Research Associate

**Job no**: 515273

**Work type**: full time

**Location**: Sydney, NSW

**Categories**: Post Doctoral Research Associate
- **One of Australia’s leading research & teaching universities**:

- **Vibrant campus life with a strong sense of community & inclusion**:

- **Enjoy a career that makes a difference by collaborating & learning from the best**

**At UNSW, we pride ourselves on being a workplace where the best people come to do their best work.**

The School of Biotechnology & Biomolecular Science (BABS) teaches undergraduates, mentors postgraduate research students and conducts research in the disciplines of biotechnology, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, microbiology, environmental microbiology, medical microbiology and immunology.

This position is for a Research Associate with wet lab molecular biology and cell biology expertise. The Postdoctoral Research Associate will perform experiments to test the efficiency and efficacy of gene editing methods in mammalian red blood cell lines to develop an optimal gene editing platform. The Research Associate will use this platform to make edits in a therapeutically relevant gene and assess the impact of these edits on gene/protein expression levels, transcription factor binding and DNA-looping to generate fundamental insights into mechanisms of human gene regulation. This work constitutes part of a project funded by the Australian Research Council through the Linkage Project scheme in collaboration with industry partner CSL Limited to improve the efficiency of CRISPR gene editing for therapeutic use.

**About the role**
- **$100K - $107K** plus 17% Superannuation and annual leave loading
- Fixed Term - 3 years
- Full time (35 hours)

The role of Research Associate reports to A/Prof Kate Quinlan and has no direct reports.

**Specific responsibilities for this role include**:

- Contribute independently, or as a team member in collaborative research, with a focus to enhance the quality of research outcomes in the discipline area.
- Undertake specific research project/s under the guidance of a research leader and contribute to development of research activities.
- Design and conduct experiments in relation to research projects as directed.
- Acquire, analyse and report data relative to the project results.
- Support in the writing of scientific papers and reports for international journals and progress reporting to other researchers and industry partners.
- Assist with the coordination of research activities and actively contribute to research outputs to meet project milestones.
- Contribute to the preparation of research proposal submissions to funding bodies.
- Participate in and/or present at conferences and/or workshops relevant to the project as required.
- Offer expert advice and mentorship to honours and postgraduate students engaged in research.
- Maintenance of a digital lab book to enable transparent and reproducible research.
- Data management and archiving via UNSW Data Archive.
- Assist in the day-to-day operations of the group, including assistance with purchasing, data management, compliance with health and safety guidelines and other regulatory requirements.
- Attend meetings associated with the research or other activities of the laboratory, including meetings with the industry partner CSL Limited.
- Carry out other relevant duties as required by the supervisor.
- Align with and actively demonstrate the UNSW Values in Action: Our Behaviours and the UNSW Code of Conduct.
- Cooperate with all health and safety policies and procedures of the university and take all reasonable care to ensure that your actions or omissions do not impact on the health and safety of yourself or others.

**About the successful applicant**
**(Selection Criteria)**

To be successful in this role you will have:

- A PhD in molecular biology, cell biology, genetics or a related discipline, and/or substantial relevant work experience.
- Experience in molecular and cellular biology techniques including mammalian cell culture and cloning.
- Experience in CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in mammalian cells, flow cytometry, quantitative real-time PCR, chromatin immunoprecipitation and/or high-performance liquid chromatography would be highly advantageous.
- Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research with limited supervision in a laboratory environment.
- Demonstrated track record of publications and conference presentations, relative to opportunity.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a team, collaborate across disciplines and build effective relationships.
- Strong interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to communicate and interact with a diverse range of stakeholders and students.
- Demonstrated ability to prioritise work and meet deadlines.
- An understanding of and commitment to UNSW’s aims, objectives and values in action, together with relevant policies and guidelines.
- Knowledge of health and safety responsibilities and commitment to attending relevan