Research Associate in Conservation Ecology

$73,015 to $99,075
- Fixed-term, full-time
- Gardens Point

**Who are we looking for?**

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is seeking a Research Associate in Conservation Ecology to join School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Academic Division.

You will be highly motivated and passionate about biodiversity conservation and creating impact in this area. You will be skilled at listening to and valuing the opinions of a range of stakeholders to assist in resolving project related issues, including Traditional Owners of the lands on which work will be carried out. You will also be skilled in communicating your research with these groups to achieve on-ground impacts and further the aims of the project, as well as with an academic audience.

**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.

Our school brings together multidisciplinary research teams to address global challenges, ranging from food security to climate change. We work across all levels of complexity, from genes to whole organisms, and in natural to modified ecosystems. Through research, we aim to:
significantly contribute to the advancement of food production,
develop more resilient and nutritional crops,
understand groundwater-soil-vegetation interactions,
treat plant and animal diseases, and
prevent and control pests and invasive species.

The school has an outstanding record of producing impactful pure and applied research outcomes, with ERA ratings for fields of research either at or well above world standard (ERA 2015). We are the partner of choice for research and innovation at federal, state and regional government levels, and with industry and end-users.

Our researchers currently play a leadership role in the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Industrial Transformation Research Centre for Fruit Fly Biosecurity Innovation and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology. School members have leadership roles and are affiliated with a number of University research centres including the Centre for Agriculture and Bioeconomy, Centre for the Environment and Centre for a Waste-Free World.

Mindful of the way in which science and engineering must be done in the 21st century, the school creates an environment where issues can be discussed, researched and resolved in a way that attends to competing priorities. Our courses in science and engineering reflect this approach as we seek to provide students with learning experiences appropriate to real world problems.

**What you need to succeed**

You’re a collegial professional, a team player and can develop strong, positive work relationships with academic and professional staff

You will demonstrate:

- Completion of a PhD (with a significant research component), in a discipline of relevance to the research topic (e.g. quantitative ecology, biodiversity conservation, environmental statistics, machine learning applied to the environment)
- Highly developed written and oral communication skills, including at least one peer-reviewed publication, ideally as lead author.
- Demonstrated experience in spatial data analysis, statistical analysis and coding in a relevant programming language (e.g. R, Python).
- Well-developed interpersonal and written communication skills, including the ability to develop or assist in the development of collaborative partnerships with both internal and external stakeholders.
- Demonstrated capacity for project management with stakeholders, including accomplishment of milestones in a timely manner.