Research Officer

The Human Immune Disorders Lab is led by Associate Professor Cindy Ma and studies human diseases of the immune system. A specific focus is rare inborn errors of immunity due to pathogenic variants in single genes that are required for a functioning immune system, as well as more common diseases that affect the general population such as allergy and autoimmune disorders. Her lab investigates lymphocytes from patients to elucidate the molecular and cellular requirements for a functioning immune system and to link this to define mechanisms underlying defects in the immune response that cause clinical disease. It is critical to identify these pathogenic mechanisms in order to enable the development of novel treatments for these debilitating conditions.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Research Officer, Level 1 to 3, is accountable for conducting independent experiments within their Research Pillar in a collaborative framework with his/her supervisor. In principle, an RO conducts research work under guidance from a more senior scientist and they would be demonstrating increasing independence as they progress from RO1 to RO3.

**Salary**: Up to $87,000 P/A + 14% Superannuation + Salary Packaging

Employment Type: Full Time 1 year contract with possibility for extension

SNAPSHOT OF BENEFITS- Generous salary packaging to save you income tax on your wages thereby boosting your monthly take home pay (max. $15,900 general expenses + $2,650 meals/accom)- Ample opportunities for on-going training and development- Stimulating, diverse and highly international research environment- Flexible work arrangements e.g. location, start / finish times etc- 18 weeks paid parental leave for both parents including paid superannuation- A range of additional leave types to meet your personal needs including cultural leave, conference leave, community service and study leave- Discounted Health Insurance- Lifestyle discounts with our community partners

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Performs under guidance

An RO1 would conduct original research under limited supervision, and be required to make contributions in more than one of the following areas:
- Completion of research projects in an efficient and timely manner, with outcomes published under joint authorship in peer-reviewed journals- Contribution to team and Garvan research projects- Presentation of original research at national/ international scientific conferences, and as invited to seminars locally and/or nationally- Co-supervision and mentoring of students and junior research staff- Provision of supervisory assistance in preparation of research grant proposals, including contribution of data- Contribution to improvements in techniques, quantitative methods and quality control

General responsibilities:
- PhD in immunology, cell biology, molecular biology or biochemistry, with a strong interest and understanding of all of these disciplines as they relate to immunology.- Extensive experience with wet laboratory techniques is expected, including:
- Isolation of human immune cells from peripheral blood and tissues,-
- In vitro cell culture of primary immune cells and cell lines-
- Multi-parameter flow cytometry and analysis using relevant software,-
- Application of in vitro bioassays to investigate functional responses of immune cells and cell lines established from patients, and healthy donors (eg ELISAs, ELISPOTS, cytokine bead arrays, cell tracking dyes, western blotting.-
- Desirable experience in wet laboratory techniques, including:
- Biochemical and molecular skills such as immunoprecipitation, chromatin immunoprecipitation, gene cloning, qPCR, RNA-Seq and data analysis-
- Implementing assays to test expression and function of recombinant proteins in relevant in vitro systems,-
- CRISPR/Cas9-gene targeting in cells/cell lines to silence genes of interest, and restore gene expression by transfection/gene transfer-
- Knowledge of bioinformatics and analysis a plus.- Strong problem solving and analytical skills.- Have a strong commitment to continuous delivery of high quality work.- Have excellent communication skills for written reports and oral presentations.- Demonstrate a capacity to work collaboratively with researchers across laboratories.

ABOUT YOU

The general experience requirements are as follows, however this alone is not sufficient. Research Officers (RO) are appointed within the RO 1-3 scale based on their skills, experience and achievements, as well as the scope and demands of the position to which they are appointed.

The key skills and experience of a Research Officer include:
- PhD or MD in a relevant area- Extensive experience with wet laboratory techniques is expected- Strong problem solving and analytical skills- Have a strong commitment to continuous delivery of high quality work- Have excellent communication skills for written reports and oral presentations- Demonstrate a capacity to work collaboratively with researchers across laboratories- Be well organised and a good time