RESEARCH SUPPORT OFFICER

Job no: 0061652
Location: Parkville
Role type: Full-time Fixed-term for 12 months
Faculty: Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
Department/School: School of Electrical, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Salary: UOM 5 – $79,961 – $91,844 p.a. plus 17% super

• Conduct research on coastal and marine pollution in the Northern Territory and Far-North Queensland, developing a business model to recycle collected plastics into high-value-added products with leading brands’ support.
• Excellent opportunity to contribute to innovative solutions for addressing marine pollution and recycling plastics, collaborating with industry partners and utilizing laboratory and field experience in coastal and marine environments under the guidance of Professor Priyan Mendis.
• Salary packaging, subsidised health and wellbeing services, fitness and cultural clubs, Myki discounts, and a 25% discount on graduate courses to our staff and their immediate families!

About the Role

As a Research Support Officer within the Department of Infrastructure Engineering at the University of Melbourne, you’ll play a pivotal role in addressing coastal and marine pollution in the Northern Territory and Far-North Queensland. Collaborating with industry partners, you’ll develop innovative strategies to recycle collected plastics into high-value products. This dynamic role involves field surveys, laboratory testing, and designing mobile micro-recycling factories, offering a unique opportunity to make a tangible impact on environmental sustainability.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Assess ocean plastic and marine debris pollution and root causes in the coastal and marine environments and quantify them using literature and field visits.
• Plan and undertake experiments to study, measure and understand the impacts on marine animals and plants.
• Environmental monitoring, including visual observations, collecting samples and surveying marine and coastal animals affected by the ocean plastic crisis to identify their behaviour changes or impacts due to the changes in their natural habitats.
• Assist post-doctoral researchers and PhD candidates in preparing samples and identifying plastics and microplastics in species, surrounding coastal environment and waterbodies using manual techniques and microscopic studies, including SEM, FTIR or Raman spectroscopy.

Who We Are Looking For

You will demonstrate a proven ability to work cooperatively and positively within a multidisciplinary research team, effectively communicating with individuals from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, your capacity to collaborate seamlessly with industry partners will ensure timely project completion and success. You will also have:

• The candidate must have a Bachelor or Degree related to Coastal and Marine Resource Management or environmental sciences with a strong background in marine and coastal sciences or Marine Biology or an equivalent degree that includes subjects on marine and coastal pollution, marine and coastal waste management, and environmental monitoring and sampling techniques.
• Minimum two years’ experience working within a laboratory environment with relevant field experience and exposure to ocean plastic collection and handling is desired.
• Knowledge and experience covering environmental sociology, marine and coastal ecology and marine diversity conservation.

For further information regarding responsibilities and requirements, please refer to the attached PD.

This role requires that the successful candidate must undergo and maintain an up-to-date Working with Children Check. This is essential to guarantee a secure environment for all individuals at the University. In the case the selected candidate doesn’t have a valid Working with Children Check, they will be able to apply for the WWCC as part of the initial onboarding procedures.

Please note: Visa sponsorship is available for this position.

Your New Team The Department of Infrastructure Engineering sits within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology and houses the disciplines of Geomatics, Civil Engineering and Environmental Hydrology and Water Resources.

FEIT has never been better positioned as a global leader, anchored in the dynamic Asia Pacific region, creating and curating knowledge to address some of the world’s biggest challenges. Through our students and our relationships with communities, we can not only respond to society’s needs but anticipate and create engineering and IT solutions for the future.

What We Offer You!

In addition, we offer the opportunity to be part of a vibrant community and enjoy a range of benefits, including generous leave provisions, salary packaging, health and well-being services and discounts on graduate courses. For more information, check out our benefits  page!

About the University of Melbourne
We’re tightly connected with the community, both at home and abroad. We take pride in our people, who all contribute to our mission to benefit society through the transformative impact of education and research. Discover more via our website  and stay connected with our stories and people on LinkedIn .   

Be Yourself
The University of Melbourne values the unique backgrounds, experiences and contributions that each person brings to our community and welcomes and celebrates diversity.  First Nations people, those identifying as LGBTQIA+, parents, carers, people of all ages, abilities and genders, and people of diverse ethnicity, nationality and faith are encouraged to apply. Our aim is to create a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community in which we live. For more information please visit our Diversity and Inclusion page.

We are dedicated to ensuring barrier free and inclusive practices to recruit the most talented candidates. If you require reasonable adjustments, please contact Kim Groizard at [email protected] , with an email containing your name and contact details for a confidential discussion. Please ensure your email is titled “Reasonable Adjustments Request”.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Applicants
We aspire to be the University of choice for Indigenous Australians, with unprecedented investment to attract, nurture and retain Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff. Tangible support through a range of programs and initiatives will ensure that you personally succeed and flourish while at the University of Melbourne.

For further information, including our 2023-2027 Indigenous strategy please visit -https://about.unimelb.edu.au/reconciliation/murmuk-djerring

Join Us!
If you feel this role is right for you, please apply with the following documents: 

• Resume
• Cover Letter outlining your interest and experience

Please note that you are not required to respond to the selection criteria in the Position Description.

If you have any questions regarding the recruitment process, please feel free to contact Shabon Nawabi via email at [email protected] , ensuring that you include the Position Number and the Job Title as the subject. Please do not share your application to this email address.

If you have any particular questions regarding the job please follow the details listed on the Position Description.

Applications close: 15th March 2024 11:55 PM Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) / Melbourne time zone. 

Position Description:   0061652_Research Support Officer-Ocean Plastics_PD .pdf

Position Description