Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Modelling & Optimisation

Job no: 0057300

Location: Parkville

Role type: Full time & Part time opportunities; Fixed-term for up to 3 years

Faculty: Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology

Department/School: School of Computing and Information Systems

Salary: Level A – $77,171 – $104,717 p.a. plus 17% super

The University of Melbourne would like to acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Owners of the lands upon which our campuses are situated, the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung Peoples, the Yorta Yorta Nation, the Dja Dja Wurrung People. We acknowledge that the land on which we meet and learn was the place of age-old ceremonies, of celebration, initiation and renewal, and that the local Aboriginal Peoples have had and continue to have a unique role in the life of these lands.

About the ARC Hub for Digital Bioprocess Development

The ARC Hub for Digital Bioprocess Development is part of the Industrial Transformation Research Hub grant scheme (ITRH Scheme) and aims to assist the Biopharma industry by increasing digital innovation, productivity and competitiveness.  The Hub will engage an interdisciplinary team of engineers, scientists and computing specialists to develop digitally integrated advanced manufacturing processes and a platform for industry adoption. The program will address key bioprocessing research challenges and develop new process and digital models that can predict and optimise manufacturing processes, resulting in greater yields, faster and more flexible processes and enhanced product stability. The Hub will transform biopharmaceutical manufacturing and unlock growth opportunities to forge an internationally competitive Australian Biopharma sector.

The ARC Hub for Digital Bioprocess Development is a collaborative program of significant scope and scale. It will draw together expertise from The University of Melbourne, University of Technology Sydney and RMIT University, together with CSL Innovation, Patheon and Pall and three leading international universities,  forming a substantial team. The Hub will have the critical mass of researchers and expertise needed to address key biopharma research challenges, contributing to industry outcomes and positioning Australian Biopharma manufacturing to benefit from Industry 4.0.

About the Role

This position will be based in the new The ARC Hub for Digital Bioprocess Development. This position will examine how relatively sparse high-quality data can be supplemented with lower quality data to enable ‘multi-fidelity’ optimization for improved decision support for bioprocesses.  It will consider approaches that allow searches outside the usual ‘search box’, dynamic optimization and the development of early stopping criteria for stopping experiments that go wrong. This will enable overall process optimisation.

Responsibilities include:

• Independently plan and carry out research on the proposed research project and work towards completion of the aims of the project.
• Develop effective timelines and milestones based on goals of the research program.
• Liaise effectively with collaborators and a variety of internal and external stakeholders to foster collaborative partnerships and work with teams to achieve joint outputs and outcomes.  This will include working with partnership organisations to translate research findings and to provide recommendations.

About You

You are an experienced researcher, able to lead and contribute to a cross-functional, multi-disciplinary team. You have strong interpersonal skills and are able to work with industry partners effectively to achieve applied outcomes. You strong written and verbal communication skills allow you to convey complex research concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences. You are detail orientated and self-motivated, able to work with minimal supervision and maintain your own list of priorities to meet all deadlines.

You will also have:

• A postgraduate research degree at PhD level (or near completion) or Higher Education qualification in a field relevant to the position
• A record of high-quality research as evidenced by publications in leading journals and at conferences commensurate with opportunity.
• Ability to perform independent research with a commitment to interdisciplinary research.

To ensure the University continues to provide a safe environment for everyone, this position requires the incumbent to hold a current and valid Working with Children Check.

About the University

The University of Melbourne is consistently ranked amongst the leading universities in the world. We are proud of our people, our commitment to research and teaching excellence, and our global engagement.

Benefits of Working with Us

In addition to having the opportunity to grow and be challenged, and to be part of a vibrant campus life, our people enjoy a range of rewarding benefits:

• Flexible working arrangements, generous personal, parental and cultural leave
• Competitive remuneration, 17% super, salary packaging and leave loading
• Free and subsidised health and wellbeing services, and access to fitness and cultural clubs
• Discounts on a wide range of products and services including Myki cards and Qantas Club
• Career development opportunities and 25% off graduate courses for staff and their immediate families

To find out more, visit https://about.unimelb.edu.au/careers/staff-benefits .

Be Yourself

We value the unique backgrounds, experiences and contributions that each person brings to our community and encourage and celebrate diversity.  First Nations people, those identifying as LGBTQIA+, females, people of all ages, with disabilities and culturally and linguistically diverse people are encouraged to apply. Our aim is to create a workforce that reflects the community in which we live.

Join Us!

If you feel this role is right for you, please submit your application including a brief cover letter, your resume and your responses against the selection criteria^ (found in the Position Description) for the role.

^For information to help you with compiling short statements to answer the selection criteria and competencies, please go to http://about.unimelb.edu.au/careers/selection-criteria

We are dedicated to ensuring barrier free and inclusive practices to recruit the most talented candidates. If you require any reasonable adjustments with the recruitment process, please contact  us at [email protected] .