Postdoctoral Research Fellow

University of Sydney; Camperdown; On-site; AUD 106,000 - 118,000; Part time

Job summary

The University of Sydney invites applications for a Part-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow (0.8 FTE) based at RPA Hospital to advance addiction medicine research focused on mental health, substance use disorders, neuroimaging and psychopharmacotherapy.

You will conduct high-quality clinical research under Professor Kirsten Morley, contribute to publications and grant-funded projects, and mentor junior researchers.

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant discipline with a strong research program.
• Demonstrated expertise in psychophysiology, wearables and HRV data.
• Expertise in neuroimaging data analysis related to addiction/mental health.
• Experience in psychopharmacotherapy experimental and clinical trials.
• Experience recruiting individuals with mental health and substance use disorders.
• Proven track record of supervising junior researchers and HDR students.

Responsibilities

• Conduct original research independently and within multidisciplinary teams.
• Design, implement and deliver addiction medicine and mental health studies.
• Analyse neuroimaging data to support research outcomes.
• Contribute to psychopharmacotherapy trial activities.
• Recruit participants with mental health and substance use disorders.
• Prepare publications, conference presentations and other outputs.
• Contribute to research funding and grant applications.
• Build collaborations across health services, universities and external stakeholders.
• Provide supervision and mentoring to junior staff and HDR students.
• Foster a culture of research excellence and collaboration.

Skills

Psychophysiology

Wearables HRV analysis

Neuroimaging analysis

Clinical trial experience

Participant recruitment

Mentoring HDR students

Education

PhD in a relevant discipline

Job description

• Part time (0.8 FTE), fixed term for 12 months with the possibility of extension for a dedicated Postdoctoral research Fellow
• Opportunity to contribute to nationally significant addiction medicine research programs
• Base Salary $132,533 p.a. + 17% superannuation (pro-rata for 0.8 FTE)

About the opportunity

An exciting opportunity exists for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join a leading addiction medicine research program based at RPA Hospital. Working under the direction of Professor Kirsten Morley, you will contribute to the delivery of innovative research focused on mental health, substance use disorders, neuroimaging and psychopharmacotherapy.

The successful candidate will play a key role in conducting high-quality clinical research, contributing to publications and grant-funded research activities, and supporting the development of junior researchers and higher degree research students.

Your key responsibilities will be to:

• conduct original research independently and as part of multidisciplinary research teams
• contribute to the design, implementation and delivery of addiction medicine and mental health research projects
• analyse and interpret neuroimaging data to support research outcomes
• contribute to psychopharmacotherapy experimental and clinical trial activities
• recruit and engage participants experiencing mental health and substance use disorders
• prepare publications, conference presentations, and other scholarly outputs
• contribute to research funding and grant applications
• build and maintain productive collaborations across health services, universities, and external stakeholders
• provide supervision, mentoring and guidance to junior research staff and HDR students
• contribute to a culture of research excellence and collaboration

About you

To be successful in this opportunity, you will have:

• a PhD in a relevant discipline
• demonstrated expertise in psychophysiology, wearables and the analysis of HRV data in addiction, mental health, or related clinical research
• demonstrated expertise in neuroimaging and analysis of neuroimaging data in addiction, mental health, or related clinical research
• demonstrated experience working in psychopharmacotherapy experimental and clinical trials
• demonstrated experience working with and recruiting individuals with mental health and substance use disorders
• demonstrated experience conducting clinical research across both health-based and university-based systems
• a track record of publications in mental health and substance use disorders
• demonstrated experience supervising junior research staff and higher degree research (HDR) students

To keep our community safe, please be aware of our COVID safety precautions which form our conditions of entry for all staff, students and visitors coming to campus.

Sponsorship / work rights for Australia

You must have unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this employment to be eligible to apply. Visa sponsorship is not available for this appointment.

Pre-employment checks and declarations _ _

Your employment is conditional upon the successful completion of all pre-employment or background checks required for the role in satisfactory to the University. Also, to meet the University’s obligations under the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Eliminate Gender-Based Violence you will be asked to declare if you have been investigated for, or found to engaged in, sexual harm or gender-based violence in the course of previous employment or in a legal process. Similarly, your ongoing employment is conditional upon the satisfactory maintenance of all relevant clearances and background check requirements. If you do not meet these conditions, the University may take any necessary step, including the termination of your employment.

EEO statement

At the University of Sydney, our shared values are trust, accountability and excellence and we strive to be a place where everyone can thrive. We are committed to creating a university community that thrives through diversity and reflects the wider community that we serve. We deliver on this through our commitment to diversity and inclusion, evidenced by our people and culture programs, as well as key strategies to increase participation and support the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people living with a disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and those who identify as LGBTQIA+. We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds.

We are proud to be recognised as an Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Platinum Employer. Find out more about our work on diversity and inclusion.

Click to view the Position Description for this role.

Applications Close

Thursday 22 October 2026 11:59 PM