Research position at University of Queensland

/, by

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Title:  Postdoctoral Research Fellow/Research Fellow, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course.

Organisation Unit: Institute for Social Science Research

Position Number: 3023456

Type of Employment: Fixed Term, 3 years Full Time with possibility of extension

Classification: Research Academic Level A/B

 

THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

The Federal Government’s 2012 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) exercise confirmed The University of Queensland as one of the nation’s top three universities, measured by the quality of its comprehensive range of specialised research fields. ERA reported that research at UQ is well above world standard in more specialised fields than at any other Australian university: this reflects UQ’s leading global role in many areas of discovery. UQ’s outstanding critical mass offers researchers significant interdisciplinary capability.

UQ integrates its research strengths with excellent teaching and learning and has won more national teaching awards than any other Australian university. International university rankings highlight UQ’s excellence: Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Jiao Tong), Times Higher Education, QS and National Taiwan University Ranking all rank UQ in the top 100. UQ is one of Australia’s Group of Eight, and a founding member of Universitas 21, an international consortium of leading research-intensive universities. UQ’s 45,500-strong student community includes more than 10,000 postgraduate scholars and more than 11,000 international students from 162 countries. The University has more than 7,000 academic and professional staff and a $1.6 billion annual operating budget. Its major campuses are at St Lucia, Gatton and Herston, in addition to teaching and research sites around Queensland and Brisbane city. The University has six faculties and eight institutes. The institutes — funded by government and industry grants, philanthropy and commercialisation activities — have built scale and focus in research areas that UQ regards as strategically important.

The University of Queensland positively influences society by engaging in the pursuit of excellence through the creation, preservation, transfer and application of knowledge. The University’s successes are underpinned by our values. For more information on UQ’s mission, vision and values please go to http://www.uq.edu.au/about/mission-statement.

Organisational Environment

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) is a large comprehensive Faculty with a broad academic profile and substantial research achievements. The Faculty is based at the St Lucia campus in the iconic Forgan Smith building and is headed by Professor Tim Dunne, a leading international relations scholar. The Faculty comprises eight Schools, the Institute for Social Science Research, several research centres and two museums. It offers a broad range of courses, with 700 research higher degree students, 1,400 students in postgraduate coursework degrees and 7,900 undergraduates. Teaching in the Faculty is underpinned by substantial research performance and several areas were judged at the highest level (5 ranking) in the most recent Australian research assessment exercise (ERA). These results are reflected in both the Times Higher Education and QS rankings, which position the Faculty’s performance in the Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences in the Top 60 internationally.

The Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) is a national leader in advanced interdisciplinary social science and evidence based policy research. ISSR researchers address some of the most important issues and challenges facing Australia today in areas such as education, employment, housing, social wellbeing, homelessness, policing and security, sustainability, and Indigenous studies. The Institute conducts research on priority issues and offers commercial services and training for public and private sector organisations. It also provides high-quality learning experiences for postgraduate and postdoctoral students, and has some of the most advanced research facilities for data collection and analysis in the country. The Institute employs over 100 faculty and staff, has an annual budget of $10 million and includes affiliated researchers in the fields of political science, sociology, social policy, geographical sciences, economics, psychology, education, demography, mathematics and statistics.

In 2013, ISSR was successful in its $28m bid for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (the Life Course Centre).

The Life Course Centre will advance research targeted at reducing the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage in Australia and internationally and tackle the problem of deep and persistent disadvantage which is characterised by the spread of social and economic poverty within families and across generations despite overall improvements in the broader society. The Life Course Centre aims to identify the drivers of disadvantage in Australia and to develop innovative solutions to mitigate or reverse its impact by:

  1. Identifying the principal causes of disadvantage in Australian families and the key threat points in a person’s life course so that public resources can be directed appropriately towards pre-identified risks.
  2. Examining the impacts of remedial public policy and public/private program solutions to disadvantage.
  3. Implementing a range of social interventions to evaluate the effectiveness of targeted solutions to reduce disadvantage on multiple levels, including a population trial of parenting interventions.

The Centre is based in ISSR and is a partnership between The University of Queensland, the University of Western Australia, the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney, and 18 other research, government and non-government organisations. See the Centre website at www.lifecoursecentre.org.au

Information about the Institute may be accessed at http://www.issr.uq.edu.au/.
Information for Prospective Staff

Information about life at UQ including staff benefits, relocation and UQ campuses is available at – http://www.uq.edu.au/current-staff/working-at-uq

The University of Queensland Enterprise Agreement outlines the position classification standards for Levels A to E.

