James Cook University (JCU) is creating a brighter future for life in the Tropics and beyond, through education and research that makes a difference locally and globally. 

We now have an opportunity available for a Researcher to join our team within TropWATER as a Research Officer, Seagrass Restoration. 

• Full-time; two years fixed-term
• Academic Level A $75,942 - $101,477 per annum + up to 17% employer superannuation contributions, leave loading and other generous employee benefits
• Based at the Cairns Nguma-bada campus, Smithfield 

About TropWATER

The Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER) is Australia’s premiere tropical aquatic research group and is an amalgamation of aquatic expertise from across James Cook University (JCU). The Centre comprises of over 150 staff and 100 post-graduate students and performs research in fields related to water science, resource management and the ecology of water ecosystems.

About the opportunity 

The Research Officer will contribute to an expanding research program within TropWATER’s Seagrass Ecology Group. They will work within a team with a strong focus on Tropical Seagrass Restoration and support the delivery of a range of research projects focused on developing and implementing seagrass restoration approaches in tropical Australia and the broader Indo-Pacific region.

What you can bring to the role 

• Possess either a PhD, or a Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 6 years of professional experience in a related field.
• Demonstrated high-level skills in experimental design, data analysis, and interpretation of ecological data sets and experiments.
• Experience conducting research in the field of seagrass ecology, particularly as it applies to at least one of: restoration, recovery, assessment of ecosystem services.
• Experience contributing significantly to the management of projects, including preparing funding proposals, developing research partnerships and managing project workflow.
• High level computer skills particularly in statistical software such as R.
• Demonstrated research design, data analysis, and interpretation of environmental and/or ecological data.
• History of research outputs such as scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals ideally including as a lead author.
• Experience with organizing and managing field programs or similar logistical operations, including in marine settings.

Why JCU? 

JCU offers a culturally diverse working environment with opportunities for professional and personal growth. Employee wellbeing is at the core of our values, and we support our people through the provision of flexible working conditions and many other benefits including;

• A generous superannuation scheme with up to 17% employer contributions with UniSuper
• 5 weeks of annual recreation leave and 15 days of paid sick/personal/carers leave per year
• Cultural leave and Flexible working options
• Attractive options for salary packaging
• Fitness Passport
• Employee Assistance Program
• Professional development support
• Well-equipped campus facilities including cafes and sporting fitness.

What matters to us at JCU? 

Our People – Our staff, students, and the communities we serve
Our Education – Knowledge has the power to change lives
Our Place – the Tropics and beyond
Our Research – a catalyst for innovation and knowledge generation