Australian Society of Plant Scientists | Employment Opportunities at ASPS

Employment Opportunities

Please note that positions are listed in order of nominal closing date. Positions whose closing dates are approaching will be at the top of the list, but note that positions without a specified closing date are listed separately at the bottom of this list. Job numbers appear before each entry, identifying chronological order of inclusion on this page.

Enquiries can be directed to

No. 497

Research Fellow in Carbohydrate Biochemistry (Position No. 0024254)

School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

This position will be based at the School of Botany, University of Melbourne in Parkville, Victoria, Australia. The appointee will be part of a team in the School of Botany, University of Melbourne node of a multinodal (including University of Adelaide, University of Queensland, CSIRO Divisions of Plant Industry & Human Nutrition) and multidisciplinary research program supported by the CSIRO Food Futures Flagship Fund. The CSIRO FFF High Fibre Grains Collaboration Cluster aims to redesign polysaccharides (complex carbohydrates) in cereal grains for improved nutritional value and human health. (Further information on CSIRO FF Cluster at: csiro.au/resources/HiFiCluster.html).

Requirements

If you have a PhD degree in biochemistry or an equivalent qualification, a thorough knowledge of modern techniques in of plant cell wall polysaccharide chemistry and biochemistry, have practical experience of modern molecular and analytical techniques, including mass spectrometry and NMR in glycobiology/carbohydrate biochemistry and their application to plants, have proven ability to productively undertake scientific projects, have excellent communication abilities including the preparation of original oral and written presentations and publications, have demonstrated ability to work in a team environment and if you are enthusiastic and interested please contact for further information and application process.

Salary:

Level A: $52,742* — $71,571 p.a. (*$66,676 for PhD); Level B: $75,341 — $89,465 p.a. commensurate with experience

Selection Criteria

Essential

1. PhD degree in Biochemistry/Chemistry or an equivalent qualification.

2. Broad knowledge of plant cell wall polysaccharide chemistry and biochemistry.

3. Practical experience of modern molecular and analytical techniques, including mass spectrometry and NMR in glycobiology/carbohydrate biochemistry and their application to plants.

4. Proven ability to productively undertake scientific projects.

5. Excellent communication abilities, including the preparation of original oral and written presentations and publications.

Desirable

1. Proficiency in the use of physico-chemical techniques for rheological characterisation of polysaccharide solutions/gels.

2. Knowledge of structure-function application of polysaccharides in food and/or industrial applications.

3. Proficiency in modern computational techniques for modelling polysaccharides.

4. Ability to effectively supervise and mentor students.

5. Ability to work in a team environment.

Key Responsibilities

1. Perform, under supervision, quality basic research on cereal cell wall polysaccharides pertaining to their structure and structure/function relationships in food applications.

2. Design experiments and operate advanced laboratory and technical equipment and perform advanced research procedures.

3. Ability to work in a team of scientists, students and technical staff to deliver high quality multi-disciplinary research outcomes in the area of plant cell wall analysis or manipulation.

4. Ability to manage a small research project, including supervision of technicians, students and/or postdoctoral fellows

For further information please contact: Professor Tony Bacic School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia

Email:

Ph: +613 8344 5041

website: www.plantcell.unimelb.edu.au

For position descriptions, and to apply, go to: Careers website at The University of Melbourne at www.jobs.unimelb.edu.au and enter position number (0024254) in the Job Search screen.

Closing date: Friday, 13 August 2010

No. 494

METABOLIC ENGINEERING and SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY (competition # 7789)

The Michael Smith Laboratories and the Centre for High-Throughput Biology ( The University of British Columbia )

The Michael Smith Laboratories (MSL) and the Centre for High-throughput Biology (CHiBi) at the University of British Columbia are jointly launching a major recruiting initiative and invite applications for two new faculty positions. These full-time tenure-track positions will be filled primarily at the Assistant Professor level but exceptional candidates at a higher rank may be considered. The two new faculty will be located in exceptional research space at the centre of campus within a highly interdisciplinary and collaborative environment that includes biological and physical scientists and engineers, as well as proteomics and bioinformatics experts.

All facets of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, from technology development and computational approaches to innovative applications, will be considered. Applicants with an interest in bioenergy and biorefining are particularly encouraged to apply.

The Michael Smith Laboratories and the Centre for High-throughput Biology comprise a diverse group of 22 research and teaching faculty and over 150 graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and research associates. Research strengths include medical and animal molecular genetics/biology, plant and forest molecular genetics/biology, bioprocess engineering, chemical biology, proteomics, micro-fluidics, bioinformatics and statistical genomics. Importantly the group is also providing leadership for the Bio-energy and Refining Innovation (BERI) network as part of a university-wide initiative in sustainability. Applicants are strongly encouraged to visit http://www.michaelsmith.ubc.ca/ and http://www.chibi.ubc.ca/ to learn more about the unique technological and research opportunities available to new faculty members. Substantial start-up funds and exceptional mentoring will be provided.

Applications are being accepted on-line at http://www.hr.ubc.ca/careers/faculty_postings.html and should include a letter of application indicating the appropriate competition number, a detailed curriculum vitae, a list of publications, a statement of research and teaching interests, and the name, address, e-mail address and phone number of at least three referees. All positions are subject to final budgetary approval. The closing date for all applications is September 14, 2010.

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. We encourage all qualified persons to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

Closing date: Tuesday, 14 September 2010

No. 496

COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (competition # 7795)

The Michael Smith Laboratories and the Centre for High-Throughput Biology ( The University of British Columbia )

The two new faculty will be located in exceptional research space at the centre of campus within a highly interdisciplinary and collaborative environment that includes biological and physical scientists and engineers, as well as proteomics and bioinformatics experts.

