Research Assistant

Overview:
- Part-time (0.5 FTE), Fixed Term for 2.5 Years- Salary Academic Level A6-A8 ($102,047 - $109,536 p.a. pro rata) + 17% Superannuation and Flexible Working Arrangements- Based at the Melbourne CBD campus, but may be required to work and/or be based at other campuses of the University

About the Role

We’re looking for a motivated and thoughtful early career researcher to join a nationally funded project investigating the social and economic impacts of flooding in Australian communities.

As a Postdoctoral Research Assistant, you’ll contribute to understanding the real cost of floods, beyond property damage. This includes exploring impacts on health, wellbeing, safety, and social resilience.

You’ll be part of a collaborative research team and work closely with community members, policymakers, and other stakeholders to help shape a methodology for assessing intangible flood damages in economic terms.

This role offers an opportunity to build your postdoctoral research profile while contributing to work that matters.

What You’ll Be Doing- Collecting data in flood-affected communities through surveys, interviews, and focus groups- Conducting both qualitative and quantitative analysis to assess social impacts- Collaborating with project partners and contributing to academic publications and presentations- Supporting community engagement efforts and helping translate research into policy-relevant outcomes

About You
You bring research experience in post-disaster or community settings and have strong interpersonal and analytical skills. You’re also comfortable working independently while being a reliable team player.

To be successful, you’ll need to show evidence of:
- Conducting post-disaster surveys to collect information from individuals and communities after a disaster to assess intangible impacts, vulnerability and resilience of communities.- Conducting qualitative research using structured /unstructured interviews, focused groups, observations, and content analysis in disaster scenarios.- Conducting quantitative research through advanced statistical analysis in disaster scenarios.- Community engagement in disaster affected areas.- Ability to work autonomously whilst displaying a strong commitment to work in a team environment, including the demonstrated ability to confidently and effectively work with colleagues, project team leaders, and industry partners.- High level of communication skills.

Mandatory Qualifications:
- PhD Qualification in the relevant discipline area.

About the RMIT School of Engineering

The School of Engineering is one of the largest Engineering Schools in Australia. It has over 350 staff and 7000 students, including 750 HDR students. The School is committed to driving innovation and collaboration through our industry partnerships. Our industry partners range from small companies to multinational organisations and we work together on translating our research into impact for our partners and the wider community. In April 2024, the School will transition to the following Departments:
- Aerospace Engineering- Biomedical Engineering- Chemical and Environmental Engineering- Civil and Infrastructure Engineering- Electrical and Electronic Engineering- Mechanical, Manufacturing and Mechatronics Engineering

This transition to Departments forms part of a new strategic direction for the School. This saw an increasing emphasis on engagement with industry and other external partners. The School is developing new industry led degrees, where our students learn whilst working for companies, as well as innovation hubs where we will co-locate industry partners, our research teams and our undergraduate students.

RMIT is a global university and the School of Engineering has students and research partners across Southeast Asia and Europe. This includes two campuses in Vietnam, as well as partnerships in Hong Kong, Singapore and we recently entered into a partnership with the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India. The School also has a research centre in Barcelona, which provides access to European funding and industry partners. The School will continue to grow our international activities with the aim of becoming a globally connected School that translates technologies and training across continents.

Details of the School can be found at:
To Apply

Please submit your CV and covering letter addressing the Key Selection Criteria for this position by clicking on the ‘Apply’ link at the top of this page.

For further information about this position, please see the Position Description hyperlinked below.

Position Description - Research Assistant (Postdoctoral)

Applications Close:
10 Aug 2025 11.59 pm
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