Research Fellow

Remuneration range $88,917 to $119,286 pa
- Full-time fixed-term appointment for 1 year
- Springfield campus

Building on its strengths as Australia’s leading regional University, UniSQ’s vision is to be renowned for innovation and excellence in education, student experience, research and engagement. Guided by our core values of respect, integrity and excellence, the University’s Strategic Plan 2021-2025 outlines our commitment to creating and sharing knowledge, transforming lives and solving the problems that matter to our world.

This is a unique and exciting opportunity to join our research centre and contribute to innovative research on the development of ceramifiable fire-retardant coatings for typical polymer foams to create fire-safe building thermal insulation materials.

**What you'll do**

Reporting to the Professor (High Performance Polymers), you will conduct research in our newly funded Australian Research Council (ARC) project to develop advanced fire-retardant coatings. In particular, you will:

- provide expertise in Chemical Synthesis, Materials Science and Engineering, Polymer Science, and Nanotechnologies.
- perform materials design, synthesis, characterisation and modelling, and be responsible for communication of this information to the ARC.
- provide a high level of expertise for the ARC project on the development of fire-retardant coatings for modern high-rise buildings.
- contribute to and develop research proposals for submission to external funding providers.
- publish research findings in high quality journal publications.
- establish and build collaborative research partnerships with a variety of collaborators.

**What will help you succeed**

Your energy and initiative, combined with your knowledge regarding flame retardant materials will be vital to your success in this role. In addition, you will have:

- an Honours degree or higher qualification in a relevant area of Materials Science and Engineering, Polymer Science and Engineering, or equivalent tertiary qualifications. Progression towards completion of a Doctoral qualification will be highly regarded.
- a high level of research expertise in fire retardants, fire-retardant coatings/polymers, including excellent practical laboratory skills, data acquisition, interpretation and analysis.
- an established track record of attracting ongoing research funding, as demonstrated by the award of external competitive grants.
- a demonstrated ability to supervise research staff and postgraduate research students.
- a high level of scientific communication skills, as demonstrated by a strong publication record and engagement in national and international conferences.
- an ability to engage effectively with the composite community and other key external stakeholders.

The University offers a range of different ways of working and connecting across our physical and virtual spaces to meet the needs of our students, partners and community. We value diversity and strive to foster an inclusive environment that is underpinned by our values and champions, embraces and respects differences.

Find out more about UniSQ and our Centre for Future Materials via the following link.

**Reference** **Number**: 0072_03/24

**Location**:Springfield

**Term**: Full-time, fixed-term appointment for 1 year (37.5 hrs/week)

**Salary**: Total remuneration range $88,917 to $119,286 pa (includes salary range of $75,130 to $100,791 pa, employer super contributions of 17% and annual leave loading)

**Closes**: Monday, 13 May 2024

**_ To be considered for this position, you will need to have the right to work in Australia._**

At UniSQ we are united by our core values of Respect, Integrity and Excellence, which guide our daily actions and decision-making.

**If you know that this role is right for you, please submit your current resume together with a two-page (maximum) statement, outlining your skills and experience relative to ‘Who we’re looking for’ in the position description.