Research Officer

Garvan’s 2030: Discoveries to Impact Strategy is designed to galvanise Garvan’s researchers, professional staff, partners, donors and community around our vision of _Global leadership in discoveries to impact_, and to enable us as an Institute to deliver on that vision - such that Garvan becomes an institute where research discoveries are taken through to patient impact (new treatments, tests and prevention approaches), on a global scale.

A/Prof Marina Pajic heads an innovative multidisciplinary personalised medicine for pancreatic cancer research program. Her research builds on and goes beyond our knowledge of the genetics of cancer, to better understand how the surrounding tumour environment controls and drives the aggressive nature of this disease, metastasis of the cancer, and resistance to treatment. With this new insight, her team is developing novel, tailored therapeutic interventions, whereby cancers are selected for optimal treatment based on their overall molecular “fingerprint”. Her lab studies human disease using advanced molecular and cellular biology, immunology & imaging methodologies. With close clinical collaborators, we are translating the most promising treatment strategies into clinical trials.

The Opportunity
We are looking for a talented Research Officer (RO) who will be responsible, under direction, for generating new biological insights into the dynamics of cancer cell - stromal microenvironment interactions in pancreatic cancer and how these could be manipulated to improve therapeutic response in this lethal disease. The research officer will analyse tumour-stromal signaling in human pancreatic cancers using spatial -omics approaches and develop novel treatment strategies for this disease. Furthermore, the RO will supervise experimental work to assess the implications of novel stromal biology on tumour progression and resistance.

Key Responsibilities
- Key Responsibilities may include: _
- Design and manage own experiments and report and discuss findings back to supervisor
- Regularly attend extra seminar meetings and conferences
- Contribute towards research projects through to authorship of abstracts and publications in high impact journals
- Develop research-related material for the benefit of collaborators, with appropriate guidance from senior staff, and assist in the design and/or the operation of specialised laboratory and technical equipment or the conduct of advanced research procedures
- Proactively and efficiently contribute to the administrative functions associated with lab management
- Organise resource and equipment issues

Snap shot of benefits
- This is a 2-year, full time, fixed term role with an annual salary between $86,163k - $90,253k (dependent on experience) + super + salary packaging benefits
- Generous salary packaging ($15,900 for general household expenses and $2,650 for meal/entertainment expenses)
- On going training and development
- Flexible work arrangements
- 18 weeks paid parental leave
- Additional day’s leave as Garvan Day
- Employee Assistance Program
- Discounted Health Insurance
- Lifestyle discounts with our community partners

About You
The following key skills and attributes are essential to undertaking the role:

- PhD in relevant field such as cancer cell biology or immunology
- A strong first-author track record of scientific publications in quality peer-reviewed journals
- Experience with animal models of disease
- Experience with cell biology, immunofluorescence, CRISPR knockout, imaging, flow cytometry
- Molecular biology skills
- Ability to rapidly learn new techniques
- Results-oriented; adaptable approach to answering scientific questions
- Excellent time management and ability to prioritise tasks
- Display innovative and proactive abilities

Desirable
- Previous experience analysing RNA-sequencing or related techniques
- Computer coding in environments such as R and associated bioinformatics, particularly with regard to RNA-sequencing data analysis
- Expertise/knowledge in the field of cancer immunology or tumour microenvironment

How to Apply

**Salary**: $86,163.00 - $90,253.00 per year