Food and Beverage Accelerator Program Based in the School of Chemical Engineering
Full-time (100%), fixed-term position until June 2027
Base salary will be in the range $83,698.92 - $111,431.10 + 17% super (Academic Level A)
Visa sponsorship is not available for this position
Based at our St Lucia Campus
About This Opportunity
This is an exciting opportunity for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow / Research Officer to investigate extraction and purification of valuable co-product from seaweed for an industry supported project under Australia's Food and Beverage Accelerator. You will bring experience in the physical characterisation and chemical analysis of extracts, including bioactive proteins, lipids, hydrocolloids and polyphenols, and contribute to meaningful service and engagement activities. This role also offers valuable opportunities to work directly with an industry partner, supporting research translation and real-world impact.
Key responsibilities will include:
Research: Conduct research on seaweed extracts, including extraction and characterisation, evaluate applications, deliver research outputs including technical reports to industry and publications, and support industry translation and research development.
Supervision and Researcher Development: Provide support for supervising Honours students, contribute to researcher development, collaborate with research support staff, and manage conflicts in line with University policies and procedures.
Citizenship and Service: Demonstrate UQ values, collaborate across teams, support operations, and contribute to service activities and external partnerships.
Teaching: Participate in teaching as required and deliver high-quality student outcomes, with a commitment to continuous improvement based on feedback.
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 a PhD in the discipline area, such as chemical engineering, chemistry, or food science.
Evidence of knowledge or experience in areas such as: (a) processing/engineering for extraction, purification and stabilisation of food or plant extracts; (b) protein, carbohydrate and/or lipid chemistry; and/or (c) characterisation of food ingredients applying methods such as surface science, rheology and UV-vis spectroscopy.
An emerging profile in research in the discipline area.
Demonstrated ability to work with interdisciplinary teams
Evidence of publications in reputed refereed journals and presenting at conferences.
Evidence of contributions towards successfully obtaining external research funding.
Some experience in meaningful internal service roles and contributions towards external activities.
About UQ
As part of the UQ community, you will have the opportunity to work alongside the brightest minds, who have joined us from all over the world, and within an environment where interdisciplinary collaborations are encouraged. As part of our commitment to excellence in research and professional practice in academic contexts, we are proud to provide our staff with access to world-class facilities and equipment, grant writing support, greater research funding opportunities, and other forms of staff support and development.
About the Food and Beverage Accelerator
Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) is a $160 million initiative to boost growth and innovation in the food and beverage manufacturing sector. Part of the Federal Government’s Trailblazer Program, FaBA leverages $50m of government investment with more than $110m from universities and industry. Partners work across four areas: the research programs ‘Innovative Ingredients’ and ‘Premium Food and Beverage Products’, and the enabling programs ‘Innovation Pathways’ and the ‘FaBA Training Centre’.
A national initiative, FaBA provides F&B manufacturers access to research teams, next generation industry professionals, state-of-the-art equipment and pilot facilities. FaBA is proudly hosted by The University of Queensland, in collaboration with participants QUT, UniSQ and UniQuest.
Join the UQ FaBA community where excellence is at the core of our culture, contributions are valued and a range of benefits and rewards are available, such as:
The greater benefits of joining the UQ FaBA community are broad: from being part of a Group of Eight university, to recognition of prior service with other Australian universities, up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave, 17.5% annual leave loading, flexible working arrangements including hybrid on site/WFH options and flexible start/finish times, access to exclusive internal-only vacancies, and genuine career progression opportunities via the academic promotions process.
Interested?
For more information about this opportunity, please contact Dr Heather Shewan via h.shewan@uq.edu.au For application inquiries, please reach out to the Talent Acquisition team at talent@uq.edu.au, stating the job reference number (below) in the subject line.
When you apply, please ensure you upload a resume, cover letter, and responses to the ‘About You’ section. Please note that applications received via email will not be accepted.
Other Information
Pre-employment checks may include: verification of the right to work in Australia, qualifications, mandatory immunisations checks. This may also include checks relating to gender-based violence matters or other integrity and conduct requirements.
You must maintain unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this appointment to apply. Employer sponsored work rights are not available for this appointment.
We are dedicated to equity, diversity, and inclusion We recognise that career pathways and opportunities differ and encourage applications from candidates who may not meet every criteria but can demonstrate their potential relative to opportunity. We are also happy to support any accessibility needs throughout the recruitment process. Just let us know how we can help by emailing talent@uq.edu.au or calling +61 7 3365 2623.
Applications close on Thursday, 11 June 2026 at 11.00pm AEST (R-65071).
