"Postdoctoral Research Associate in Aortic Disease and Heart Regeneration"

About the opportunity

In this Baird Institute-funded University of Sydney is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Aortic Disease and Heart Regeneration. The candidate will investigate cardiovascular disease and cardiac regeneration, split into two themes:

• Investigating the molecular drivers of aortopathies. Using a range of healthy and diseased human aorta samples stored in our biobank, this project will investigate the molecular drivers of aortopathies. Using multiomics platforms, real clinical data, live vessel 3D cell culture and advanced microscopy, the researcher will interrogate the unique markers of different disease states.
• The development of a translational pipeline to test therapeutics that can reverse heart failure by amplifying the intrinsic regenerative potential of the human heart. These new therapeutics will be used to treat MI patients, enabling regeneration of cardiac muscle to reverse heart failure and save lives.

Heart failure is incurable, irreversible and a leading cause of death worldwide, with one Australian dying every 3 hours, 50-75% of patients dying within 5 years of diagnosis and a cost of $2.8 billion/year to the Australian economy. The most common cause of heart failure is caused by a coronary artery in the heart becoming blocked, known as myocardial infarction (MI). Following MI, millions of cardiac muscle cells (cardiomyocytes; CMs), that are downstream of the blockage, die from a lack of oxygen, causing the heart to pump less effectively, which can lead to heart failure. We have developed a translational pipeline to test therapeutics that can reverse heart failure by amplifying the intrinsic regenerative potential of the human heart. These new therapeutics will be used to treat MI patients, enabling regeneration of cardiac muscle to reverse heart failure and save lives.

Supervisory team

A/Prof Sean Lal (Clinical Academic Cardiologist, Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Sciences), Prof John O'Sullivan (Clinical Academic Cardiologist, Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine), Prof Paul Bannon (Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery) and Dr Robert Hume (Lead of Translational Research).

About you

• doctorate of PhD in a relevant field
• experience in vascular and/or cardiac research
• considerable laboratory experience and must have an understanding of how to design and run experiments
• must not be averse to working with animals
• motivated individual, passionate about developing treatments to help patients suffering from life-threatening diseases
• maintains quality, standards and excellence in any research activities and output
• contributes to a positive workplace culture in which diversity of thought, contribution, collaboration, excellence and achieving outcomes are valued and enabled.
• interacts with students, staff and other members of the University community in a professional, collegial and respectful manner
• experience in cell culture (preferably stem cells) immunohistochemistry and microscopy.

Desirable (non-essential) skills:

• advanced immunohistochemistry/microscopy experience (e.g. 3D immunostaining/clearing, 3D confocal/2-photon/light sheet microscopy)
• multi-omics (RNAseq, proteomics, metabolomics, coding)
• biomaterials and tissue engineering background
• induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (iPSC-CM) culture
• engineered heart tissue (EHT), 3D tissue slice culture or 3D culture methods
• flow cytometry.

Additional information:

Throughout this project you will be fully supported by a diverse and prestigious supervisory team within the Baird Institute's Centre for Heart Failure and Diseases of the Aorta. The laboratory the successful candidate will join is housed within the University of Sydney's award-winning Charles Perkins Centre - a building that contains many of the University's most influential researchers and contains multiple state-of-the-art facilities.

Sponsorship / work rights for Australia

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

Pre-employment checks

Your employment is conditional upon the completion of all role required pre-employment or background checks in terms satisfactory to the University. Similarly, your ongoing employment is conditional upon the satisfactory maintenance of all relevant clearances and background check requirements. If you do not meet these conditions, the University may take any necessary step, including the termination of your employment.

EEO statement

At the University of Sydney, our shared values include diversity and inclusion and we strive to be a place where everyone can thrive. We are committed to creating a University community which reflects the wider community that we serve. We deliver on this commitment through our people and culture programs, as well as key strategies to increase participation and support the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people living with a disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and those who identify as LGBTIQ. We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds.

How to apply

Applications (including a cover letter, CV, and any additional supporting documentation) can be submitted via the Apply button at the top of the page.

For employees of the University or contingent workers, please login into your Workday account and navigate to the Career icon on your Dashboard. Click on USYD Find Jobs and apply.

For a confidential discussion about the role, or if you require reasonable adjustment or any documents in alternate formats, please contact Ajaypal Singh, Recruitment Operations by email to ajaypal.singh@sydney.edu.au.

©The University of Sydney

The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.

Click to view the Position Description for this role.

Applications Close

Thursday 27 November 2025 11:59 PM