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

The Opportunity

• Do you have a PhD in a relevant discipline area, such as microbiology or cellular and molecular biology or similar?
• Join a strong multidisciplinary team to apply an ex vivo human intestinal organoid system to improve our understanding of human health 
• Join CSIRO – Australia’s leading scientific research organisation! 

CSIRO Early Research Career (CERC) Postdoctoral Fellowships provide opportunities to scientists and engineers who have completed their doctorate and have less than three years of relevant postdoctoral work experience. These fellowships aim to develop the next generation of future leaders of the innovation system.

The CERC Fellowship role will be part of the Microbiomes for Ones Systems Health - Future Science Platform (FSP). CSIRO FSPs address new scientific challenges for Australia.  They are an investment in science that underpins innovation that has the potential to help reinvent and create new industries.  FSPs allow the development of capability and capacity for a new generation of researchers to work with CSIRO on future science.

The CERC Fellow will join a strong multidisciplinary team within the Molecular Diagnostics Solutions team in Health and Biosecurity to apply an ex vivo human intestinal organoid system to improve our understanding of human health. Derived from patient biopsy tissue, these 3D organoid cultures retain both the cellular architecture and cellular diversity of the large intestine, making them physiologically representative of the tissue from which they are derived.
 

Specifically, this project will establish genetically diverse normal and disease matched intestinal organoids, co-cultured with host microbial community and microenvironment, as a platform to understand microbe-microbe interactions and host-microbe interactions within a relevant physiological environment. This will ultimately contribute to our understanding of how gut microbial communities can be influenced to improve human health. The Postdoctoral Fellow will be exposed to a range of new and cutting-edge approaches with ample opportunity for further training and development, especially in metagenomics, bioinformatics and biostatistics.

Your duties will include:

• Developing a capability to co-culture human intestinal organoids and gut microbes.
• Designing and executing experiments to enable host-microbial interactions to be elucidates.
• Interacting with clinical collaborators to obtain and culture intestinal organoids and microbes.
• Carrying out innovative, impactful research of strategic importance to CSIRO that will, where possible, lead to novel and important scientific outcomes.
• Recognising and exploiting opportunities for innovation and the generation of new theoretical perspectives, and progressing opportunities for the further development or creation of new lines of research.

Location: Adelaide, South Australia

Salary: AU$89k - AU$98k plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure: Specified term of 3 years

Reference: 86529

To be considered you will need:

• A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD) in a relevant discipline area, such as microbiology or cellular and molecular biology. Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (or full-time equivalent) of postdoctoral research experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of human intestinal biology, human gut microbiome and/or host microbial interactions in the colon.
• Demonstrated experience in tissue or cell culture, or organoid culture, including cell based assays to measure physiologically relevant endpoints.
• Experience with isolating and culturing gut microbes, and characterisation of these microbes.
• Demonstrated skills in molecular biology and intestinal microbiology, including PCR and IHC.
• Demonstrated skills in advanced microscopy techniques including immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy.

   

For full details about this role please view the Position Description

Eligibility

Applications for this position are open to Australian Citizens, New Zealand Citizens, Australian Permanent Residents and Australian temporary residents currently residing in Australia.

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. 

Join us and start creating tomorrow today!

How to Apply

Please apply on-line and provide a cover letter and CV that best demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role.

Applications Close

18 September 2022, 11:00pm AEST