The development of innovative technologies, devices, computational approaches or chemical and biophysical techniques is welcomed, with particular emphasis on genome-wide and high-throughput approaches.

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. We encourage all qualified persons to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

Closing date: Tuesday, 14 September 2010

No. 495

CHEMICAL, MOLECULAR AND SYSTEMS BIOLOGY, and BIOENGINEERING (competition # 7790)

The Michael Smith Laboratories and the Centre for High-Throughput Biology ( The University of British Columbia )

Approaches using molecular genetics, chemical, computational or molecular biology or bioengineering to probe animals, plants and unicellular organisms, and models of disease therein, will be considered.

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. We encourage all qualified persons to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

Closing date: Tuesday, 14 September 2010

No. 225

Bioinformatics Helpdesk Officer

ACPFG School of Agriculture, Food and Wine ,University of Adelaide.

Based at the Waite campus of the University of Adelaide in South Australia the Bioinformatics Helpdesk Officer will work at the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG).

You will be part of ACPFG’s bioinformatics team and provide bioinformatics support and training for researchers, focussing on areas in bioinformatics including basic principles of sequence analysis and alignments, database searches, and the use of bioinformatics software in general. In addition, you will be expected to undertake support projects as part of the service which may include some scripting and webpage design/maintenance.

This fixed-term position is available immediately until 31 December 2010.

Please refer to the duty statement and selection criteria or alternatively contact Mrs Diane Brennan, telephone: ++61 8 8303 7423 or email: .

For further information regarding the position contact Dr Ute Baumann

Position will remain open until filled.
APPLICATIONS :
•Include your résumé/Curriculum Vitae.
•Address the selection criteria.
•Quote the relevant reference number.
•Include residency status.
•Include the names, addresses and/or email details of three referees.

Email applications to

SELECTION CRITERIA:
•Degree in Life Sciences or Information techchnology/Computer Science
•Demonstrated experience in using bioinformatics tools such as BLAST, SignalP, Expasy.
•Demonstrated experience in querying biological databases and data mining.
•Experience in Plant Science and especially comparative genomics.
•Experience using Windows XP and Office 2007.
•The ability to work across different disciplines; switch focus as dictated by day-to-day priorities; work independently yet consistently in a high pressure environment
•A team player with excellent inter-personal and communication skills and ability to work with people with different backgrounds is required.

Liaison with researchers at the other nodes of ACPFG (Melbourne and Brisbane) will require some interstate travel and telephone consultancy.

REQUIREMENTS:
• A degree in Life Sciences or Information Technology/Computer Science.
•Demonstrated experience in using bioinformatics tools such as BLAST, SignalP and Expasy.
•Demonstrated experience in querying biological databases and data mining.
•Experience using Windows XP and Office 2007.

SALARY:
(HEO5/6) $46,011 — $60,705 per annum. Plus an employer superannuation contribution of 17% applies.

DESIRABLE:
•Scripting/ Programming skills in languages such as Perl, Python or VB, VBA.
•Experience with web technology (Javascript, CSS, HTML, RSS, PHP).
•Basic knowledge in statistics.

DUTY STATEMENT:
•Support the ACPFG bioinformatics research group and provide the first point of contact for staff and students at all ACPFG nodes.
•Assist ACPFG researchers and students with their day-to-day Bioinformatics problems.
•Assist with the design and delivery of training courses in bioinformatics for ACPFG staff and students
• Installation of bioinformatics software, quality assessment, customization and trouble-shooting.
•Provide bioinformatics software advice and assistance.
•Undertake small projects, including developing and maintaining web pages, as part of a team.
•Keep informed on the state-of-the-art bioinformatics technologies and software.
•Perform other cognate duties as directed.

Closing date: Friday, 31 December 2010

Positions without a nominated closing date

Research Projects Officer — Remote Sensoring

CSIRO , Plant Industry

The position:

CSIRO Plant Industry is seeking an experienced Research Projects Officer to join a multidisciplinary team conducting research at the leading edge of plant disease resistance. The successful applicant will be involved in elucidating the molecular basis of rice non-host resistance (NHR) to cereal rusts. Specifically, genetic variation for NHR efficacy to cereal rusts will be sought by microscopic analysis of rice germplasm. Different rice cultivars and EMS mutagenized rice lines will be examined. The identification of genetically heritable differences in NHR will enable the isolation of the genes responsible using positional cloning techniques. This research will provide critical basic science information to determine the feasibility of transferring rice NHR genes to wheat as a source of durable rust resistance.

Location:

Black Mountain, Canberra

Salary:

$53K to $68K plus superannuation

Ref. No.:

2010/344

Closing Date:

30 June 2010

Specifically the role will involve:

1. Elucidating the molecular basis of rice non-host resistance (NHR) to cereal rusts

2. Growing and maintaining plants under strict quarantine conditions

3. Undertaking high throughput microscopic analysis of rust infected rice plants

4. Molecular analysis including DNA and RNA blot procedures

To be considered you will have:

1 Experience in plant tissue culture and the generation of transgenic plants

2 Extensive practical experience in DNA/RNA analyses and/or microscopic analyses

3 Experience in the maintenance and propagation of plants under glasshouse conditions

4 Excellent written and oral communication

5 Meticulous record keeping skills

In return you will be rewarded with:

1. CSIRO’s commitment to Diversity, Health, Safety & the Environment.

2. Up to 15.4% Superannuation.

3. Flexible Working Arrangements and enhanced leave entitlements.

4. Employee Assistance Program.

5. Active Benevolent Fund.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are encouraged to apply for all CSIRO positions.

For further information regarding this role, please visit CSIRO Careers Online