Research Assistant, Motor Neurone Disease Studies

As part of the UQ community, you’ll have the opportunity to work alongside the brightest minds, who have joined us from all over the world.

Everyone here has a role to play. As a member of our professional staff cohort, you will be actively involved in working towards our vision of a better world. By supporting the academic endeavour across teaching, research, and the student life, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to activities that have a lasting impact on our community.

Join a community where excellence is at the core of our culture, contributions are valued and a range of benefits and rewards are available, such as:

• 26 weeks paid parental leave or 14 weeks paid primary caregiver leave
• 17% superannuation contributions
• 17.5% annual leave loading
• Access to flexible working arrangements
• Health and wellness discounts – fitness passport access, free yearly flu vaccinations, discounted health insurance, and access to our Employee Assistance Program for staff and their immediate family
• On campus childcare options
• Cheap parking (from just $5.75 a day)
• Salary packaging options

You will provide technical research support and subject matter expertise to support and facilitate research into understanding the processes that regulate metabolic health in motor neuron disease (MND) at all stages of the research life-cycle.

This role involves the management and oversight of clinical research studies conducted within the broader translational motor neuron disease (MND) research program of A/Prof Shyuan Ngo. You will lead the recruitment of research participants into studies, and conduct face-to-face research with people living with or without motor neuron disease (MND).

Key responsibilities will include: 

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and undertake research projects with guidance from senior staff into metabolic dynamics in human research participants
• Assists in the design of research studies, under supervision of senior staff
• Applies and/or instructs others on the application of advanced or specialist or technical research skills or processes, including spirometry, body composition assessment, and indirect calorimetry
• Assists in processing, inventory, tracking and/or shipment of human biological samples as per International Conference on Harmonisation-Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP) guidelines
• Draft ethics or reports resulting from these related activities (including surveys, investigations, tests, observations)
• Troubleshoots issues with scientific/technical equipment
• Undertakes maintenance and upkeep of facilities and equipment
• Any other duties as reasonably required by your supervisor

Safety

• Contributes to the safe and efficient operation of research equipment, infrastructure, methodologies and protocols
• Ensures the appropriate storage, handling and disposal of chemicals, equipment, stores and/or samples/specimens

Research and administrative support

• Assists with drafting research documentation, including ethics and funding applications, risk assessments and standard operating procedures
• Undertakes literature searches and reviews
• Assists with routine team administration
• Assists with preparing reports, graphs, figures and presentations on research outcomes at different stages of the research cycle outcomes

This is a Full-time, 100% FTE Fixed-term position for up to 12 months.

At HEW level 5, the full-time equivalent base salary will be in the range $77,396.47 - $86,029.78, plus a generous super allowance of up to 17%. The total FTE package will be up to $90,553.87 - $100,654.84 annually. As this role is covered by an Enterprise Agreement, you will also receive regular remuneration increases – at least once a year.

• Completion of a degree level qualification in Neuroscience, Biomedical Sciences, or Physiology (or related field); or completion of a Diploma with relevant work experience; or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education/training
• Excellent practical research skills and experience in relevant research methodology or techniques required for this body of research (including experience in working within a clinical research setting)
• Experience using equipment to collect measures of spirometry, body composition, metabolic rate, and human tissue biopsies
• Experience with phlebotomy
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and under general direction
• Ability to work independently on routine procedures
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Well-organised, methodical and self-motivated
• Previous experience in a similar role would be considered favourably.

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 certain vaccine preventable diseases.

For more information about this opportunity, please contact A/Prof Shyuan Ngo – *****@uq.edu.au or Ph. + 617 3443 1133

For application queries, please contact ******@uq.edu.au stating the job reference number (below) in the subject line. 
 

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

• Cover letter addressing the ‘About You’ section  
• Resume 
   

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, or people with a disability. 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 26 February 2024 at 11.00pm AEST (Job Reference Number – R-35079). Please note that interviews have been tentatively scheduled for March.