• Full time 3 years fixed term (with the possibility of extension). Located on Camperdown Campus at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences

• Participate in an international ERC funded team aiming to re-engineer by design, a complex developmental system – the flower

• Base Salary, Academic Level A $89,831 - $121,054 + 17% superannuation

About the opportunity

The School of Life and Environmental Sciences (SOLES) is currently seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Plant Developmental Biology. The research will focus on flower development using the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana, as part of a collaborative, ERC-funded Synergy project awarded to Dr Marcus Heisler and colleagues, called Reengineering Symmetry Breaking in Development and Evolution (RESYDE).

RESYDE aims to integrate diverse approaches to gain a predictive understanding of how the number, arrangement and identity of floral organs is specified ( https://resydeproject.org ). The appointee will work at the University of Sydney in the Heisler lab ( www.heislerlab.com ; @heisler_lab on X; @heisler_lab.bsky.social on Bluesky) to investigate organ positioning, including cell polarity patterning, using fine-scale perturbation approaches combined with live-imaging to test regulatory hypotheses. There will be opportunities to work with and learn from the other three RESYDE interdisciplinary partner labs located in the UK, Germany and Sweden as well as travel to conferences.

Your key responsibilities will be to:

• help generate and maintain transgenic Arabidopsis lines containing GFP-based polarity reporters

• document protein expression and localization patterns using live imaging and whole-mount immunolocalization

• help devise and conduct fine-scale perturbation experiments to test regulatory hypotheses

• help supervise PhD students working on related projects

• help coordinate research activities with international collaborators

• interpret data, write manuscripts, and present findings at conferences and seminars.

About you

The University values courage and creativity; openness and engagement; inclusion and diversity; and respect and integrity. As such, we see the importance of recruiting talent aligned to these values and are looking for a Postdoctoral Research Associate who has:

• a PhD (or near completion) in plant cell, developmental or molecular biology, or related field

• proven track record of scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals

• ability to work both independently and as part of a collaborative team

• a desire to contribute to an interdisciplinary collaborative project, working closely with partner scientists

• expertise in plant genetics, cloning, biochemistry, gene expression and protein-protein interaction analysis

• experience with dissection and confocal imaging considered a plus.

Pre-employment checks and declarations

Your employment is conditional upon the successful completion of all pre-employment or background checks required for the role in terms satisfactory to the University. Also, to meet the University’s obligations under the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Eliminate Gender-Based Violence you will be asked to declare if you have been investigated for, or found to engaged in, sexual harm or gender-based violence in the course of previous employment or in a legal process. Similarly, your ongoing employment is conditional upon the satisfactory maintenance of all relevant clearances and background check requirements. If you do not meet these conditions, the University may take any necessary step, including the termination of your employment.

EEO statement

At the University of Sydney, our shared values are trust, accountability and excellence and we strive to be a place where everyone can thrive. We are committed to creating a University community that thrives through diversity and reflects the wider community that we serve. We deliver on this through our commitment to diversity and inclusion , evidenced by our people and culture programs, as well as key strategies to increase participation and support the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People , women , people living with a disability , people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds , and those who identify as LGBTQIA+ . We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds.

We are proud to be recognised as an Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Platinum Employer. Find out more about our work on diversity and inclusion .

How to apply

Applications (including a cover letter, CV, and any additional supporting documentation) can be submitted via the Apply button at the top of the page.

For employees of the University or contingent workers, please login into your Workday account and navigate to the Career icon on your Dashboard. Click on USYD Find Jobs and apply.

For a confidential discussion about the role, or if you require reasonable adjustment or any documents in alternate formats, please contact Liam Newson and Nicole Feain, Recruitment Operations by email to recruitment.sea@sydney.edu.au

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