About This Opportunity

This is a rare and purposeful opportunity for two Postdoctoral Research Fellows to contribute to a flagship ARC Industry Laureate Fellowship addressing climate‑driven loss and damage in the Pacific.

Based in the School of the Environment, you will be part of a visionary, collaborative, and impact‑driven research initiative that works through long‑term partnerships with communities, governments, regional organisations, and civil society partners across the Cook Islands, Fiji, and Vanuatu. The Fellowship focuses on non‑economic losses, values‑based approaches, and locally led solutions, with a strong emphasis on ethical engagement, reciprocity, and sustained relationships.

These roles involve extended periods of in‑country engagement, working alongside partner organisations and communities to co‑design, implement, and evaluate locally led initiatives. You will contribute to applied, participatory research and to the translation of research into policy and practice at community, national, regional, and international levels.

This is an opportunity to build advanced applied research expertise, deep policy and practice engagement skills, and an emerging international research profile, while contributing to meaningful impact in one of the world’s most climate‑vulnerable regions.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Undertaking high‑quality, applied and participatory research as part of a flagship ARC Industry Laureate Fellowship, focused on climate‑driven loss and damage in the Pacific, with a strong emphasis on locally led, values‑based approaches and non‑economic losses.
• Working in long‑term partnership with communities, governments, and regional organisations across the Cook Islands, Fiji, and Vanuatu, including both short and extended periods of in‑country engagement (up to six months or longer), to co‑design, implement, and evaluate initiatives in ethical, reciprocal, and culturally grounded ways.
• Contributing to research outputs and impact, including peer‑reviewed and applied outputs, and supporting the translation of research into policy and practice through engagement with community, national, regional, and international stakeholders.
• Supporting a collaborative and inclusive research culture by contributing to the supervision and mentoring of research students and community researchers where appropriate, and undertaking service activities necessary to support effective Fellowship delivery.

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

About You

You will have completed, or be close to completing, a PhD in a relevant social science discipline, and bring strong skills in applied, qualitative, and participatory research. You will be committed to reflexive, culturally grounded research practice, with experience working ethically and respectfully in Indigenous and/or community‑led contexts. An emerging research profile appropriate to career stage, alongside the capacity or strong interest in translating research into policy and practice, is essential.

You will have experience working in partnership with communities, governments, civil society organisations, or development partners, ideally through long‑term, embedded engagement in Pacific Island contexts or comparable Indigenous or community‑led settings. Strong relational and cross‑cultural communication skills, the ability to work productively in collaborative and transdisciplinary teams, and willingness to undertake extended periods of in‑country research engagement are critical for success in this role.

Position Details

• Faculty of Science | School of the Environment
• 2 x Full-time (100%), fixed-term opportunities for up to five years
• Base salary will be in the range $83,698.92 – $111,431.10 + superannuation (Academic Level A)
• Based at our St Lucia campus

Interested?

For further information about this opportunity, please contact Professor Karen McNamara at karen.mcnamara@uq.edu.au.

For application enquiries, please contact the Talent Acquisition team at talent@uq.edu.au, quoting the job reference number in the subject line.

To apply, please upload a CV/resume, cover letter, and responses addressing the ‘About You’ section of the full position description.

Applications close Thursday 21 May 2026 at 11.00pm AEST (R‑63502).