Acknowledgement of Country

CSIRO acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land, sea and waters, of the area that we live and work on across Australia. We acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture and pay our respects to their Elders past and present. View our vision towards reconciliation

Child Safety

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs. View our Child Safe Policy.

The Opportunity

• PhD in genetics or other similar relevant research fields
• Analysis of genetic data (individual and population) in the context of genetic biocontrol
• Join CSIRO and be a part of a highly collaborative and cohesive team

CSIRO’s Health and Biosecurity is dedicated to conducting scientific research that develops products and services to address the complexity and interdependencies of human, animal and environmental health and biosecurity challenges to provide benefits to Australia and the world.

This is an exciting opportunity for a Geneticist familiar with the concept of genetic biocontrol/gene drives and a strong background in population and functional genomics/genetic modelling, required to design, implement and impact assessment of genetic biocontrol strategies, ideally in a mammalian context.

As a mid-level career scientist, you will lead a newly formed team developing and implementing novel genetic biocontrol strategies (including but not limited to gene drives) for the effective population control of established vertebrate pests, as a more humane alternative to lethal controls. You’ll have the opportunity to collaborate internally within groups across CSIRO and externally with leading researchers in genetic biocontrol at the University of Adelaide and Macquarie.

Your duties will include:

• Carrying out innovative, impactful research of strategic importance to CSIRO that will, lead to novel and important scientific outcomes.
• Genetic and genomic analysis of target species, both at the individual and population level, to identify targets and strategies for genetic biocontrol approaches, including the acquisition and interpretation of population genomics datasets required to assess safety and feasibility.
• Designing constructs for genome editing of pest animals, including identification of potential gene targets for sex/fertility control strategies and considerations of optimal developmental time points for genetic modifications.
• Developing CSIRO IP in genetic biocontrol strategies and applications to bias inheritance ratios in the context of population control.
• Liaising with stakeholders and customers to identify opportunities for the development and translation of genetic biocontrol approaches in the pest animal control context, and develop new research proposals.

Location: Canberra (Black Mountain) ACT
Salary: AU$121k – AU$142k plus up to 15.4% superannuation
Tenure: Specified term of up to 3 years / Full-time
Reference: 91583

To be considered you will need:

• A PhD in genetics or a similar relevant research field.
• Demonstrated ability to undertake original, independent, creative and innovative research by generating and pursuing novel ideas and solutions to scientific research problems.
• Demonstrated theoretical, conceptual, and practical experience with analysis of genetic data (both at individual and population levels) in the context of genetic biocontrol
• Demonstrated strong oral and written communications skills, including authorship on scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, reports and/or grant applications, and conference presentations.
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to supervise and develop students, technical staff and post-doctoral fellows.

For full details about this role and a few desirable selection criteria please view the Position Description.

Eligibility

To be considered for this role, you must be an Australian/New Zealand citizen or Australian permanent resident. Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements.

Flexible Working Arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. 

Diversity and Inclusion

We are working hard to recruit people representing the diversity across our society, and ensure that all our people feel supported to do their best work and feel empowered to let their ideas flourish. 

About CSIRO

At CSIRO Australia's national science agency, we solve the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. We put the safety and wellbeing of our people above all else and earn trust everywhere because we only deal in facts. We collaborate widely and generously and deliver solutions with real impact. 

CSIRO is committed to values-based leadership to inspire performance and unlock the potential of our people.

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs, whether we are undertaking research, engaging with the public or nurturing future scientists in person or online. Source – CSIRO Child Safe policy 2023

Join us and start creating tomorrow today!

How to Apply

Please apply on-line and provide a cover letter and CV that best demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role.

Applications Close

12 June 2023, 11:00pm AEST.