Research Fellow in Veterinary Science

Faculty of Science / School of Veterinary Science

Employment Type: Part-time (80%), fixed-term position through to April 2028

Salary: Base salary will be in the range $117,120.53 - $138,769.70 + 17% Superannuation (Academic Level B)

Location: Based at our Gatton Campus

About This Opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity for a Research Fellow to contribute to high-impact infectious disease epidemiological research while building a strong research profile toward national recognition.

Based primarily at the UQ School of Veterinary Science (Queensland Alliance for One Health Sciences), the role is supported by an ARC Discovery–funded project and involves close collaboration with Chief Investigators and experts at the UQ Institute of Molecular Bioscience, as well as engagement with industry, government, and international partners.

The Research Fellow will lead expert consultation and prioritisation to identify Australian bird species at risk of avian influenza; conduct avian necropsies and disease screening in line with ethical and biosecurity requirements; curate samples to establish a national avian bone-marrow biobank; and develop integrated disease-modelling pipelines to support risk-based avian influenza surveillance across Australia. Travel to partner institutions may be required.

Key Responsibilities

Research

Lead and contribute to an interdisciplinary avian influenza epidemiology and immunology research program, integrating molecular, immunological, phylogenetic, ecological, and modelling approaches to produce high-quality research outputs, support competitive funding, and translate findings into risk-based avian influenza surveillance and biosecurity outcomes.

Supervision and Researcher Development

Provide effective supervision, mentoring, and people management, including co-supervision of Honours and HDR students and research staff, supporting researcher development, and managing performance, conduct, and workplace matters in line with University policies and procedures.

Citizenship and Service

Demonstrate leadership and service through mentoring and collaboration, stakeholder engagement, research dissemination, and active participation in unit priorities, while ensuring project delivery, compliance, and contribution to a collaborative and inclusive research culture aligned with UQ values.

This is a research focused position. Further information can be found by viewing UQ’s Criteria for Academic Performance.

About UQ’s Gatton Campus

Established over 125 years ago, UQ’s Gatton Campus has a long history – from starting out as a dedicated agricultural institution, to being a field hospital during WWII, and to joining the UQ community in 1990. With this history in mind, we’re proud to have made the Queensland Commitment, to break down personal, financial, and geographical barriers facing students to make education opportunities available for all Queenslanders.

These days, our Gatton Campus houses innovative research and teaching facilities in agriculture, animal science, veterinary science and the environment. We’ve partnered with government, industry and donors to invest in major research infrastructure, facilities and technologies, including: the largest solar research facility in the Southern Hemisphere, the state of the art Queensland Animal Sciences Precinct, and over 1000 hectares of farms.

Additional Benefits

Additional benefits of joining UQ, as well the Gatton campus specifically, include:

• Genuine career progression opportunities via the academic promotions process and access to exclusive internal-only vacancies

• Access to greater research funding opportunities, including grant writing support and post-fellowship contracts via our UQ Amplify initiative

• Recognition of prior service with other Australian universities

• Up to 26 weeks paid parental leave/paid primary care leave

• 17% superannuation contributions

• 25% discount on eligible UQ Vets services

• Access to our $4.1 million UQ Sports facility

• On campus childcare, medical clinic, post office, and community garden

• Free parking and intercampus bus

About You

Essential

• Completion of a PhD in infectious disease epidemiology, veterinary science, animal science, immunology, bioinformatics, or a closely related discipline.

• Demonstrated postdoctoral research experience with a developing track record of peer-reviewed publications appropriate to a Level B appointment.

• Evidence of the ability to conduct research with a degree of independence, including planning experiments or analytical approaches and meeting project milestones.

• Demonstrated experience working with biological samples and complying with animal ethics, biosafety and quality-assurance frameworks.

• Demonstrated expertise in infectious disease epidemiology and/or disease modelling, molecular epidemiology, bioinformatics and/or quantitative analysis relevant to infectious disease research.

• High-level written and oral communication skills, with demonstrated capacity to present and collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary national and international research teams.

• Evidence of successfully seeking, obtaining and managing external research funding.

• A growing record of supervision of Honours and Research Higher Degree students to successful completion.

• Experience in meaningful internal service roles in conjunction with active contributions to external activities.

Desirable

• Direct experience in avian influenza research in poultry and/or wild birds.

• Practical experience performing avian necropsies and pathological sampling.

• Demonstrated experience in spatiotemporal or transmission modelling of infectious diseases.

• Experience with RNA sequencing, comparative genomics or long-read sequencing technologies.

• Experience working at the One Health interface, including engagement with government biosecurity or wildlife agencies.

• Experience supervising students or junior research staff and contributing to grant reporting or development.

Appointment Conditions

Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of relevant pre-employment checks, which may include verification of the right to work in Australia, qualifications, and other role-specific requirements such as mandatory immunisations. This may also include checks relating to gender-based violence matters or other integrity and conduct requirements.

You must maintain unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this appointment to apply. Employer sponsored work rights are not available for this appointment.

Questions?

For more information about this opportunity, please contact Prof Ricardo Soares Magalhães via email r.magalhaes@uq.edu.au.

For application inquiries, please reach out to the Talent Acquisition team at talent@uq.edu.au, stating the job reference number (below) in the subject line.

Want to Apply?

We welcome applications from all individuals and are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. To be considered, please ensure you upload:

• Resume

• Cover letter

• Responses to the ‘About You’ section

Our strength as an institution lies in our diverse colleagues. We're dedicated to equity, diversity, and inclusion, fostering an environment that mirrors our wider community. We're committed to attracting, retaining, and promoting diverse talent, particularly from Australia’s First Nations Peoples. If you require an alternative method to submit your application due to accessibility needs or personal circumstances, please contact talent@uq.edu.au.

Other Information

UQ is committed to a fair, equitable and inclusive selection process, which recognises that some applicants may face additional barriers and challenges which have impacted and/or continue to impact their career trajectory. Candidates who don’t meet all criteria are encouraged to apply and demonstrate their potential. The selection panel considers both potential and performance relative to opportunities when assessing suitability for the role.

Applications close: Sunday 15 March at 11.00pm AEST
Job reference: R-59932

Please note that interviews have been tentatively scheduled for the week of 23 March.

In your application, please refer to Professorpositions.com