Postdoctoral Fellow - Chemistry

Postdoctoral Fellow - Chemistry

Apply now

Job no: 539589
Work type: Full Time
Location: Sydney, NSW
Categories: Post Doctoral Research Associate

• One of Australia’s leading research & teaching universities
• Vibrant campus life with a strong sense of community & inclusion
• Enjoy a career that makes a difference by collaborating & learning from the best

At UNSW, we pride ourselves on being a workplace where the best people come to do their best work.

THIS ROLE IS LOCATED IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.

The School of Chemistry teaches more than 2000 undergraduate students each year from many different faculties and offers four different undergraduate programs leading to majors in chemistry that are taught in five teaching laboratories specialising in First Year, Synthetic, Analytical and Physical Chemistry.

The Research Associate/Post-Doctoral Fellow (Level A) is expected to contribute towards the research effort of UNSW and to develop their research expertise through the pursuit of defined projects relevant to their particular field of research.

About the role

• $113K - $121K plus 17% Superannuation and annual leave loading
• Fixed Term – 3 years
• Full-time (35 hours per week)

The role reports to Professor William A. Donald and has no direct reports.

Specific responsibilities for this role include:

• Contribute independently or as a team member in collaborative research with a focus to enhance the quality of research outcomes in the discipline area.
• Conduct research (as per the norms of the discipline) and/or enable research teams to create scholarly output that is recognised by peers.
• Undertake specific research project/s under the guidance of a research leader and contribute to development of research activities.
• Support the dissemination of research outcomes through appropriate channels and outlets.
• Undertake discipline-appropriate research activities, e.g. surveys, literature reviews, data gathering and/or recording of results using appropriate research methods.
• Participate in and/or present at conferences and/or workshops relevant to the project as required.
• Assist with the supervision of research students in the research area where required.
• Drive the silicosis breath test work end to end, from collecting samples to generating and interpreting MS data with the team.
• Develop and apply analytical workflows for high-throughput breath analysis, ensuring robust and reproducible data.
• Work closely with clinical and research partners to translate findings into practical screening approaches.
• Contribute to the day-to-day hands-on lab-based supervision and training of students in the Donald lab, supporting their development in experimental design, mass spectrometry and data analysis.
• Align with and actively demonstrate the Code of Conduct and Values
• Cooperate with all health and safety policies and procedures of the university and take all reasonable care to ensure that your actions or omissions do not impact on the health and safety of yourself or others.

About the successful applicant (Selection Criteria)

To be successful in this role you will have:

• A PhD in a related discipline, and/or relevant work experience.
• Proven commitment to proactively keeping up to date with discipline knowledge and developments.
• Demonstrated ability to undertake high quality academic research and conduct independent research with limited supervision.
• Demonstrated track record of publications and conference presentations relative to opportunity.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team, collaborate across disciplines and build effective relationships.
• Evidence of highly developed interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and interact with a diverse range of stakeholders and students.
• An understanding of and commitment to UNSW’s aims, objectives and values in action, together with relevant policies and guidelines.
• Knowledge of health and safety responsibilities and commitment to attending relevant health and safety training.
• Demonstrated experience in breath analysis and/or VOC profiling using mass spectrometry.
• Hands-on expertise with direct MS volatile analysis, including method development, optimisation and troubleshooting.
• Experience working with clinical patients, their samples and translating mass spectrometry data into meaningful biological or diagnostic insight.

You should systematically address the selection criteria listed above in your application.

Please apply online - applications will not be accepted if sent to the contact listed.

Contact: William A. Donald
E: w.donald@unsw.edu.au

Applications close: May 3rd, 2026

Position Description