Research Fellow: Spatial Analyst

**Job no**: 0057214
**Location**:Parkville
**Role type**:Part time (0.5FTE); Fixed-term
**Faculty**:Faculty of Science
**Department/School**:School of Ecosystems and Forest Sciences
**Salary**:Level B - $110,236 - $130,900 p.a. (pro rata) plus 17% super

The University of Melbourne would like to acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Owners of the lands upon which our campuses are situated, the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung Peoples, the Yorta Yorta Nation, the Dja Dja Wurrung People. We acknowledge that the land on which we meet and learn was the place of age-old ceremonies, of celebration, initiation and renewal, and that the local Aboriginal Peoples have had and continue to have a unique role in the life of these lands.

**About the School of Ecosystems and Forest Sciences**

The School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences (SEFS) is Australia’s premier research and education provider dedicated to the study of ecosystem processes, sustainable land management, and environmental social science in forest and other ecosystems, covering the full range from natural to highly urbanised systems. SEFS combines expertise in the biological and physical sciences with environmental social science to provide research and teaching of applied ecosystem science that is relevant to society, delivering innovative solutions to the environmental issues faced by a rapidly growing global community. Our work spans from molecular to ecosystem scales, from technology to sociology, and from city to wilderness.

**About the Role**
The position involves working with the research team in the University of Melbourne, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, Bush Heritage Australia and partner organisations as part of the Ian Potter Foundation Gift project: Mapping Conservation Futures. The project will build on current progress in integrating cross-cultural knowledge and aspirations toward a stronger evidence base for regional planning in Australia.

The project comprises three interrelated streams of work:
i) The development of a knowledge portal that will provide knowledge support to all stakeholders and organisations involved in strategy development and regional planning

ii) The implementation of national-scale analyses that will help organisations crystallise and represent understanding of environmental, cultural and economic risks and opportunities

iii) Regional planning case studies undertaken in at least four key case study regions that will exemplify the use of cross-cultural knowledges in support of regional plans.

Responsibilities include:

- Work with data systems experts and Conservation Futures team members to oversee the development of an Integrated Knowledge System that combines spatial data on conservation management, cultural knowledge, climate and other data relevant to landscape planning and management, and which can be used in implementation of national-scale analyses and regional planning practices
- Identify a wide range of datasets at multiple scales and assess their quality and relevance to the national project and regional case studies and partners
- Curate and integrate datasets into the system from a wide range of relevant sources, including co-developing meaningful cataloguing systems for organising diverse datasets

**About You**
You will have an excellent track record in dealing with a wide range of stakeholders with the ability to interact positively and productively as part of a team environment with a strong collaboration focus. You will possess strong interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written and an excellent record of research productivity and publication in conservation science. You will also undertake independent research with a minimum of supervision. A broad understanding of issues relating to First Nations data monitoring and protective mechanisms particularly relating to Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property and Indigenous Data Sovereignty is desirable but not essential.

You will also have:

- Completion of Ph.D. thesis and/or postdoctoral work in a discipline relevant to, conservation management, data analysis, data engineering and spatial mapping
- Experience with managing projects and working with systems developers
- Advanced computer skills and knowledge of conservation data and metadata management

Please note: To be considered for this role you must have current valid work rights for Australia.

**About the University**
The University of Melbourne is consistently ranked amongst the leading universities in the world. We are proud of our people, our commitment to research and teaching excellence, and our global engagement.

**Benefits of Working with Us**
In addition to having the opportunity to grow and be challenged, and to be part of a vibrant campus life, our people enjoy a range of rewarding benefits:

- Flexible working arrangements, generous personal, parental and cultural leave
- Competitive remuneration, 17% super, salary packaging and leave loadi