­Food and Beverage Accelerator Program: Based in the School of Chemical Engineering

Join a university ranked in the world's top 50

Nourish Ingredients program commencing early 2024

Full-time, Fixed term position for up to 3 years

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position

Based at St Lucia Campus

About UQ

Join UQ, a globally renowned institution fostering a vibrant academic community. Collaborate with brilliant minds from around the world in an interdisciplinary environment. Backed by world-class facilities, ample research funding, grant writing support, and post-fellowship contracts via our UQ Amplify initiative, UQ empowers research excellence. With a large PhD enrolment and commitment to accessibility, be part of a prestigious institution that empowers academics to thrive and make a lasting impact.

About the Food and Beverage Accelerator

Australia's Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) is a $160 million initiative to boost growth and innovation in the food and beverage manufacturing sector. Part of the Federal Government's Trailblazer Program, FaBA leverages $50m of government investment with more than $110m from universities and industry. Partners work across four areas: the research programs ‘Innovative Ingredients' and ‘Premium Food and Beverage Products', and the enabling programs ‘Innovation Pathways' and the ‘FaBA Training Centre'.

A national initiative, FaBA provides F&B manufacturers access to research teams, next generation industry professionals, state-of-the-art equipment and pilot facilities. FaBA is proudly hosted by The University of Queensland, in collaboration with participants QUT, UniSQ and UniQuest.

About This Opportunity

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow / Research Officer will seek to engineer the performance and function of animal fat mimics for premium food and beverage products.

This includes consideration for enabling utilisation and the technical performance of animalic fats in a variety of food and beverage products. This research is in partnership and collaboration with Nourish Ingredients, a revolutionary Australian food tech company who specialise in producing animal- free potent fats. Animal fat is a major contributor to the flavour, texture and mouthfeel in many foods and beverages, but it is not replicated using plant-based alternatives. This position involves a mixture of research into the techno-functional properties of the fats, and translative research to enable their effective incorporation into commercial opportunities for these unique lipid products. We are keen on researchers with experience in rheology and microstructural characterisation, tribology, dairy processing, biopolymers (polysaccharides, proteins), and colloids and interfacial science.

This is an exciting opportunity for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow / Research Officer to focus their efforts on developing their expertise and emerging research profile in their discipline, and engagement with an exciting start up in the food and beverage sector.

Key responsibilities will include:

Research

Develop a coherent research program and an emerging research profile.

Contribute to the transfer of knowledge, technology and practices to research end users through translation, including working closely with industry partners to realise commercial opportunities.

Produce quality research outputs consistent with discipline norms by publishing or exhibiting in high quality journals and delivering technical reports to industry.

Review and draw upon best practice research methodologies, including attending and presenting at relevant international/national meetings.

Work with colleagues in the development of joint research projects and applications for competitive research funding support.

Supervision and Researcher Development

Contribute to the effective supervision of junior researchers (e.g. Honours, Masters, Higher Degree by Research students, research assistants).

Demonstrate personal effectiveness in supervision and the management of researcher development.

Effectively lead and develop supervisee performance and conduct by providing feedback, coaching, and professional development.

As appropriate, manage research support staff effectively throughout the employee lifecycle in accordance with University policy and procedures.

Work collaboratively and respectfully with others at all levels, working to promptly resolve conflict and grievances when they arise in accordance with University policy and procedures.

Citizenship and Service

Demonstrate citizenship behaviours that align to the UQ values.

Shows leadership of self through collaboration and active participation in priority activities for the unit.

Provide support to other academic positions and unit operations as needed during other team members absences, and as required within the Food and Beverage Accelerator.

Contribute to internal service roles and administrative processes as required, including participation in decision-making and service on relevant committees.

Begin to develop external links and partnerships by cultivating relationships with industry, government departments, professional bodies and the wider community.

This is a full-time (100%), fixed-term position for up to 3 years.

This is a research focused academic position at Academic level A. The full- time equivalent base salary will be in the range $74,308.68 - $99,426.59, plus a generous super allowance of up to 17%. The total FTE package will be up to $86,941.16 - $116,329.11 annually. As this role is covered by an Enterprise Agreement, you will also receive regular remuneration increases – at least once a year.

The greater benefits of joining the UQ community are broad: from being part of a Group of Eight university, to recognition of prior service with other Australian universities, up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave, 17.5% annual leave loading, flexible working arrangements including hybrid on site/WFH options and flexible start/finish times, and genuine career progression opportunities via the academic promotions process.

About You

Completion or near completion of a PhD in a discipline area such as chemical engineering. chemistry, food science or dairy science.

Evidence of knowledge or experience in areas such as: (a) rheology, tribology, and microstructural characterisation; (b) fats / lipids, biopolymers, hydrocolloids and gels, colloids and interfacial science; and/or (c) processing/engineering, flow of complex fluids and soft matter, dairy processing.

An emerging profile in research in the discipline area.

Evidence of publications in reputed refereed journals and presenting at conferences.

Evidence of contributions towards successfully obtaining external research funding.

Some experience in meaningful internal service roles and contributions towards external activities.

In addition, the following mandatory requirements apply:

Work Rights: You must have unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this appointment to apply. Visa sponsorship is not available for this appointment.

Mandatory Immunisations: It is a condition of employment for this role that you will be required to provide evidence of immunisation against certain vaccine preventable diseases.

Background Checks: All final applicants for this position may be asked to consent to a criminal record check. Please note that people with criminal records are not automatically barred from applying for this position. Each application will be considered on its merits.

Questions?

For more information about this opportunity, please contact Professor Jason Stokes. For application queries, please contact [email protected] stating the job reference number (below) in the subject line.

Want to Apply?

All applicants must upload the following documents in order for your application to be considered:

Resume

Cover letter

Responses to the ‘About You' section

Please note that you will be asked to add all documents into the one upload box labelled ‘resume', which is step one of the application form.

Other Information

At UQ we know that our greatest strengths come from our diverse mix of colleagues, this is reflected in our ongoing commitment to creating an environment focused on equity, diversity and inclusion. We ensure that we are always attracting, retaining and promoting colleagues who are representative of the diversity in our broader community, whether that be gender identity, LGBTQIA+, cultural and/or linguistic, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, or people with a disability. Accessibility requirements and/or adjustments can be directed to [email protected]

If you are a current employee (including casual staff and HDR scholars) or hold an unpaid/affiliate appointment, please login to your staff Workday account and visit the internal careers board to apply for this opportunity. Please do NOT apply via the external job board.

Applications close on Monday, 27 November 2023 at 11.00pm AEST (Job Reference Number - R-32381).