Biosecurity research positions available

We are currently seeking two individuals for a Research Assistant position and a Research Associate position. These positions are ARC funded positions in ‘Transport risk pathways for emerging invasive species’.

•  Research Assistant within the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Invasion Ecology Group (http://www.cassey-invasion-ecology.org/).
  The successful applicant will be expected to engage with researchers in the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences as well as fostering ties with other research providers, industry risk creators, and State Government end-users. The successful applicant will work closely with researchers in the Invasion Ecology Group providing empirical support for projects relating to transport networks and incursion risk. Research will include the collation of empirical data from Australian (and international) biosecurity datasets, the visualisation of spatial data, and the curation of digital project meta‐data.

• Research Associate within The School of Mathematical Sciences and the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
  The successful candidate will work within the Operations Research Group of the School of Mathematical Sciences. The Operations Research Group consists of a number of leading mathematical modellers, with particular strengths in stochastic modelling and optimisation, and hosts a node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for ‘Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers of Big Data, Big Models, New Insights’, which shares strong links with this advertised position. Research will include the construction of complex pathway transport models supported by existing biosecurity datasets and the predictive mapping of ecologically-realistic environmental and climatic risk neighbourhoods. Computational and mathematical techniques will be used to forecast probabilities of future incursion risks into Australia.The successful applicant will also work closely with researchers in the Invasion Ecology Group, in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (http://www.cassey-invasion-ecology.org/), and will be expected to foster ties with other research providers, industry risk creators, and State Government end-users.

Closing date for these positions is Monday 17th March.

Researchers: want to work at the Centre for Energy Technology?

Seeking: Researchers!

The Centre for Energy Technology (CET) has secured long-term funding for a range of research projects to investigate clean energy technologies, particularly in the area of solar thermal and hybrid solar-combustion energy.

As a result, CET are seeking expressions of interest for a range of positions from postgraduate scholarships, post doctorate and Research Associates.

The Centre for Energy Technology is internationally recognised for its leading scientific research supporting the development of clean energy technologies to reduce emissions, increase efficiency and decrease the cost of energy. The CET has a wide range of facilities spanning laboratory to pilot-scale, including Australia’s second largest wind-tunnel and world-leading laser laboratories housing state-of-the-art diagnostic tools with unique capability. Our team is pledged to creating a culture of research excellence and delivering significant breakthroughs in the development of innovative technologies for a clean energy future.

The fixed term positions are for approximately 3 years and are open until filled.

More information about research positions and position requirements is available on the University of Adelaide’s Job Opportunities page or contact Louise Beazley.

8 Research Positions Available with the Global Ecology Lab

Seeking: Ecologists!

As a result of recent funding received from the Australian Research Council, The University of Adelaide’s Global Ecology Lab (GEL) has eight research vacancies available.

The Global Ecology Lab undertakes world-leading  multidisciplinary research to mitigate the actions of human-induced biological change across all environments and develop adaptive strategies to respond to the anticipated impacts of climate change.

To find out more view the position details below:

Programmer (Contract): C#/Python Script Programmer

Postdoctoral Research Associate: Palaeo-ecological Modelling

Research Associate: Palaeo-ecological Data Management

Postdoctoral Fellow: Wildlife Population Modelling

Postdoctoral Fellow: Disease Modelling

Research Associate: Data Management and Analysis

Postdoctoral Fellow: Climate Change and Range Dynamics

Research Associate: Ecological Data Analysis

All positions are fixed term and close 5pm Friday 3 May 2013.

For more information see the Environment Institute’s Climate and Ecology Jobs page.

Career Opportunity: Nature Foundation SA -Conservation Projects Officer

Nature Foundation SA are looking for a full time Conservation Projects Officer to be based in Adelaide.

Nature Foundation SA celebrated 30 years of achievement in 2011 as the state’s premier, not-for-profit conservation organisation working with scientists, communities, businesses and governments to conserve South Australia’s precious natural biodiversity.  The Foundation now owns or co-owns four conservation properties exceeding 420,000 ha and will undertake major new land conservation and environmental watering projects in 2012.

