Acknowledgement of Country

CSIRO acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land, sea and waters, of the area that we live and work on across Australia. We acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture and pay our respects to their Elders past and present. View our vision towards reconciliation

Child Safety

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs. View our Child Safe Policy.

The Opportunity

• Bring your skills in classical virology, cell culture, serology, vaccinology to research at CSIRO
• Contribute to innovative research on H5 and H7 avian influenza viruses
• Work in the unique environment of the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness and make a real difference

Are you a science researcher interested in a gaining experience through a hands-on, research-based role working on avian influenza virus? We have a great full-time opportunity for a driven Experimental Scientist to join our Avian Infectious Diseases Research team at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP, formerly known as AAHL – Australian Animal Health Laboratory) and will bring expertise in support of avian diagnostic and research projects, for the purpose of mitigating the effects of viral agents on animal and human health, the economy and the environment.

Avian influenza viruses continue to evolve antigenically to evade the host immune response. You’ll be a part of a project characterising the antigenic and functional evolution of H5 and H7 avian influenza viruses. If you’re an early-career scientist looking to apply your basic skills in classical virology, cell culture, serology, vaccinology and interested in virology and understanding viral attributes that can inform outbreak preparedness and vaccine seed strain selection, do not hesitate to apply!

CSIRO will offer you professional support in enhancing your skills and we are strongly committed to diversity and supporting flexible working arrangements.

Your duties will include:

• Carrying out innovative, impactful research of strategic importance to CSIRO that will, where possible, lead to novel and important scientific outcomes.
• Undertake a wide variety of tasks or tasks with a high degree of specialisation.
• Showing initiative to seek new approaches to meet experimental or technological needs when encountering new problems where methods are not defined.
• Participating in the identification and definition of research and/or technological problems with colleagues.
• Addressing problems promptly and in a constructive manner.
• Providing scientific and technical expertise and advice for projects.
• Participating in planning projects and accepting responsibility for scheduling and completion of major parts of the project, including evaluation of options, experimental design, data collection and analysis, implementation, and delivery.
• Making significant contributions to the interpretation and communication of research or technological results and collaborate on drafting presentations to, and/or detailed written reports for the scientific community.
• Producing high quality scientific papers suitable for publication in quality journals and at conferences.

Location: Geelong, VIC

Salary: AU$89k - AU$101k plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure: Specified term until 30, June 2026 / Full-time

Reference: 95587

To be considered you will need:

•    Tertiary qualifications in virology, molecular biology or other relevant field, or equivalent relevant work experience
•    Demonstrated ability to work both independently and cooperatively as a member of a larger project team, and to form and maintain effective and respectful relationships with a range of colleagues and collaborators.
•    Demonstrated ability and willingness to contribute novel ideas and approaches in support of scientific investigations.
•    Demonstrated experience in contributing to experimental research, including planning and implementing research projects. 
•    Technical competence in virology, molecular and/or serological assays. 
•    High level interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills including the ability to document results and communicate effectively with colleagues and the scientific community in order to meet project goals and timelines.
•    Demonstrated experience in data analysis and writing/presenting scientific reports.

For full details about this role please review the Position Description.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for this role, you must be either an Australian / New Zealand Citizen, or an Australian Permanent Resident. We are also open to Australian Temporary Residents who are currently residing in Australia with full working right till 30, June 2026 without any visa sponsorship support from CSIRO.

Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements.

Flexible Working Arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. 

Diversity and Inclusion

We are working hard to recruit people representing the diversity across our society, and ensure that all our people feel supported to do their best work and feel empowered to let their ideas flourish. 

About CSIRO

At CSIRO Australia's national science agency, we solve the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. We put the safety and wellbeing of our people above all else and earn trust everywhere because we only deal in facts. We collaborate widely and generously and deliver solutions with real impact. 

CSIRO is committed to values-based leadership to inspire performance and unlock the potential of our people.

Join us and start creating tomorrow today!

How to Apply

Please apply online, and provide a detailed cover letter and CV that best demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role. Please note that we strongly encourage you to respond to each of the selection criteria in detail, and attach it to your cover letter as one document.

Applications Close

18 February 2024, 11:00pm AEDT.

We strongly encourage you to apply early as we will be reviewing applications as they come through. CSIRO reserves the right to withdraw this ad prior to the closing date if required.