Senior Research Fellow - Ecosystem Ecologist

Job no: 529616
Work type: Full Time
Location: Sydney, NSW
Categories: Senior Research Associate

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  • One of Australia’s leading research & teaching universities
  • Vibrant campus life with a strong sense of community & inclusion
  • Enjoy a career that makes a difference by collaborating & learning from the best
At UNSW, we pride ourselves on being a workplace where the best people come to do their best work.
 
The School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences is a preeminent life sciences education and research hub with the broad aims to excite, educate, inspire and advance knowledge in molecular biosciences to address real-world challenges and create opportunities. 
 
The Research Fellow (Level B)/Senior Research Fellow (Level C) will join our Centre for Ecosystem Science at UNSW. The role will contribute to a project developing new knowledge products to support national strategies for ecosystem protection, management and restoration, utilizing their strong background and advanced analytical and spatial data skills. 
 
About the role
• Level B ($123k - $145k) Level C ($150K - $172K) plus 17% Superannuation and annual leave loading
• Fixed Term – 5 years
• Full-time (35 hours per week)
 
The role of Research Fellow/Senior Research Fellow reports to Professor David Keith and has no direct reports.
 
Specific responsibilities for this role include: 
 
LEVEL B:
  • Engage in individual and/or collaborative research in a manner consistent with disciplinary practice. 
  • Create scholarly impact in the discipline which is recognised by peers in the advancement of disciplinary knowledge. 
  • Conduct research/scholarly activities under limited supervision, either independently or as a member of a team (as per the norms of the discipline). 
  • Be accountable for development of a consistent national classification and map framework for ecosystem data synthesis and risk assessment, based on the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (GET) and linked to state and national inventories for ecosystems and native vegetation types. 
  • Develop diagnostic workflows to identify drivers, threats, key components and indicators of ecosystem function, structure and composition for groups of functionally similar ecosystems. 
  • Identify relevant data sets and apply models and analytical tools for estimating rates of ecosystem change and spatial indicators required to assess levels of threat to ecosystems. 
  • Collaborate with project partners and other collaborators to develop innovative risk assessments for major thematic groups of ecosystems across Australia, ensuring they are consistent with international standards and guidelines and utilising novel multi-modal data streams. 
  • Contribute to development and implementation of innovative training resources for upskilling across government, industry and community sectors 
  • Work closely with project partners and collaborators to co-design, implement and publish high quality research. 
  • Establish a personal research portfolio and start developing independent research proposals. 
  • Contribute to the development of applications for competitive funding under the guidance of senior colleagues. 
  • Participate as co-investigator or chief investigator in competitive grant applications or show evidence of active participation in research collaborations funded by competitive grants. 
  • Design research projects. 
  • Mentor and guide students and colleagues and develop the next generation of academics through involvement in supervision of HDRs (as per the norms of the discipline). 
  • Align with and actively demonstrate the Code of Conduct and Values 
  • Cooperate with all health and safety policies and procedures of the university and take all reasonable care to ensure that your actions or omissions do not impact on the psychosocial or physical health and safety of yourself or others. 
  • Develop research groups in ecology and conservation science and research methods that are appropriate to those disciplines. 
LEVEL C:
(in addition to the above)
  • Lead collaborations with project partners and other collaborators to develop innovative risk assessments for major thematic groups of ecosystems across Australia, ensuring they are consistent with international standards and guidelines and utilising novel multi-modal data streams. 
  • Contribute to design, delivery and support of novel ecosystem training and development initiatives for government, community and industry. 
  • Attract peer recognition and establish research network/s (based on the norms of the discipline) at national level. 
 
About the successful applicant
(Selection Criteria)
 
To be successful in this role you will have:
 
LEVEL B:
  • A PhD in ecology, conservation science or a related discipline, and/or relevant work experience. 
  • Proven commitment to proactively keeping up to date with ecosystem science knowledge and developments. 
  • Demonstrated track record in research with outcomes of high quality and high impact with clear evidence of the desire and ability to continually achieve research excellence as well as the capacity for research leadership. 
  • Familiarity with Australian terrestrial ecosystems and their defining features. 
  • Research experience in ecosystem dynamics and empirical studies of ecosystem or community processes. Including the collection and analysis of ecological data. 
  • Familiarity with Australian data repositories for terrestrial ecosystems and vegetation, and demonstrated experience in critical evaluation, cleaning and ecological analysis of their data to estimate spatial distributions and temporal trajectories. 
  • Advanced skills in the analysis and management of spatial data, and development of spatial models. 
  • Strong working knowledge of internationally adopted ecosystem risk assessment standards and classification frameworks, and their application by Australian governments. 
  • A track record of significant involvement with the profession and/or industry. 
  • High level communication skills, ability to network effectively and interact with a diverse range of students and staff with demonstrated ability to work in a team, collaborate across disciplines and build effective relationships. 
  • Evidence of highly developed interpersonal and organisational skills. • An understanding of and commitment to UNSW’s aims, objectives and values in action, together with relevant policies and guidelines. 
  • Knowledge of health and safety responsibilities and commitment to attending relevant health and safety training. 
 
LEVEL C:
(in addition to the above)
  • Proven capacity for successful collaboration and world-class research translation, with demonstrated ability to work in a team, collaborate across disciplines and build effective relationships. 
You should systematically address the selection criteria listed above in your application. 
Please apply online - applications will not be accepted if sent to the contact listed.
 
Contact:
David Keith
E: david.keith@unsw.edu.au
Applications close: January 6th, 2025
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Find out more about working at UNSW at www.unsw.edu.au
UNSW is committed to equity diversity and inclusion. Applications from women, people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those living with disabilities, members of the LGBTIQ+ community; and people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, are encouraged. UNSW provides workplace adjustments for people with disability, and access to flexible work options for eligible staff. The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.

 

Position Description

Advertised: AUS Eastern Daylight Time
Application close: AUS Eastern Daylight Time

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