Technical Field Assistant

Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI)- Support field and glasshouse research trials across multiple sites in SE QLD- Belong to a vibrant community where your work genuinely makes an impact- Based at- Gatton- CampusAcknowledgement of Country

The University of Queensland (UQ) acknowledges the Traditional Owners and their custodianship of the lands on which UQ operates. We pay our respects to their Ancestors and their descendants, who continue cultural and spiritual connections to Country. We recognise their valuable contributions to Australian and global society.

About UQ

As part of the UQ community, you’ll have the opportunity to work alongside the brightest minds, who have joined us from all over the world.

Everyone here has a role to play. As a member of our professional staff cohort, you will be actively involved in working towards our vision of a better world. By supporting the academic endeavour across teaching, research, and the student life, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to activities that have a lasting impact on our community.

Join a community where excellence is at the core of our culture, contributions are valued and a range of

benefits and rewards

are available, such as:

- 26 weeks paid parental leave or 14 weeks paid primary caregiver leave
- 17% superannuation contributions
- 17.5% annual leave loading
- Access to flexible working arrangements
- Health and wellness discounts - fitness passport access, free yearly flu vaccinations, discounted health insurance, and access to our Employee Assistance Program for staff and their immediate family
- Salary packaging options

About This Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced and highly motivated Research Assistant to join a project that aims to overcome the field phenotyping bottleneck for impactful root traits that limits the capacity of breeders and agronomists to achieve step gains in crop productivity, by selecting genotypes and precision agronomic interventions that increase drought tolerance in wheat and sorghum.

You will support the work of a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, project staff and PhD students conducting field and glasshouse research at UQ’s Gatton Campus, and in field trials at Gatton, Warwick and in the Darling Downs. A background in agriculture, field crops, biology or science will be a plus. Computer skills such as management of spreadsheets, word documents and power point will be required. You will also be required to work outdoors, with some long-distance driving for which a valid drivers’ license is mandatory. Animal or livestock sciences are not relevant to this position.

Key responsibilities will include:

- Conduct soil sampling and root coring, using soil sampling equipment (training will be provided)
- Installing sensors and automatic weather stations in the field (training will be provided)
- Assisting researchers conduct detail field and glasshouse experimentation.
- Managing crops (e.g., sowing, harvesting, monitoring) and experimental site following agreed protocols to collect soil, root & plant samples and prepare these for analysis.
- Data collection in the field and in glasshouses, including sampling of shoots and roots (rizoboxes & lysimeters).
- Root sampling, washing and analysis.
- Collect, curate, and upload high quality data sets onto UQ’s data management systems.
- Maintain confidentiality when dealing with commercially sensitive information.
- Support the work of PhD students, project officers, and manage casuals.
- Communicate openly, effectively, and respectfully with all staff, clients, and suppliers in the interests of good business practice.

Safety
- Ensures a high standard of research housekeeping, waste disposal, sample storage and chemical/specimen/sample inventory management
- Assists with developing a proactive safety culture and implement continuous improvement

Optional
- Assists with the development of research/analytical protocols
- Performs standard maintenance of instruments/equipment to ensure optimal performance
- Maintains comprehensive preparation/set-up notes and instructions for self and others to use
- Ensures compliance with approved ethics protocols
- Contributes to research outputs, joint preparation and authorship of reports/manuscripts
- Records and documents outcomes from experiments

Leadership and management
- Supports and/or lead the development of more junior casuals

Other duties, as reasonable directed by the supervisor.

Code of Conduct


This is a 3 year full time 100% FTE position through to April 2027 at HEW 6.

The full-time equivalent base salary will be in the range $86,371.95 - $92,658.90, plus a generous super allowance of up to 17%. The total FTE package will be up to $101,055.18 - $108,410.91 annually. As this role is covered by an Enterprise Agreement, you will also receive regular remuneration increases - at least once a year.

About You
- Completion of a relevant degree in agriculture or biology