Download the PDF Flyer to read about the position

Conservation jobs with the Environment Institute

Two conservation jobs have become available with the Global Ecology Group at the University of Adelaide.

This Australian Research Council-funded Discovery Project seeks to determine whether functional forms of spatially explicit population dynamics are generalisable across taxa with similar attributes and range limiting factors. By considering the effects of multiple interacting factors (biotic and abiotic) on the demographic determinants of species’ habitat suitability and geographic distributional limits, the research will provide a foundation on which to develop adaptive conservation strategies in response to the anticipated impacts of global change; examine the complexities and potentially irreducible uncertainties in forecasting and managing biodiversity; and identify limitations associated with different modelling approaches.

We are currently seeking two individuals for a Postdoctoral postion and a Research Associate position.

• The Postdoctoral Fellow will be involved in statistical analysis of large databases, development of novel distribution and population modelling techniques, and a considerable amount of scenario development and sensitivity analysis.

• The Research Associate will be involved in strategic fieldwork to parameterise range dynamics models for macropods across the tropical savannahs, collating relevant literature and database information on modelled species, estimating key demographic rates of focal species, assisting other project researchers in validating model projections and running simulations.

For more information about the Postdoctoral position or to apply please click here

For more information about the Research Associate position or to apply please click here

Closing date: 14 May 2010.

Your application should:

• include your résumé/Curriculum Vitae
• address the selection criteria
• quote the relevant reference number
• include residency status
• include the names, addresses and/or email details of three referees

Nancy Millis PhD Scholarship

Applications for the Nancy Millis PhD scholarhip through Water Quality Research Australia are open

This prestigious Award has been established in honour of Emeritus Professor Nancy Millis AC MBE, former Chair of the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment. Professor Millis, widely regarded as a national treasure, is a microbiologist of international repute who has made enormous contributions in agriculture, environmental protection, medicine and engineering. Nancy Millis is also a leader in environmental management. As a researcher she was aware early of the importance of clean water and developed techniques to treat industrial wastewater. She was Chair of the Victorian Government’s Water Strategy Committee advising on the supply and use of water for the Melbourne area. Nancy was the Chairman of the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment from 1995 until it ended in 2008. In 1977, she became a Member of the British Empire (MBE) and in 1990 was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). This award provides a stipend of $10,000 per year, a project operating allowance of $15,000, opportunities for leadership mentoring, plus additional support for participation in national and international conferences.

Applicants for all scholarships should be completing an Honours degree or a four year degree program with Honours, or hold a Masters degree. The Scholarships are open to students with Australian and New Zealand Citizenship and Permanent Residency. Scholarships are open to new and enrolled students. Applicants must have an APA or equivalent. Call for applications opens 16 March 2010. The closing date for applications is Tuesday 6 April 2010. Information about available projects and application procedures can be found at the WQRA website.

Laser Diagnostics in Combustion Scholarship

The internationally renowned Centre for Energy Technology is seeking a keen and enthusiastic engineering scientist to undertake postgraduate research in the field of laser diagnostics in combustion. In the context of global warming, diminishing fossil fuel resources and increasing energy prices optimisation of combustion is increasingly important. You will earn a Masters or PhD degree for your world leading research investigating the coupling of soot and temperature in flames, which will advance fundamental knowledge for finding solutions to practical problems. By seeking to improve both combustion efficiency and a reduction in emissions you will advance your career by building on your strong academic background and developing your experimental and research skills.

For further information (including scholarship details) contact Professor Graham (Gus) Nathan, Director of the Centre for Energy Technology, via email (graham.nathan@adelaide.edu.au) or telephone 08 8303 5822. In addition to a generous stipend, you may also be eligible for the Ricoh Clean Energy supplementary scholarship valued at $5,000 per annum.

RICOH Clean Energy Scholarship

RICOH a company with strong environmental commitments has announced another first.

