About This Opportunity

Join a university that’s shaping the future of agriculture through world-class research, global collaboration and a culture that empowers people to do their life’s best work. As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, you’ll have the opportunity to advance breakthrough science while belonging to a supportive, high-performing team that values curiosity, innovation and real-world impact.

In this role, you’ll be part of the landmark project “Unlocking crop epigenomics to uncover and engineer hidden diversity”, harnessing revolutionary technologies to explore how biological information beyond DNA sequence influences crop performance across generations and environments. This is your chance to work with cutting-edge high-throughput DNA methylation profiling, analyse population-scale epigenomic and multi-omic datasets, and develop new bioinformatic pipelines that push scientific boundaries.

You’ll uncover patterns of methylation variation, inheritance and trait association (including epiGWAS and predictive modelling), generating world-first insights that could transform how breeders enhance yield and resilience in sorghum, barley and wheat. Supported by UQ’s collaborative culture and state-of-the-art facilities, you’ll work alongside leading scientists across disciplines—contributing discoveries that have real impact on global food security and next-generation plant breeding.

At UQ, you’ll be part of a community that celebrates new ideas, supports your development, and gives you the freedom and flexibility to grow your research career while delivering work that matters.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Research & Innovation: Conduct high-quality research and develop an emerging research profile through publications, collaborative projects, competitive grant applications, and translation of research outcomes—including supporting commercialisation where relevant. Apply best-practice research methodologies and contribute to building a coherent research program.
• Supervision & Researcher Development: Support and supervise Honours and HDR students, provide effective coaching and feedback, and contribute to the development of research staff. Foster a positive research environment by managing performance, guiding professional development, and resolving conflicts in line with University policies.
• Citizenship, Service & Engagement: Demonstrate UQ values through active participation in the academic community, supporting unit operations, contributing to committees and administrative processes, and building external relationships with industry, government and professional bodies to enhance collaboration and engagement.

This is a research focused position. Further information can be found by viewing UQ’s Criteria for Academic Performance.

About You

• Completion or near-completion of Ph.D. in Genomics, Statistical Genomics, Quantitative Genetics, Computational Biology, or a related field.
• Expertise with genomic data is essential, experience with epigenomic data will be highly regarded but not essential (e.g. DNA methylation, ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq)
• Experience in GWAS or solid background in statistical genetics and computational biology
• Expertise with R, Python, or equivalent programming languages is essential.
• Passion for making biological discoveries relevant to crop improvement.
• Strong analytical skills, creativity, and the drive to push methodological boundaries.
• Excellent communication skills and a collaborative spirit.
• Evidence of publications in reputed refereed journals and presenting at conferences

The successful candidate may be required to complete a number of pre-employment checks, including: right to work in Australia and education check.

Relocating from interstate or overseas? We may support you with obtaining employer-sponsored work rights and a relocation support package. You can find out more about life in Australia’s Sunshine State here.

Want to Apply?

We welcome applications from all individuals and are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. To be considered, please ensure you upload:

• Resume
• Cover letter
• Responses to the ‘About You’ section

Our strength as an institution lies in our diverse colleagues. We're dedicated to equity, diversity, and inclusion, fostering an environment that mirrors our wider community. We're committed to attracting, retaining, and promoting diverse talent. If you require an alternative method to submit your application due to accessibility needs or personal circumstances, please contact talent@uq.edu.au.

UQ is committed to a fair, equitable and inclusive selection process, which recognises that some applicants may face additional barriers and challenges which have impacted and/or continue to impact their career trajectory. Candidates who don’t meet all criteria are encouraged to apply and demonstrate their potential. The selection panel considers both potential and performance relative to opportunities when assessing suitability for the role.

Applications close 9/1/26 at 11.00pm AEST (R-58021). Please note that interviews have been tentatively scheduled for mid to late January 2026.