Job no: 0055286
Work type: Fixed Term
Location: Parkville
Division/Faculty: Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences
Department/School: Melbourne Veterinary School
Salary: $75,289 - $102,163 (Level A)
Role & Superannuation rate: Academic - Full time - 17% super

Founded in 1853, the University of Melbourne is Australia’s #1 university and is consistently ranked amongst the leading universities in the world. We are proud of our people, our commitment to research and teaching excellence, and our global engagement.

About the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences

http://fvas.unimelb.edu.au/

The Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences is a leader in agricultural, food and veterinary science education and research in Australia.

The faculty comprises the Melbourne Veterinary School and the School of Agriculture and Food. The faculty operates across three campuses: Parkville, Werribee and Dookie. We acknowledge and pay respect to the traditional owners of the lands upon which these campuses are situated, the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung peoples and the Yorta Yorta Nation. In addition to education and research, the faculty operates a veterinary hospital at Werribee, a broadacre farm at Dookie, and an equine hospital in Shepparton.

As a faculty within the University of Melbourne, we share the core purpose of benefiting society, and the guiding aspiration to be a world-leading and globally connected Australian university with students at the heart of everything we do. We are dedicated to improving animal health, sustainable agricultural practice and food security through cross-disciplinary and collaborative research. Our focus on quality teaching spanning agricultural, food, and veterinary sciences, aims to equip tomorrow’s leaders with the skills and knowledge to solve global issues. The faculty aspires to be the destination of choice in Australia and one of the finest in the world in the fields of agriculture, food, animal health and veterinary sciences for students, teachers, researchers, collaborators and investors.

 

About the Role

The Research Fellow (Animal Welfare) will be responsible for contributing to research at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Melbourne Veterinary School. Working within the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences Animal Welfare Science Centre, the Research Fellow will join the project team and actively contribute to the research program for a recently awarded large-scale CRC-P grant. The project aims to eliminate pig tail removal (docking) and raise pigs with intact tails, to improve overall pig welfare and industry sustainability. Seeking to provide solutions that will enable Australasian pork farmers to rear pigs with intact tails. Despite compelling welfare and economic incentives to eliminate tail docking, the sudden, unpredictable, and sporadic onset of tail biting combined with its rapid spread makes studying its aetiology extremely challenging. Despite national and international efforts to date, no definitive causes, or enduring solutions for stopping tail biting have been identified.

The Animal Welfare Science Centre is a joint initiative of the University of Melbourne, The Ohio State University - Department of Animal Sciences and Veterinary Preventative Medicine and The United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service - Livestock Behaviour Research Unit.

The Research Fellow (Animal Welfare) will contribute to research including an epidemiological study identifying Australasian-specific causal factors that result in tail-biting at an individual animal, environment and management level and a fundamental study examining in depth the behaviour of pigs before, during and after tail biting events. This research will be conducted at a number of research locations across Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland, involving research and industry presentations, as well as liaison with representatives of industry, funding organisations and government.

The Research Fellow (Animal Welfare) will also contribute to developing the Animal Welfare Science Centre’s continuing animal welfare research in pigs and other animal species, as well as in the supervision of post-graduate student research programs. The position may contribute to and assist in teaching activities at the masters and undergraduate levels.

As with all University staff, the effective promotion of positive engagement in learning and career development of self and others, and actively promoting equity, diversity and cultural awareness consistent with University values is an expectation of this role.

The successful applicant will be offered a full time, 3-year fixed term contract at the level of Research Fellow (Level A). The position will be based-primarily at the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus, however, travel to, or work from, other sites and campuses may be required.

In a typical week at work, you may:

• Undertake research under limited supervision leading to the publication arising from research in peer reviewed journals, articles and oral and written presentations to industry and lay audiences. Research may be published as sole author or in collaboration.
• Attend and participate in Research Showcase events including Open Day and give internal and external seminars/lectures on topic areas relevant to the role.
• Prepare written reports of the progress of research work ensuring that the research data within these reports are presented in a publication quality format.
• Within the scope of the level of appointment, supervise honours, postgraduate coursework and research higher degree students and ensure completion in a timely manner.

 

About You

Confident communicator with well-developed interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills with the ability to build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders including industry bodies within a diverse work environment. You are highly organised, detail oriented with a strong work ethic, commitment to continuous improvement, openness to new ideas and creative approaches to problem solving within established timelines.

Ideally, you will further have:

• An awarded or close to completion of a PhD qualification in animal welfare or related discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to undertake research under limited supervision and delivering against research objectives, evidenced by a record of contributions in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, conference papers and presentations.
• An advanced understanding of animal welfare, including the assessment of behaviour, stress physiology and emotionality in animals.
• Demonstrated capacity to write for a variety of audiences (e.g., academic, government, department, funders).
• Well-developed research skills such as the ability to conduct desktop analysis, literature reviews and knowledge of general statistics methods, research design, implementation, report writing and ethics applications.
• Well-developed interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills with the ability to build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders including industry bodies within a diverse work environment.

To ensure the University continues to provide a safe environment for everyone, this position requires the incumbent to hold a current and valid Working with Children Check.

 

Benefits of Working with Us

In addition to having the opportunity to grow and be challenged, and to be part of a vibrant campus life, our people enjoy a range of rewarding benefits:

• Flexible working arrangements and generous personal, parental and cultural leave
• Competitive remuneration, 17% super, salary packaging and leave loading
• Free and subsidised health and wellbeing services, and access to fitness and cultural clubs
• Discounts on a wide range of products and services including Myki cards and Qantas Club
• Career development opportunities and 25% off graduate courses for staff and their immediate families

To find out more, please visit https://about.unimelb.edu.au/careers/staff-benefits.

 

Be Yourself

At UoM, we value the unique backgrounds, experiences and contributions that each person brings to our community, and we encourage and celebrate diversity. Indigenous Australians, those identifying as LGBTQIA+, females, people of all ages and culturally diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply for our roles. Our aim is to create a workforce that reflects the community in which we live.

 

Join Us!

If you feel this role is right for you, please submit your application including a brief cover letter, your resume and your responses against the selection criteria* (found in the Position Description) for the role.

*For information to help you with compiling short statements to answer the selection criteria and competencies, please go to http://about.unimelb.edu.au/careers/selection-criteria

Should you require any reasonable adjustments with the recruitment process, please contact the Talent Acquisition team at hr-talent@unimelb.edu.au.

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, we are currently prioritising applications with current valid working rights in Australia and candidates who are not affected by travel restrictions. Please see the latest updates to Australia's immigration and border arrangements: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/

 

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