• Launch you research career in the frontier science of Environomics
• Unleash your creativity to embrace technical challenges in the lab
• Join CSIRO's Environomics Future Science Platform

The position

In this Postdoctoral Fellow position you will develop novel analytical and molecular tools for rapid characterisation and measurement of ecological interactions between animals and plants. You will use high-throughput DNA sequencing of pollen load samples collected from insect pollinators in terrestrial landscapes to determine the network of plant-pollinator interactions. Working in a team of scientists as part of CSIRO’s Environomics Future Science Platform, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with industrial, governmental and academic partners. Your research will establish the relative accuracy, sensitivity and cost-effectiveness of pollen metabarcoding and conventional taxonomic assessments approaches to describe plant-pollinator networks and biodiversity. In this exciting area of research you will also reconstruct past plant-pollinator communities using historical museum specimens from the Australian National Insect Collection to investigate potential impacts of climate change on the networks.

Location:      Canberra, ACT
Salary:          $83K- $91K plus up to 15.4% superannuation
Tenure:         Specified term of 3 years
Reference:   54642

To be successful you will need:

• A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD) in a relevant discipline area, such as molecular biology, ecology or genetics.

 Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years postdoctoral research experience.

• High level written and oral communication skills.
• A record of publications in quality, peer reviewed journals.

Demonstrated experience in: 

• metabarcoding and molecular ecology of plants or insects
• the construction of libraries for high-throughput sequencing
• molecular laboratory work.
• extracting and amplifying degraded DNA.
• DNA extraction PCR, Sanger Sequencing and high-throughput sequencing work.
• metagenomics, DNA barcodes and Illumina library preparation.
• familiarity with bioinformatics and programming experience in Python, R and/or UNIX shell scripting.

Before you apply please view the full position details and selection criteria here:  Position description document

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

We imagine. We collaborate. We innovate. At CSIRO, we do the extraordinary every day. We innovate for tomorrow and help improve today – for our customers, all Australians and the world. We do this by using science and technology to solve real issues. Diversity is the compass that navigates our innovation. We provide an inclusive workplace that respects, values and actively pursues the benefits of a diverse workforce.

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. Talk to us about how this role could be flexible for you.
Find out more here!  Balance

The Environomics Future Science Platform:  Environomics is genomics for environmental science, a frontier science that brings together advances in DNA sequencing, evolutionary biology, big-data and environmental modelling. Just as genomics has revolutionised agriculture and medicine, Environomics will shift Australia towards a whole-of-environment understanding of the genetic roots and relationships of our biodiversity, from our evolutionary hotspots, to the trillions of microbes essential to our soils, to the genes that give plants drought tolerance. Environomics will allow us to see beyond the Australian landscape to the genescape, transforming our ability to manage our biodiversity and make use of the genetic resources locked inside.  Biodiversity assessments are essential to tracking the condition of the environment, yet are time consuming and technically difficult to achieve. CSIRO’s Environomics Future Science Platform is developing new cost-effective methods to assess environmental conditions at scale. 

The National Research Collections of Australia:  CSIRO is the custodian of a number of collections of animal and plant specimens that contribute to national and international biological knowledge. Together, they constitute a vast storehouse of information about Australia’s biodiversity and underpin a significant part of the country’s taxonomic, genetic, agricultural and ecological research - making these vital resources for conservation and the development of sustainable land and marine management systems.

How to apply:  Please upload one document only containing your cover letter addressing the selection criteria, and your CV/resume that best represents your ability to meet the requirements of this role.

Applications close:  11:59pm AEDT, 18 March 2018