Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Pharmaceutical Sciences

• School of Pharmacy

• Join a university ranked in the world’s top 50

• Collaborate with highly awarded, world-class colleagues

• Fast track your career with our early career academic development program

• Based at our UQ Dutton Park campus

About UQ

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, 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.

About This Opportunity 

This is an exciting opportunity for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to work with multidisciplinary academic and industry partners and apply their skills in formulation technology. We are seeking an outcome-driven scientist to progress multiple research projects and teach and mentor students in pharmaceutical formulations relevant to the ARC Training Centre for Environmental and Agricultural Solutions to Antimicrobial Resistance (CEAStAR).

Based at UQ’s School of Pharmacy, the Postdoctoral Research Fellow will play an integral role in engaging with industry and external partners to foster the Centre’s collaborative partnerships. The formulation theme will explore developing and optimising translatable formulations delivering multiple antimicrobial agents. Working closely with theme leaders and industry partners, these projects are highly multidisciplinary and time bound.

Key responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• Design, characterise and optimise inorganic and organic micro-nanoformulations encapsulated with multiple actives including pre and probiotics ensuring targeted release in various parts of gastrointestinal tract.

• Develop and optimise a panel of solid & semi-solid formulations infused with therapeutics of interest (small molecules/extracts), ensuring optimal performance by way of release, efficacy, stability and rheology.

• Develop, optimise and assess active and developed formulations using a range of antimicrobial screening assays.

• Prepare progress/milestone reports as requested for internal review, and present findings with critical insights at regular meetings to various stakeholders.

• Produce quality research outputs consistent with discipline norms by publishing or exhibiting in high quality outlets.

• Participate in applications for competitive research funding to support projects and activities.

• Contribute to the effective supervision of Honours and Higher Degree by Research students (as appropriate).

• Effectively lead and develop supervisee performance by providing feedback, coaching, and professional development.

• Contribute to internal and external service roles and administrative processes as needed.

• 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, fixed-term position for 2.5 years commencing June 2024 through to December 2026 at Academic level A.

The full-time equivalent base salary will be in the range $77,324 – $102,945 plus super of up to 17%. The total FTE package will be in the range $90,470 – $120,445 per annum. As this role is covered by an Enterprise Agreement, you will also receive regular remuneration increases – at least once a year.

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.

About You  

• Completion or near completion of a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Drug Delivery or related field.

Demonstrated experience in:

• Advanced drug delivery technologies including inorganic-organic particulate formulations, its optimisation and characterisation.

• Formulation, development and optimisation as it relates to solid and semi-solid dosage forms, namely tablets, capsules creams, gels and sol-gels.

• Assessing and optimizing antimicrobial efficacy of free drug and its formulations. 

• Experience or ability to learn and support in vivo work

• An emerging profile in research in pharmaceutical technology and/or microbiology.

• Evidence of publications in reputed refereed journals and presenting at conferences.

• Evidence of contributions towards successfully obtaining external research funding.

• Some experience in meaningful internal service roles and contributions towards external activities.

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.

Questions? 

For more information about this opportunity, please contact Associate Professor Amirali Popat at [email protected] .  

For application queries, and to request the position description of this role, please contact [email protected] 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 addressing the ‘About You’ section above

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 , or people with a disability . Accessibility requirements and/or adjustments can be directed to [email protected]  

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 Sunday 21 April 2024 at 11.00pm AEST (Job Reference Number: R-36199).