Postdoctoral Research Fellow In Biomechanics

• School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of EAIT
• Join a university ranked in the world's top 50
• Biomechanics-Inspired Tissue Engineering
• Full-time, Fixed term for up to 12 months
• Based at our vibrant and picturesque St Lucia Campus

As part of the UQ community, you will have the opportunity to work alongside the brightest minds, who have joined us from all over the world, and within an environment where interdisciplinary collaborations are encouraged.

At the core of our teaching remains our students, and their experience with us sets a foundation for success far beyond graduation. UQ has made a commitment to making education opportunities available for all Queenslanders, regardless of personal, financial, or geographical barriers.

As part of our commitment to excellence in research and professional practice in academic contexts, we are proud to provide our staff with access to world-class facilities and equipment, grant writing support, greater research funding opportunities, and other forms of staff support and development.

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biomechanics-Inspired Tissue Engineering, will work under Program 3 - Scaffold simulator: Optimisation of engineered scaffolds for improved scaffold integration, tissue growth, repair and functional regeneration of the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Joint Biomechanics (ARC ITTC-JB).

You will be responsible for the design, development, optimisation and validation of engineered scaffolds for improved integration, tissue growth, repair and functional regeneration of the rotator cuff. The design criteria and construction of these scaffolds will be informed by the development of multiscale computational models that characterise the biomechanics of the shoulder joint and the rotator cuff, in particular. It is expected that through the experimental validation of these computational platforms, this program will significantly reduce the trial-and-error process of developing mechanically matched tissue scaffolds for interfacial musculoskeletal tissues, improving patient outcomes and reducing the cost and time of manufacturing scaffolds for rotator cuff repairs.

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will also assist with the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate students within the UQ-node of the Centre.

As a member of the School, the Postdoctoral Research Fellow will have the opportunity to also undertake limited teaching into units within the degree/s in your area of expertise.

Key responsibilities will include:

Research

• Perform polymer synthesis and characterise the rheological, mechanical and structural properties of these polymers and their resultant hydrogels (without and with cells), using micro- and macro-rheometry, high resolution microscopy and related techniques.
• Utilise newly generated finite element-based scaffold and rotator cuff models to (in-silico) conceive, design, and test multicomponent, multimodal scaffolds for rotator cuff repair.
• Develop techniques and methods (including bioprinting) to fabricate multicomponent, multimodal biomaterial scaffolds, along with their physical, chemical and biological (using cell-based assays) characterization and evaluation.
• Develop close scientific collaborations with members of the Tissue Engineering and Microfluidics (TEaM) and the Grondahl group Laboratories at the University of Queensland and collaborating academic, clinical, industrial members of the ARC ITTC for Joint Biomechanics, assuming a leadership role in biomechanical modelling and characterisation, biomaterial composite production, scaffold fabrication techniques, and relevant biological assays.
• Provide written and verbal reports (inclusive of manuscript submissions) on outputs from research activities, inclusive of associated data analyses.
• Maintain absolute confidentiality regarding the project results where appropriate and when requested.
• Assist in the preparation of grant applications.

Supervision and Researcher Development

• Contribute to the effective supervision of Honours and Higher Degree by Research students (as appropriate).
• Demonstrates personal effectiveness in supervision and the management of researcher development.
• Effective lead and develop supervisee performance and conduct by providing feedback, coaching, and professional development.
• Working to promptly resolve conflict and grievances when they arise in accordance with University policy and procedures.

Citizenship and Service

• Demonstrate citizenship behaviours that align to the UQ values.
• Shows leadership of self through collaboration and active participation in priority activities for the unit.
• Provide support to other academic positions and unit operations as needed during other team members absences.
• Contribute to internal service roles and administrative processes as required, including participation in decision-making and service on relevant committees.
• Collaborate in service activities external to the immediate organisation unit.
• Begin to develop external links and partnerships by cultivating relationships with industry, government departments, professional bodies and the wider community.

This is a research focused position. Further information can be found by viewing UQ's Criteria for Academic Performance.

This is a full-time (100%), fixed-term position for up to 12 months at an Academic level A. The full-time equivalent base salary will be in the range $77,324.85 - $102,945.12, plus a generous super allowance of up to 17%. The total FTE package will be up to $90,470.08 - $120,445.79 annually. As these roles are covered by an Enterprise Agreement, you will also receive regular remuneration increases in line with the Enterprise Agreement.

The greater benefits of joining the UQ community are broad: from being part of a Group of Eight university, to recognition of prior service with other Australian universities, up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave, 17.5% annual leave loading, flexible working arrangements including hybrid on site/WFH options and flexible start/finish times, and genuine career progression opportunities via the academic promotions process.

• Completion of a PhD qualification in Chemical, Materials, Mechanical or Biomedical Engineering, or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education/training.
• Demonstrated research expertise and experience in experimental investigations in tissue biomechanics, biomaterials synthesis, engineering and characterisation, scaffold fabrication and tissue engineering, with emphasis on the musculoskeletal system, as evidenced by publications in high quality research journals and conferences.
• Demonstrated experience in (or at minimum, an evidenced comprehensive understanding of) computational biomechanical modelling of the musculoskeletal system.
• Demonstrated experience in translating modelling outcomes to device conception, design and fabrication.
• Demonstrated understanding of the principles of stem cell biology, culture, and associated characterisation techniques.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, and the wider research community.
• Demonstrated capacity to work collaboratively and proactively as part of a multi-disciplinary and multi-institution research team, as well as proven ability to work effectively with minimal supervision.
• Proven ability to use initiative and contribute new ideas to the research of biomechanics, along with a demonstrated adherence to ethical standards in research confidentiality.

In addition, the following mandatory requirements apply:

• Work Rights: You must have unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this appointment to apply. Visa sponsorship is not available for this appointment.
• Mandatory Immunisations: It is a condition of employment for this role that you will be required to provide evidence of immunisation against Hepatitis B or be willing to be vaccinated.
• Background Checks: All final applicants for this position may be asked to consent to an educational and/or criminal record check. Please note that people with criminal records are not automatically barred from applying for this position. Each application will be considered on its merits.

Questions?

For more information about this opportunity, please contact Professor Justin Cooper-White via *************@uq.edu.au. For application queries, please contact ******@uq.edu.au stating the job reference number (below) in the subject line.

Want to Apply?

All applicants must upload the following documents in order for your application to be considered:

• Resume
• Cover letter
• Responses to the 'About You' section

Other Information

At UQ we know that our greatest strengths come from our diverse mix of colleagues, this is reflected in our ongoing commitment to creating an environment focused on equity, diversity and inclusion. We ensure that we are always attracting, retaining and promoting colleagues who are representative of the diversity in the broader community, whether that be gender identity, LGBTQIA+, cultural and/or linguistic, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with a disability, or age. Accessibility requirements and/or adjustments can be directed to ******@uq.edu.au.

If you are a current employee (including casual staff and HDR scholars) or hold an unpaid/affiliate appointment, please login to your staff Workday account and visit the internal careers board to apply for this opportunity. Please do NOT apply via the external job board.

Applications close on Wednesday, 3 July 2024 at 11.00pm AEST (R-38484).