Research Fellow: Fire Politics & Climate Adaptation

University of Melbourne; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 87,000 - 118,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

17% superannuation

Salary packaging

Health and wellbeing programs

Professional development opportunities

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

University of Melbourne invites a Research Fellow to lead ethnographic research on fire politics and climate adaptation in the Philippines and Timor-Leste, engaging Indigenous communities and rural stakeholders. The role offers part-time 0.8FTE, fixed-term for 12 months, with mentorship within a collaborative, interdisciplinary team.

You will develop publications and proposals, contribute to fieldwork, and help build international partnerships in Southeast Asia while advancing critical human

Qualifications

• Hold, or be near completing, a PhD in human geography, anthropology, development studies or related fields.
• Apply advanced ethnographic methods and political ecology frameworks to analyse fire and climate adaptation in Southeast Asia.
• Demonstrate respect for Indigenous knowledge systems and communities, with strong communication skills in English.

Responsibilities

• Conduct high-quality ethnographic research on fire politics, livelihoods and climate change adaptation in Southeast Asia.
• Produce scholarly publications, reports and presentations advancing political ecology and agrarian studies in the region.
• Contribute to collaborative research proposals, seminars and conferences, enhancing the School’s profile in critical human geography.
• Support supervision and mentoring of students and junior researchers involved in related projects and fieldwork.
• Engage respectfully with Indigenous communities, NGOs and stakeholders to build equitable, long‑term research partnerships.

Skills

Ethnographic methods

Political ecology frameworks

English communication

Education

PhD near completion in human geography/anthropology/development studies or related fields

Job description

University of Melbourne invites a Research Fellow to lead ethnographic research on fire politics and climate adaptation in the Philippines and Timor-Leste, engaging Indigenous communities and rural stakeholders. The role offers part-time 0.8FTE, fixed-term for 12 months, with mentorship within a collaborative, interdisciplinary team.

You will develop publications and proposals, contribute to fieldwork, and help build international partnerships in Southeast Asia while advancing critical human