA) in Perth. The multidisciplinary team combines expertise spanning the fields of ecology, population genetics, evolutionary biology, conservation biology, organic chemistry and climate change.

Eligibility:

Suitable PhD candidates must hold a First Class Honours degree and be Australian or NZ citizens eligible to apply for an Australian Postgraduate Award.

For more information , please contact:

Dr Russell Barrow in the Research School of Chemistry (rab@anu.edu.au) Professor Rod Peakall in the Research School of Biology (rod.peakall@anu.edu.au)

PhD on the role of mycorrhizae in orchid speciation

The Australian National University

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated PhD candidate in the field of Evolution to study the role of mycorrhizae in the speciation of orchids. The candidate will join our multidisciplinary research team, which is investigating the mycorrhizal associations of orchids and the ecology of orchid-pollinator interactions in the orchid genera Chiloglottis and Arthrochilus.

The PhD project will include collecting orchids, isolating and culturing mycorrhizal symbionts, phylogenetic analyses of mycorrhizal symbionts and mycorrhizal-mediated orchid seed germination. Willingness to participate in field work in Australia is desirable.

Eligibility:

Suitable PhD candidates must hold a First Class Honours degree and be Australian or NZ citizens eligible to apply for an Australian Postgraduate Award.

For further information, please contact:

Dr Celeste Linde in the Research School of Biology (celeste.linde@anu.edu.au) Professor Rod Peakall in the Research School of Biology (rod.peakall@anu.edu.au)

PhD in the Bioinformatics of Fungal Diversity

Australian National University

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated PhD candidate in the field of Bioinformatics to join our multidisciplinary research team, which is investigating the mycorrhizal (fungi) diversity of Australian orchids.

The PhD project will include data mining from at least three fungal partial genome sequencing projects by aligning different DNA and protein sequences to identify genes and their function. Specific tasks will include genome assembly, sequence alignment, gene finding, and the evolution of genes to increase our understanding of biological processes in fungi.

Eligibility:

Suitable PhD candidates must hold a First Class Honours degree and be Australian or NZ citizens eligible to apply for an Australian Postgraduate Award.

For further information, please contact:

Dr Celeste Linde in the Research School of Biology (celeste.linde@anu.edu.au) Professor Rod Peakall in the Research School of Biology (rod.peakall@anu.edu.au)

Research project Officer at CSIRO Plant Industry

Black Mountain, Canberra

Location:

Black Mountain, Canberra

Salary:

$53K — $68K plus superannuation

Term:

8 months

Ref No:

2010/452

The position:

The Molecular and Physiological Wheat Breeding Group provides directed research targeting improved wheat adaptation to Australian wheat-growing regions. The group comprises researchers and technical staff from Canberra, Brisbane and Perth. Research is undertaken across the Australian wheat-belt with the aim of identifying and developing wheat germplasm containing specific traits for improving productivity. A multidisciplinary approach is used, engaging expertise in physiology, genetics, pathology and breeding in selection and release of elite germplasm in a form readily useable by commercial breeding programs. The Research Projects Officer will contribute to the development of new traits and protocols to improve crop water use efficiency. You will be motivated and be able to work in a team-oriented workplace, at times with minimal supervision.

Desirable:

1. Assist with the conduct of field experiments aimed at assessing wheat performance under rainfed conditions

2. Travel between Canberra and remote field sites to assess key traits on multiple wheat lines, using a range of techniques and equipment at key stages throughout crop growth

3. Assist in harvest of experiments, and coordination of casual staff at key times

Eligibility:

1. Ability to work alone with minimal supervision and using initiative and to work as part of a team

2. Ability to adapt to changes in procedural demands

3. Preparedness and enthusiasm to participate in field work locally and at sites remote from Canberra.

4. Ability to work under trying conditions in contrasting field environments, conducting and coordinating data gathering and sampling

For more details on the position and how to apply, go to the Careers section at www.csiro.au and enter Job Reference Number 2010/452.

Post Doctoral fellows in the epigenetic basis of Hybrid Vigour

Black Mountain Laboratories , CSIRO

Hybrid vigour is a well known and widely used phenomenon in agriculture but the molecular basis is not understood. We are using next generation sequencing to investigate the genome wide changes in epigenetic marks that occur when hybrids are formed to determine whether epigenetic changes control heterosis. The Postdoctoral Fellows would work as part of a group led by Liz Dennis and Jim Peacock and including bioinformaticists, three other Postdoctoral Fellows and two technicians. We are seeking two skilled molecular biologists committed to this area, possibly experts in epigenetics.

Location:

Black Mountain, Canberra, Australia

Salary:

$73K — $80K plus superannuation

Ref No:

2010/471

About CSIRO:

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is Australia's national science agency and one of the largest and most diverse research agencies in the world. We aim to deliver great science and innovative solutions for industry, society and the environment. CSIRO Plant Industry is one of the world’s leading research centres for plant science. It undertakes research to promote profitable and sustainable agricultural industries and to improve natural resource management.

More information contact or the CSIRO Website https://recruitment.csiro.au/asp/job_list.asp