DUTY STATEMENT

Primary Purpose of Position

The Life Course Centre seeks to appoint suitably qualified academic research staff to undertake research, training and administrative duties associated with the Centre’s research programs. The appointee will work closely with Professor Janeen Baxter, Director of the Centre, primarily in research relating to family dynamics and disadvantage. Work programs will comprise 80% duties for the Life Course Centre and 20% duties for ISSR. The latter may include participation in ISSR research projects, including contract research for government, preparing and presenting training programs and other professional duties relating to the operation and governance of ISSR.

The appointment will be made at either level A or level B, depending on the demonstrated post-doctoral experience and achievements of the applicants. The level of managerial responsibilities assigned to the appointee will reflect the level of appointment on this salary scale. A Level B appointment would involve a stronger role in project management, new research funding applications, and drafting of joint research papers. A Level B appointment would also have a developing national reputation as a high quality researcher. A Level A appointment would be expected to demonstrate the capacity to build these higher level skills over time.
Duties

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

 Level A  Level B
Research and Project Management

  • Undertake research and publication associated with the Centre.
  • Assist in preparation of proposals, research grant applications and tenders.
  • Analyze large-scale quantitative data using a variety of software package
  • Present research findings in conferences
  • Prepare scholarly manuscripts for publication in academic journals.
  • Prepare and present reports and research outcomes to stakeholders.
  Research and Project Management

  • Undertake research and publication associated with the Centre with the expectation that this research is published in high-ranked international journals.
  • Development and coordination of large scale research projects, managing a team of more junior researchers
  • Take a leadership role in the preparation of proposals, research grant applications and tenders.
  • Analyze large-scale quantitative data using a variety of software packages
  • Present research findings in conferences
  • Prepare scholarly manuscripts for publication in academic journals.
  • Prepare and present reports and research outcomes to stakeholders.
  • Supervision of more junior research staff.
  • Provide strategic management and leadership for project teams.
 External Engagement

  • Foster the Centre’s relations with industry, government departments, professional bodies and the wider community.
  • Develop and manage relationships with government, community and industry research partners as well as philanthropic supporters.
  External Engagement

  • Foster the Centre’s relations with industry, government departments, professional bodies and the wider community.
  • Develop and manage relationships with government, community and industry research partners as well as philanthropic supporters.
 Teaching and Learning

  • Contribute to the development of new teaching materials for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, if the opportunity arises.
  • Delivery of lectures and tutorials for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, if the opportunity arises.
  • Development and delivery of professional development courses, if the opportunity arises
  Teaching and Learning

  • Contribute to the development of new teaching materials for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, if the opportunity arises.
  • Delivery of lectures and tutorials for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, if the opportunity arises.
  • Development and delivery of professional development courses, if the opportunity arises.
  • Contribute to RHD supervision.
 Centre Management

  • Participate in general academic activities such as research training workshops, seminars and conferences.
  • Prepare research reports and presentations for LCC as well as for government or industry partners
  • Assist the Centre Director and support other staff in achieving their research and career path objectives.
  Centre Management

  • Participate in and initiate general academic activities such as research training workshops, seminars and conferences.
  • Prepare research reports and presentations for the Life Course Centre, as well as for government or industry partners, and ensure a high standard of reporting by all staff.
  • Assist the Centre Director and support other staff in achieving their research and career path objectives.
 Administration

  • Perform a range of administrative functions in the LCC and ISSR, as required
  • Contribute to the processes that enable the academic team to manage the work of the LCC, including participation in LCC decision-making and serving on LCC or ISSR committees
  Administration

  • Perform a range of administrative functions in the LCC and ISSR, as required
  • Contribute to the processes that enable the academic team to manage the work of the LCC, including participation in LCC decision-making and serving on LCC or ISSR committees

Other:

  • This position may require travel (domestic and international).
  • Any other duties as reasonably directed by your supervisor
  • Ensure you are aware of and comply with legislation and University policy relevant to the duties undertaken, including:

Organisational Relationships

The position reports to Professor Janeen Baxter, Director of the Life Course Centre, Institute for Social Science Research.