Salary From: €38 631.00 Salary To: €38 631.00 Contract Type: Temporary Vacancy closing date: 13 Aug, 2021 Reference: 013433 Subject / Area: Other

Registration website

Job No:515388

Area:Qld Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation

Salary (FTE):Advertised at multiple classifications

Work type:Full Time - Fixed Term

Location: Other, St Lucia

Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture

The Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture is a research Centre within the School of Biological Sciences, School of Mathematics and Physics, School of Law and the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI).  The ARC CoE for Plant Success is administered at The University of Queensland and has Nodes at the University of Tasmania (UTAS), Monash University, Macquarie University (MQ) and Queensland University of Technology (QUT).  There are also a number of domestic and international partner institutions.

The ARC CoE for Plant Success will discover the adaptive strategies underpinning productivity and resilience in diverse plants and deepen knowledge of the genetic and physiological networks driving key traits. Using novel quantitative and computational approaches, the Centre will link gene networks with traits across biological levels, giving plant breeders an unparalleled predictive capacity. The Centre will accelerate technologies to transfer successful networks into crops and build legal frameworks to secure this knowledge. With a uniquely multidisciplinary team, the Centre will deliver new strategies to address the problems of food security and climate change, establishing Australia as a global leader in these areas.

The Australian Research Council funded the CoE for Plant Success in late 2019 and work is underway to establish the Centre, which has 17 chief investigators, 11 partner investigators and 27 associate investigators.

More information can be found here: https://www.plantsuccess.org/

This position will join a dynamic research team focused on sorghum breeding and genomics based at Warwick in Queensland and led by Prof David Jordan and Dr Emma Mace. The position will have access to large data sets generated through previous research in sorghum and generated in the course of the centre of excellence. The postdoctoral fellow will link with researchers working in groups led by Professors Christine Beveridge, Mark Cooper and Graeme Hammer in the UQ node of the ARC centre of Plant Success investigating network implications for predictive plant biology with an initial focus on shoot architecture. Shoot architecture is an important agricultural trait heavily influenced by environment (e.g., nutrients and light), plant hormones, sugar signalling and sugars in relation to source-sink partitioning.

The primary focus of the position will be on the sorghum component of the research into trait networks outlined above. The position will develop experimental sorghum populations by imposing directional selection for shoot architecture over multiple cycles while collecting molecular and whole plant phenotypes. The position will work with other researchers in the center to undertake novel analyses of sequences of the populations evolving under the influences of directional selection. The experimental results will be used to develop novel predictive models for plant architecture traits for applications to plant breeding and evolutionary studies. All experimental and modelling investigations will be conducted within the Centre of Excellence team environment and through collaborations with Centre partnerships including scientists from Corteva Agriscience and CIMMYT. Additionally, the position will be highly collaborative and provide sorghum genomic support and analysis to researchers working on a range of activities within the Centre. 

Further information regarding the position and research program can be found within the position description below.

This position will be housed within the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation at the Hermitage Research Facility in  Warwick, QLD.

To be successful for this opportunity, you will be able to demonstrate:

• A PhD or equivalent (or be nearing completion) in plant breeding or plant adaptation analysis.
• Ability to carry out research in the field of modern trait mapping using genome sequence, high throughput phenomics data and genomic prediction.
• Experience in field based genetic research and track record of publication of research findings in peer reviewed journals and conferences.
• Evidence of, or an ability to commence establishing effective relationships to represent and promote the research area at a University and wider community level, including industry, government and professional bodies.
• Ability to conduct research independently and collaboratively.
• High levels of personal integrity, transparency and capability.
• In addition to the above, and relative to opportunity, the applicant will also be expected to have demonstrated clear evidence of leadership.

Visa sponsorship may be available for this appointment.

All final applicants for this position may be asked to consent to a criminal record check. Please note that people with criminal records are not automatically barred from applying for this position. Each application will be considered on its merits.

We value diversity and inclusion, and actively encourage applications from those who bring diversity to the University. Our Diversity and Inclusion webpage contains further information if you require additional support. Accessibility requirements and/or adjustments can be directed to [email protected].

This is a full-time, fixed term position for up to 4 years at Academic level A or B. Contribution towards relocation will also be considered as required.

• At Academic Level A, the full-time equivalent base salary will be in the range $70,729.75 - $94,637.91 plus super of up to 17%. The total FTE package will be in the range $82,753.80 - $110,726.35.
• At Academic Level B, the base salary will be in the range $99,542.80 - $118,206.73, plus super of up to 17%. The total package will be in the range $116,464.14 - $138,301.

You will be able to take advantage of UQ Sport Facilities, recreation leave loading, salary sacrificing options, on-campus childcare, discounted private health insurance, cheap parking, development programs and many other benefits.

For further information, please review The University of Queensland's Enterprise Bargaining Agreement 2018-2021.

Position Description  515388_Postdoctoral Research Fellow_Research Fellow in Sorghum Genetics and Genomics for Plant Network Biology

Questions?

To discuss this role please contact Professor David Jordan at [email protected].

For application queries, please contact [email protected] stating the job number in the subject line.

To submit an application for this role, use the apply button. All applicants must supply the following documents:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Responses to the Selection Criteria

To satisfy pre-requisite questions and ensure your application can be considered in full, all candidates must apply via the UQ Careers portal by the job closing deadline. Applications received via other channels including direct email will not be accepted.

#LI-DNI

Advertised:

23 Jul 2021
Applications close:

20 Aug 2021 (11:00 PM) E. Australia Standard Time