Laboratory research assistant

Job Description

Role type: Part-Time (0.5 FTE); Fixed Term, 1 year

Location: Parkville

Faculty: Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (MDHS)

Department: Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health

Salary: Level A $87,266 - $118,416 (pro rata) plus 17% super

• NHMRC-funded translational perinatal research program / cutting-edge extracellular vesicle and multi-omics techniques / supportive, flexible, clinician-scientist led team
• Apply now to grow your molecular research career while improving outcomes for babies affected by congenital infection.

In this role, you will drive laboratory experiments that uncover how congenital infections affect fetal development. You will refine skills in extracellular vesicle methods, molecular biology and data management within a perinatal research group.

What you will deliver:

• Perform and optimise laboratory techniques, including extracellular vesicle research methods, cell culture, Western blotting and qRT-PCR.
• Process, catalogue and store human tissue and biofluid samples in line with ethical approvals and biosafety requirements.
• Maintain accurate experiment records, sample workflows and REDCap databases, supporting robust analyses and high-quality research outputs.
• Contribute to experiment planning, troubleshooting, interpretation of results and preparation of figures for presentations and publications.
• Engage with multidisciplinary collaborators across hospital and university sites, actively participating in meetings, training and safety compliance.

You may be a great fit if you:

• Hold a BSc (Honours) or equivalent in biological or biomedical sciences, with relevant laboratory research experience.
• Demonstrate proficiency in cell and molecular biology techniques, including Western blotting, qRT-PCR and mammalian cell culture.
• Manage multiple experiments and administrative tasks concurrently, using strong organisational skills to meet competing deadlines.
• Use spreadsheets, REDCap, image analysis and statistical software to collate, manage and summarise research data accurately.
• Collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary, multi-site teams, contributing constructively to meetings and shared problem-solving.
• Meet immunisation, Working with Children Check and flexible hours requirements for hospital-based perinatal laboratory research.