Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Centre For Education And Research On Ageing

Centre for Continuing Education; Sydney; On-site; AUD 80,000 - 100,000; Part time

Job summary

Times Higher Education in Australia seeks a Part-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow to support the NHMRC-funded program on Optimising Care for Older Adults in Hospital. Based at Concord Hospital and The University of Sydney Concord Clinical School, you will contribute to ageing, geriatric care and medical education research.

The role focuses on consumer engagement, co-design, data collection and analysis, with publications and grant support.

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant discipline, or towards completion of PhD.
• Excellent written, interpersonal and verbal communication skills, including communicating with consumers.
• Strong experience working directly with older adults in research settings, including collaboration with consumer participants and academic researchers.
• Experience managing consumer research advisory groups.
• Extensive experience in co-design and participatory research with older adults, carers and healthcare stakeholders.
• Developing research profile with peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.
• Proficiency in MS Office, Medline, PubMed, REDCap and research software (SAS, SPSS, EndNote, Nvivo).

Responsibilities

• Conduct original and collaborative research in ageing, geriatric care and medical education.
• Support and grow the research trajectory of the team and contribute to the program's long-term agenda.
• Coordinate and manage consumer research advisory group meetings and research team meetings.
• Lead consumer engagement and co-design activities with older adults and carers as co-investigators.
• Develop collaborations with NSW Health clinicians and services to support translational outcomes.
• Collect, code, analyse and interpret data; contribute to manuscripts and conference presentations.
• Contribute to grant applications, ethics submissions and governance processes.
• Coordinate timelines, meetings, ethics and governance documentation for smooth delivery.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Interpersonal communication

Education

PhD in a relevant discipline

Tools

Medline

PubMed

REDCap

SAS

SPSS

EndNote

Nvivo

Job description

• Part time (0.60 FTE) fixed term until 31 December 2028
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow Role supporting the NHMRC-funded program "Optimising Care for Older Adults in Hospital: Innovative Education & Consumer Voices in Junior Doctor Education"
• Base Salary $132,533 (pro rata 0.60 FTE) + 17% superannuation

About the opportunity

We are currently seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to support the NHMRC-funded program "Optimising Care for Older Adults in Hospital: Innovative Education & Consumer Voices in Junior Doctor Education".

The successful candidate will join the research team led by Dr Janani Thillainadesan. This research team is based at the Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, within the Department of Geriatric Medicine at Concord Hospital and The University of Sydney Concord Clinical School.

Your key responsibilities will be to:

• conduct original and collaborative research in ageing, geriatric care and medical education, contributing to the NHMRC funded program "Optimising Care for Older Adults in Hospital: Innovative Education & Consumer Voices in Junior Doctor Education"
• support and help grow the research trajectory of the team led by Dr Thillainadesan at the Centre for Education and Research on Ageing (CERA), Concord Hospital, and contribute to advancing the program's long term research agenda
• manage, coordinate and serve as the primary point of contact for the dynamic consumer research advisory group, comprising older adults and community representatives recruited through NSW Health
• organise and lead consumer research advisory group meetings and research team meetings
• demonstrate strong experience in consumer engagement and co design, partnering closely with older adults and carers as co investigators across the research lifecycle
• implement study activities involving qualitative methodologies, co design workshops and other participatory research approaches tailored to ageing populations
• develop, maintain and extend collaborations with NSW Health clinicians, services, and senior stakeholders to support translational outcomes and shared priorities
• perform quantitative and qualitative data collection, coding, analysis and interpretation, and contribute to the production of high quality peer reviewed manuscripts and conference presentations
• contribute to competitive research grant applications, ethics submissions, governance processes and reporting requirements
• coordinate and manage project timelines, team, meetings, milestones, ethics and governance documentation, and administrative processes to ensure smooth delivery of research activities under the supervision of the team Head
• build and maintain a strong research profile through publications, conference participation and external engagement in ageing, geriatric care and medical education research
• supervise postgraduate research students, medicine and health students, doctors-in-training or research project components as appropriate, and provide informal mentoring to junior colleagues
• contribute to School, Faculty and Portfolio meetings, committees and governance initiatives
• support the strategic research agenda of the Faculty/School by contributing expertise in ageing research, medical education, consumer partnerships and NSW Health collaboration
• communicate research insights through engagement with industry partners, NSW Health forums, public events, conferences, seminars and professional networks
• ability to work both independently and as part of a team, taking initiative and exercising sound judgement in resolving matters that may arise as part of normal daily work
• undertake other duties appropriate to the role and classification level as required.

About you

• PhD in a relevant discipline, or towards completion of PhD
• experience conducting original research and engaging in scholarly activity in ageing, geriatric care, medical education or a closely related area
• excellent written, interpersonal and verbal communication skills including the ability to communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders including consumers, write research reports and presentation of research study findings
• strong experience working directly with older adults in research settings, including collaboration with both consumer participants and academic researchers
• demonstrated experience managing consumer research advisory groups, including serving as the primary point of contact for older adult members
• extensive experience in co design and participatory research approaches, particularly in projects involving older adults, carers and healthcare stakeholders
• strong research collaborations and stakeholder management experience with NSW Health, including evidence of productive partnerships and engagement with clinicians, services or senior leaders
• a developing research profile demonstrated through peer reviewed publications, conference presentations and contributions to grant and ethics submissions
• a developing network of academic, health sector and community stakeholders, with the ability to foster collaborative relationships
• project management experience, including coordinating research activities, meetings, presentations, timelines, ethics and governance processes, and multi stakeholder communication
• proficiency in a range of computer applications including Microsoft Office, medical electronic databases (e.g. Medline, PubMed), REDCap and research software (e.g. SAS, SPSS, EndNote, Nvivo)
• experience supervising, mentoring or supporting junior researchers or students.

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

Your employment is conditional upon the completion of all role required pre-employment or background checks in terms satisfactory to the University. 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.

As this position is located on an NSW Health site, it is a regulatory requirement to complete compulsory employment checks prior to starting in this position. For more information and instructions, please visit NSW Health employment requirements.

This position is designated as involving child-related work. To undertake or remain in this position, you are required to apply for and obtain a Working with Children Check clearance in accordance with the Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012.

EEO statement

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Applications Close

Sunday 22 November 2026 11:59 PM