Research Fellow

**Job no**: 0056657
**Location**:Parkville
**Role type**:Full time; Fixed-term
**Faculty**:Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences
**Department/School**:School of Agriculture and Food
**Salary**:Level A - $77,171 - $104,717 p.a. 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 Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences**
The Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences is a leader in agricultural, food and veterinary science education and research in Australia.

The faculty comprises the Melbourne Veterinary School and the School of Agriculture and Food. The faculty operates across three campuses: Parkville, Werribee and Dookie. We acknowledge and pay respect to the traditional owners of the lands upon which these campuses are situated, the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung peoples and the Yorta Yorta Nation. In addition to education and research, the faculty operates a veterinary hospital at Werribee, a broadacre farm at Dookie, and an equine hospital in Shepparton.

**About the Role**
The Research Fellow (Soil Fauna) will play a key role in the Soil Science Challenge Project (Soil fauna and their roles in nutrient transformations of agricultural soils) and collaborate with other project investigators across this multi-disciplinary project.

The position requires excellent research and interdisciplinary background in soil faunal ecology, soil microbiomes, and soil biology. The research fellow will have excellent interpersonal skills to support collaboration across disciplines and with industry partners and external stakeholders. The Research Fellow will also play an active role in mentoring and developing the skills of graduate researchers.

This position will primarily be located at the University of Melbourne’s Parkville Campus and may be required to attend other sites and campuses.

Working closely with the chief investigators of the Soil Science Challenges Project, this role will:

- Develop new standardised methodologies to characterise the diversity and community composition of soil faunal communities
- Combine conventional morphological identification, stable isotope tracing technique, and molecular approaches, to renovate our understanding of the distribution patterns of soil faunal communities in agricultural soils
- Explore the contributions of trophic interactions of soil faunal communities in regulating key biological processes of soil nitrogen and phosphorous cycles in agricultural lands

**About You**
You will have the ability to engage with relevant professional and industry bodies and stakeholders to foster collaborative partnerships and have a high-level organisational and administrative skills with the ability to prioritise a range of tasks, manage time effectively and meet deadlines in a busy environment. You will possess well-developed interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and have the ability to tailor information to difference scientific audiences in a diverse environment.

You will also have:

- A relevant PhD degree or equivalent professional experience in a research field related to soil faunal ecology, soil microbiology, or microbial ecology
- Proven ability to undertake research under limited supervision and delivering against research objectives, as evidenced by a record of contributions in peer-reviewed publications and presentations to scientific and industry audiences
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience in morphological identification of soil faunal communities, soil food webs, and soil biodiversity
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience in high-throughput sequencing, bioinformatics, and statistical modelling approaches
- Demonstrated ability to publish research findings in high-impact scientific journals

**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 loading
- Free and subsidised health and wellbeing services, and access to fitness and cultural clubs
- Discounts on a wide range of products and services