"Research Fellow (Academic Level B)"

Classification:

ANU Academic Level B

Salary package:

$118,632 - $134,507 per annum plus 17% superannuation

Terms:

Full-time, Continuing (contingent funded)

This position is continuing (contingent funded). The funding that supports this project has an expected duration of 3.5 years.

Position Description and Selection Criteria:

PD&PEWER_Academic Level B_Research Fellow.pdf

The project

The European Research Council project "Cultures of the Cryosphere" (CultCryo) investigates the cultural preconditions and consequences of the use of artificial cooling and freezing technologies in nutrition, health and reproduction, air conditioning, data processing, laboratory research and other everyday practices. This interdisciplinary research project aims to investigate the far-reaching socio-ecological effects of this energy-intensive planetary "cryosphere" and aims to identify possible alternatives for a more sustainable future of dealing with artificial cold.

The CultCryo project consists of four international research groups at the Technical University of Darmstadt, the University of Paderborn, the University of Duisburg-Essen, and the Australian National University Canberra, as well as three participating project partners at the University of Hamburg, the University of Halle-Wittenberg and the Institute for Social-Ecological Research Frankfurt. It has an overarching budget of 10 Millon Euros.

Position overview

Your tasks

The successful candidate will focus on conducting ethnographic/social science research into the infrastructures, practices and cultural contexts of distributing cryopreserved biospecimens, and will study the technical, logistical and administrative requirements of cryobiological cold chains and their energy demand. The position will also involve the mapping of ‘cryobanks’ worldwide and cold chain networks for cryobanking services. The candidate will be expected to engage in scientific dissemination and publications of the project findings.

Your profile

You will have a PhD in anthropology, STS, sociology, history, human geography or related discipline, and experience in ethnographic or qualitative social science fieldwork, with a focus on the social and ethical implications of applied cryotechnology. Experience in multi-sited research and working on interdisciplinary and/or international research projects is desirable. Our ideal candidate will have a demonstrated record of publishing in high quality academic journals. The project language is English, thus very good language skills are required. While not mandatory for applying for this position, it will be considered desirable if applicants are also willing to familiarise with the German language.

College Overview

The ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) is the largest single College of six Colleges at ANU. The College, which is structured into two main research schools, offers degrees in more than 20 discipline areas and excels in research across the creative arts, humanities and social sciences. The College has a substantial international research presence and is a major source of national policy advice. Our academic staff are internationally recognised for their research, and 46 are members of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, the Academy of the Social Sciences of Australia, or both. We also host 13 Australian Research Council Future Fellows and two ARC Laureates. A hub of vibrant activity, we host more than 100 lectures, concerts and exhibitions each year, most of which are open to the public. Our students, staff and graduates come from more than 60 nations, bringing a diversity of perspective to campus life.

For further information please contact

Professor Bronwyn Parry, Dean, College of Arts and Social Sciences Dean.cass@anu.edu.au

Application information

In order to apply for this role please make sure that you upload the following documents:

• A 1-2 page statement addressing the selection criteria.
• A current curriculum vitae (CV) which includes the names and contact details of at least three referees (preferably including a current or previous supervisor). If your CV does not include referees you can complete these online when prompted in the application form.
• Other documents, if required.

Applications which do not address the selection criteria may not be considered for the position.

Please note: The successful candidate will be required to undergo a background check during the recruitment process. An offer of employment is conditional on satisfactory results.

Closing date:

Sunday, 11 January 2026, 11:55pm (AEDT)