Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Migratory Bird Conservation

• School of the Environment

• Opportunity to join a large conservation centre with The Centre of Biodiversity and Conversation Science .

• Contribute to reversing the dramatic decline of migratory shorebirds in the East Asian – Australasian Flyway (EAAF).

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

• Based at our picturesque and Vibrant St Lucia 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 make a scientific contribution to reversing the dramatic decline of migratory shorebirds in the East Asian – Australasian Flyway (EAAF). The successful candidate will lead a part of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 4.17, supporting recovery and management of migratory shorebirds in Australia, working on the following three components of the project:

• Create a comprehensive database of conservation management actions that have been undertaken for migratory shorebirds in the EAAF, by systematically searching for relevant scientific studies on existing databases and in journals (this will involve the development of international collaboration to search for literature in relevant non-English languages), and extracting data from each of the relevant studies identified.

• Estimate the benefits of the identified conservation actions for migratory shorebirds, by surveying practitioners who have undertaken the actions, along with a range of other shorebird experts. This will involve organising two online workshops with experts.

• Build on the database developed in (i) and information estimated in (ii) to produce a practical shorebird habitat management handbook. This will provide an enduring and practical resource that can be used to help stimulate management action for shorebirds based on the best available science, and also the vast practical experience that managers have collectively built up around the Flyway.

Key responsibilities will include: 

Research

• Work independently and supervised by the CIs and other members of the project on the three components described above, and produce quality research outputs by publishing or exhibiting in high quality outlets.

• Work with colleagues in the development of joint research projects and publications.

• Contribute to transfer of knowledge and practices to end users through the dissemination of the project outcomes.

• Assist with general project management.

Supervision and Researcher Development

• As appropriate, manage research support staff effectively throughout the employee lifecycle in accordance with University policy and procedures.

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 up to 2 years at Academic level A. The full-time equivalent base salary will be in the range of $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 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 a relevant discipline area (biodiversity conservation science or a related field).

• Experience of effectively conducting evidence synthesis, through searching for and screening papers, extracting data from relevant papers, and developing a database.

• Experience of successfully developing and managing international collaboration involving people with diverse linguistic/cultural backgrounds in a timely manner.

• An emerging profile in research in the discipline area, particularly research on the ecology and conservation of migratory birds.

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

• Evidence of contributions towards successfully obtaining external research funding.

Sponsorship: Visa sponsorship may be available for this appointment. You can find out more about life in Australia’s Sunshine State here .

For more information about this opportunity, please contact Dr Tatsuya Amano via email at [email protected] .

For application queries, 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

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 Monday 8 April 2024 at 11.00pm AEST (R-35588). Please note that interviews have been tentatively scheduled for the week commencing 22 April 2024.