Scientific Officer - Chadwick Biodiversity Fellowship

Join us at the Australian Museum and help us achieve our Mission to ignite wonder, inspire debate and drive change

About the Project

The Chadwick Biodiversity Fellowship is sponsored by Clarence Earl Chadwick to provide work opportunities at the Australian Museum for early career researchers.
Clarence Earl Chadwick was a passionate entomologist who began collecting insects while he was still at school. After graduating in science at the University of Sydney he took up teaching, followed by a career with the Department of Agriculture. His bequest – the Chadwick Biodiversity Research Fellowship – now provides opportunities for others to explore the natural world at the Australian Museum.

About the Role

The Chadwick Biodiversity Fellowship is an exciting opportunity for gifted scientists to undertake early post-doctoral research at the Australian Museum. The successful applicant is expected to investigate a research question during their tenure and use the position to publish, apply for grants and establish a career. The position will also be expected to take part in corporate activities, such as participating in public education programs, media events and other outreach.

Employment Status:

• Scientific Officer 1/2
• Fixed term
• Full time
• Period of engagement: 2 years, commencing in July 2025

Click on the following links to begin the journey to find your new career at the AM

• Role Description
• AM Candidate Pack

You will be paid a competitive annual salary $73,522 - $113,562, plus employer's contribution to superannuation (currently 11.5%) and annual leave loading.

About you

The position is especially suited to new PhD graduates with a passion and drive to take this unique opportunity to springboard their career and demonstrate the importance of natural history collections to understanding and protecting the world’s biodiversity. The position may be associated with any of the groups related to biodiversity at the Museum, including ornithology, mammalogy, herpetology, ichthyology, entomology, arachnology, marine invertebrates, malacology and palaeontology. Strong preference will be given to taxonomy and systematics.

To be eligible to apply for this position, you must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or permanent resident or hold a valid Australian working Visa for the duration of the appointment. Please note that the Australian Museum cannot provide advice on visas and cannot sponsor successful candidates or lodge visa applications on behalf of candidates.

Knowledge & Experience

Demonstrated experience in conducting collections-based biodiversity research, producing peer reviewed publications and expect success in attracting research funding

Essential requirements

A PhD completed within the past 24 months or equivalent research experience in biodiversity and applied taxonomy / systematics in a discipline relevant to one of the Australian Museum’s biological science focus areas (including palaeontology) and research priorities.

About The Australian Museum

The Australian Museum is truly a great place to work. We aim to be a leading voice for the richness of life, the Earth and culture in Australia and the Pacific. We commit to transform the conversation around climate change, the environment and wildlife conservation; be a strong advocate for First Nations’ culture; and continue to develop world-leading science, collections, exhibitions and education programs.

Recent staff survey results confirm that our staff feel valued, accepted and supported and that they believe the AM is an inclusive workplace. AM staff also report a high level of job satisfaction.

The AM is located on the homelands of the Gadigal people and acknowledges and pays respect to the Gadigal people as the custodians of the land, sky and waterways, paying respect to Elders past and present. Check out our current exhibitions and events here.

Benefits

Besides working together with other like-minded people, you will have access to professional development and dedicated Wellbeing programs.

How to apply

Applicants must submit (if submitted as attachment, please upload as PDF):

1. A covering letter which addresses the above essential requirements (maximum 2 pages)
2. A brief supporting letter from a sponsoring Australian Museum scientist that outlines the ways in which your research would utilize the collections and/or other facilities (maximum 2 pages)
3. Curriculum vitae including peer-reviewed publications list.

As part of the online application process, you will be prompted to answer two targeted questions.

1. Outline your research proposal for the 2-year fellowship, including how it will utilise the Australian Museum’s natural history collections and how it aligns to AMRI research priorities (1000 words maximum)
2. Give an example when you communicated the outcomes of your research to the broader Australian and international communities (300 words maximum)

For more details, Frequently Asked Questions and how to apply for the role go to I Work for NSW.

The successful applicant will be subject to national criminal records check. As recommended by Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), the Australian Museum encourages all applicants who can be safely vaccinated for COVID-19, to be so.

To identify the relevant manager and/or sponsoring scientist prior to making an application, and for application enquiries, please contact Meagan Warwick, AMRI & External Partnerships Coordinator via [email protected]

Inclusive and welcoming

The Australian Museum is an NSW Public Service organisation and aims to attract and retain the right people for the right jobs. The AM is a diverse and inclusive workplace where genuine participation and contribution is enabled, and everyone, regardless of their background, identity or circumstances is valued, accepted and supported to thrive at work.

This means that we are embedding diversity and inclusion in everything we do on a daily basis, whether it be our recruitment processes, workplace culture, career development programs, customer service or policies and procedures. If we can make some adjustments to our recruitment process to better enable you to shine, please reach out to the contact person or note this in your application.