"Postdoctoral Research Associate"

PRIMARY DETAIL

• Salary Package: $109,272 – $117,108 per annum (Level A.6–A.8, PhD Awarded Rate), plus 17% employer's superannuation and annual leave loading.
• Appointment Type: Full-time, fixed-term (3 years)
• Macquarie University, Wallumattagal Campus, North Ryde

Shape the future of student housing policy through impactful, nationally significant research.

Australia is in the grip of a housing crisis and the way we deliver student housing is at a critical turning point. This is your opportunity to contribute to research that will directly inform housing and education policy at a national level.

If you are an early career researcher with a passion for housing, urban governance, and applied policy research, this role offers an exceptional platform to build your career within a collaborative, interdisciplinary team at one of Australia's most dynamic research universities.

About the Role

The Discipline of Geography and Planning, within the School of Communication, Society and Culture, is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join an Australian Research Council funded project led by Professor Kristian Ruming, titled "Student housing in (a time of) crisis: interrogating student housing supply".

In the context of a housing crisis and new university funding policies, this project aims to critically analyse the current and future delivery of purpose-built student housing. By mapping funding, development and management activity at a national level and undertaking case studies, the project aims to generate theoretical and applied knowledge about the objectives of university and private providers, as well as the opportunities and challenges for future supply. Anticipated outcomes include an understanding of how the emergent policy context will shape student housing delivery and trace the potential for new models. This will bring benefits to housing and education policy via recommendations about student housing delivery and governance.

About Us

The Discipline of Geography and Planning is a leading center of geographical and planning research. Our work is theoretically innovative and has made important contributions to global debates in geography and urban planning scholarship, while remaining equally dedicated to addressing real-world problems and working towards a more just and sustainable future.

You will also work closely with the Macquarie University Housing and Urban Research Centre, a dynamic, interdisciplinary hub established within the Faculty of Arts to tackle some of the most urgent and complex challenges facing cities in Australia and globally. Research programs led by center members span housing supply and affordability, urban climate adaptation, planning reform, economic development, urban regeneration, social and affordable housing policy, housing finance, and public engagement and activism.

About You

You will hold a PhD, or be nearing completion of a PhD, in geography, urban planning or cognate discipline. You will have experience as an Early Career Researcher who is able to work both in a team and independently and engage with stakeholders ranging from PhD candidates to senior academics and practitioners in a multi-disciplinary context.

If you are an excellent communicator with a proactive nature, flexible, able to work in teams and have excellent interpersonal, organisational and time management skills, then this is a role you will thrive in.

Essential Selection Criteria

• A PhD in geography, urban planning, or a cognate discipline (awarded or near completion),
• Demonstrated ability to undertake theoretical or conceptual research related to housing, planning, and/or urban governance,
• Demonstrated success in publishing research in high-impact international journals,
• Strong oral and written communication skills, and
• High-level organisational skills, including the ability to prioritise workload, meet deadlines, and prepare milestone reports.

Desirable Selection Criteria

• Demonstrated contribution to the preparation of research grant applications.
• Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative methods used in geography and planning research.
• Experience in delivering outcomes for large, complex, externally funded projects.

How to Apply

To be considered, please apply online with your CV and a cover letter outlining how your experience aligns with the selection criteria (above).

Submission of Applications Open Until: Thursday 9 April 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (AEDT)

*** We welcome applications from international applicants.***

***We reserve the right to progress or decline an application prior to the application closing date.*** ***We also reserve the right to close the advertisement early, if a sufficient number of qualified applicants is received.***

For enquiries about the role, please contact Professor Kristian Ruming at kristian.ruming@mq.edu.au

For recruitment enquiries, please contact Mirna Alaaiddin at mirna.alaaiddin@mq.edu.au

Why Join Us?

Macquarie is a university engaged with the real and often complex problems and opportunities that define our lives. Since our foundation in 1964, we have aspired to be a different type of university. Over the years, we have grown to become the centre of a vibrant local and global community. Connect with us today.

We rank amongst the top employers in the Australian Workplace Employers Index, having recently earned a five-star rating in the QS World Rankings with the highest rating for employability. Take a look at the fabulous staff benefits on offer when you work at Macquarie University.

• Flexible, hybrid work arrangements
• 17% Superannuation
• Subsidised onsite parking options
• Extensive training and professional development programs
• Onsite childcare facilities to support working parents
• Onsite vacation care during school holidays
• Discounted health insurance
• Subsidised membership at our Sport & Aquatic Centre
• Access to an Employee Assistance Program for free and confidential support
• Convenient onsite GP, imaging, and physiotherapy clinics