Beginning in 2010 a PhD student whose research is based around clean energy technology will be selected to receive a supplementary scholarship of $5,000 per annum. The Ricoh Supplementary Scholarship is to provide supplementary stipend funds to a top ranked student whose project meets with a Clean Energy focus and who is in receipt of a major scholarship.

This Suppelementary Scholarship is being managed through the Adelaide Graduate Centre.

The duration of this Supplementary Scholarship is 3 years commencing 2010.
The value of the stipend is $3,000 paid fortnightly to the student.

Applications are via the Major Round (which closed on 31 October). From the Major Round applications received to date, a number of candidates whose project could potentially meet the requirements of this Supplementary Scholarship have been identified, and these will be forwarded to CET (ProfNathan) for review as agreed.

There is no necessity to create a separate application round. Should CET identify other suitable candidates outside of the Major Round Scholarship selection process the applicant must apply for Admission in the usual way and must meet Scholarship eligibility criteria.

Current applicants (in the Major Round) may contact the Adelaide Graduate Centre should they wish to be considered.

“This is the first industrial sponsorship for the Centre for Energy Technology and demonstrates Ricoh’s commitment to a clean environment” said Professor Gus Nathan of the CET. “Coming just after the launch of the CET this support from Ricoh is very welcome and will assist in attracting high quality candidates to the field of clean energy technology. We look forward to having Ricoh as a partner who is committed to putting leading edge research into practice”

Sustainable Energy Production PhD opportunity

Adelaide Brighton Ltd is supporting a PhD scholarship, the Adelaide Brighton Ltd William Schroder Scholarship, in the field of sustainable energy production using bio-mass feedstock through the School of Chemical Engineering. Applications are open and close on 11 December. For more information click here.

Environmental Genomics PhD Opportunities

The Australian Centre for Ancient DNA based at The University of Adelaide, South Australia is currently looking for students interested in PhD opportunities in Environmental Genomics.

Six PhD projects are available in the field of Environmental Genomics, at the University of Adelaide starting in early 2010, working on an ARC LINKAGE funded project at the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/acad/). Each project focuses on the application of targeted metagenomic assays to perform rapid biodiversity and taxonomy assessment on complex biological samples in the following fields;

Project 1) Forensics: Using the genetic content of soil samples to predict crime scene/source areas. Focusing on invertebrate, plant and animal signals. Project partners – Australian Federal Police

Project 2) Water Quality: Analysing the biodiversity of standard, desalinated and recycled/re-used water systems, focusing on the detection and identification of novel pathogens. Project partners – SA Water

Project 3) Mining/Conservation biology: Using environmental genomic methods to rapidly analyse plant, animal and invertebrate taxonomic biodiversity in soil samples from survey sites across South Australia. Project partner – Primary Industries Research South Australia, and Department of Environment and Heritage, SA

Project 4) Health: Developing metagenomic methods to detect and monitor known and novel pathogens in medical systems, focusing on point of care. Project partner – SA Pathology

Project 5) Antarctic biodiversity: Using environmental genomic approaches to analyse the biodiversity of Antarctic invertebrates using existing and field collected samples. Project partner: South Australian Museum

Project 6) Bioinformatics: Designing, programming and implementing software plug-ins for GENEIOUS, to allow the interface between environmental metagenomic data and end-users, including conservation, water and health managers. Project partners – Biomatters, NZ (producers of GENEIOUS)

The PhD projects are available to Australian and NZ citizens/permanent residents with a 1^st class Honours degree.

Applicants will also be encouraged to apply for Australian postgraduate awards (due Oct 31^st) where applicable, refer to this website for the application process http://www.adelaide.edu.au/graduatecentre/scholarships/postgrad/pgresearch/apa.html.  International students are also invited to apply, although international course fees are likely to be applicable. Other PhD projects are also available at ACAD – http://www.adelaide.edu.au/acad/

Please contact Maria Lekis (maria.lekis@adelaide.edu.au) or Prof. Alan Cooper (alan.cooper@adelaide.edu.au) for further details.