The Opportunity

• Do you have an interest in wasps and venom evolution?
• Carry out innovative and impactful research
• Join CSIRO - Australia's premier science and technology research organisation

The Position

CSIRO Early Research Career (CERC) Postdoctoral Fellowships provide opportunities to scientists and engineers who have completed their doctorate and have less than three years relevant postdoctoral work experience.  These fellowships aim to develop the next generation of future leaders of the innovation system.

CSIRO’s National Collections and Marine Infrastructure (NCMI) is seeking to appoint a CERC Postdoctoral Fellow in spider wasp venom evolution.

As the successful candidate you will work with a multidisciplinary team of researchers from CSIRO and the University of Queensland to develop and apply novel molecular and analytical methods for the study of the spider wasp (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) venom. This will include its genomic and chemical basis, effect on human receptors and evolution.

Your duties will include

• Carry out innovative, impactful research of strategic importance to CSIRO that will, where possible, lead to novel and important scientific outcomes.
• Develop novel high-throughput molecular techniques and analysis tools to characterise venom gland transcriptomes and elucidate toxin evolution across spider wasps
• Extract and characterise spider wasp venoms using analytical chemistry methods
• Test the effect of spider wasp venom biotoxins on human voltage-gated sodium channels and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and evaluate their potential for applications in biotechnology and medicine
• Undertake regular reviews of relevant literature and produce high quality scientific papers suitable for publication in quality journals and client reports.
• Prepare appropriate conference papers and present those at conferences as agreed with your supervisor.

Location:      Black Mountain ACT
Salary:          AU$83,687 - AU$94,679 plus up to 15.4% superannuation  
Tenure:         Specified term of 3 years
Reference:    61626

To be successful you will need

• A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD) in a relevant discipline area, such as molecular biology, chemistry, genetics, evolution or bioinformatics.
  Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (or part time equivalent) of postdoctoral research experience.
• Demonstrated experience with molecular laboratory work, including:
• DNA and/or RNA extraction and
• Construction of libraries for high-throughput sequencing
• Demonstrated experience in bioinformatics for transcriptomic and/or phylogenomic data analysis.
• High level written and oral communication skills with the ability to represent the research team effectively internally and externally, including the presentation of research outcomes at national and international conferences.

For details about who to contact and for more information please view the Position Description

CSIRO’s Commitment to Diversity

We’re working hard to recruit diverse people and ensure all our people feel supported to do their best work and empowered to let their ideas flourish.

Flexible Working Arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. Talk to us about how this role could be flexible for you. Balance

About CSIRO

At CSIRO you can be part of helping to solve big, complex problems that make a real difference to our future. We spark off each other, learn from each other, trust each other and collaborate to achieve more than we could individually in a supportive, rewarding, inclusive and truly flexible environment.

Apply Online

To apply online, please provide a CV and cover letter outlining your suitability and motivation for the role.

Applications Close

Friday 05 July 2019 at 11.59pm AEST