Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Level B)

• Salary Package: $123,435 (Level B.1) plus 17% employer's superannuation contribution and annual leave loading.
• Full time, 3-year fixed term role
• Macquarie University, Wallumattagal Campus, North Ryde

THE ROLE

An exciting opportunity for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Level B) exists in the School of Natural Sciences at Macquarie University. We are seeking a highly motivated bioinformatician to join a team with an international reputation for producing high-quality research outcomes in microbial genomics, systems biology, and RNA-based technologies.

The scope of this project is broad and involves building, integrating, and interrogating large-scale biological datasets using computational and statistical approaches. The successful candidate will contribute to projects spanning comparative genomics, proteomics, and the development of analytical pipelines for translational applications in infectious diseases and biotechnology, including the identification of vaccine targets and the computational design of RNA-based vaccine molecules.

Reporting to Professor Garry Myers, the Postdoctoral Research Fellow will:

• Develop and apply bioinformatics pipelines for analysis of genomics and proteomics datasets
• Perform comparative genomics analyses to identify functional variation, evolutionary patterns, and candidate vaccine targets
• Contribute to antigen discovery workflows and prioritisation of targets for vaccine development
• Support computational design of RNA-based vaccine molecules and multi-antigen strategies at a systems level
• Analyse multi-omics datasets using R/Bioconductor and Python-based frameworks
• Contribute to the development of reproducible computational workflows and data management practices
• Collaborate with experimental researchers to integrate computational findings with biological validation and molecule design
• Assist in the preparation of manuscripts, reports, patents, and funding applications
• Present research findings at conferences and seminars
• Support training and supervision of students in computational biology methods

We welcome applicants with strong technical capabilities, a collaborative mindset, and a desire to contribute to impactful, interdisciplinary research in vaccine and diagnostic development.

About Us

The Faculty of Science and Engineering is a young and dynamic faculty driven by the spirit of discovery. Here we nurture the next generation of science and technology innovators.

The School of Natural Sciences at Macquarie University is a vibrant community of educators, researchers and students working across a wide range of biological, biomolecular, biomedical, chemical, environmental and geoscience disciplines.

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 below:

Essential

• A PhD in bioinformatics, computational biology, microbiology, or a related discipline
• Strong programming skills in Python and/or R
• Experience with Bioconductor and statistical analysis of biological data
• Demonstrated experience in comparative genomics and/or proteomics analysis
• Experience working with next-generation sequencing data and associated tools
• Ability to develop and maintain reproducible computational workflows
• Demonstrated ability to undertake independent research and contribute to publications
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams

Desirable

• Experience in artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches applied to biological data
• Experience in vaccine target discovery, antigen prioritisation, or computational molecule design
• Experience with high-performance computing environments and cloud-based analysis
• Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git) and software development best practices
• Experience contributing to interdisciplinary or industry-linked research projects

For enquiries, or a confidential conversation about the role please contact Garry Myers Professor, at garry.myers@mq.edu.au.