Research Fellow – Indigenous Oral Health

University of Queensland; Brisbane; On-site; AUD 119,000 - 142,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

26 weeks paid parental leave

17.5% annual leave loading

Flexible working arrangements

Exclusive internal vacancies

Career progression opportunities

Job summary

University of Queensland is seeking a part-time (40%), fixed-term researcher for up to 2 years in the School of Dentistry at the Herston campus. This role focuses on Indigenous oral health research through the Deadly Dental Home Project.

You will contribute to design, data collection, analysis, governance and dissemination, supervise students, and foster partnerships with communities and health service partners in a culturally safe environment.

Qualifications

• Completion of a PhD in dental public health or health services research.
• A growing research profile with high-quality scholarly contributions.
• Experience in mixed-methods health services research including qualitative, quantitative and implementation approaches.
• Demonstrated capability in qualitative data analysis with established methods such as thematic analysis.
• Record of publications and presentations at academic conferences.
• Experience in securing external research funding.
• Ability to plan and coordinate research activities including ethics documentation and dissemination.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in culturally safe ways.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of the Deadly Dental Home Project, including mixed-methods research and implementation.
• Navigate governance, data sharing and ethics in collaboration with communities and partners.
• Supervise Honours and HDR students and support researcher development.
• Demonstrate UQ values through mentoring and partnerships with communities and stakeholders.

Skills

Mixed-methods research

Qualitative data analysis

Academic collaboration

Excellent communication

Education

PhD in dental public health or health services research

Job description

• School of Dentistry
• Part-time (40%), fixed-term position for up to 2 years
• Base salary will be in the range $119,463 – $141,545 + 17% super (Academic Level B)
• Based at our Herston campus

About This Opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a collaborative and impactful program of Indigenous oral health research through the Deadly Dental Home Project. Working alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, health service partners and multidisciplinary researchers, you will use mixed-methods, co-design and implementation research to generate evidence that informs policy, strengthens services and improves oral health outcomes. You will join a purposeful and inclusive research environment where community partnerships, culturally safe practice and meaningful translation are central to creating change together.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Research: Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of the Deadly Dental Home Project, including qualitative, quantitative and implementation research, data collection and analysis, co-design workshops, stakeholder engagement, reporting, publication and the translation of findings into practical recommendations.
• Research governance and partnerships: Navigate data governance, data access and data-sharing processes in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, health services, organisational partners and researchers, ensuring compliance with ethical, legal and culturally safe research practices.
• Supervision and Researcher Development: Supervise Honours and Higher Degree by Research students, support the development of researcher capability and skills, and facilitate meaningful engagement opportunities for supervisees.
• Citizenship and Service: Demonstrate UQ values through mentoring, collaboration and active participation in unit priorities, while developing partnerships with communities, government, industry, professional bodies and the wider community.

This is a research focused position. Further information can be found by viewing UQ’s Criteria for Academic Performance.

About You

• Completion of a PhD in dental public health or health services research.
• A growing research profile in a relevant discipline area, supported by high-quality scholarly contributions.
• Experience in mixed-methods health services research, including qualitative, quantitative and implementation research approaches.
• Demonstrated capability in qualitative data analysis, with experience using established methods such as thematic analysis.
• A developing record of publications in reputable peer-reviewed journals and presentations at academic or professional conferences.
• Evidence of successfully seeking, obtaining and managing external research funding.
• Demonstrated ability to plan and coordinate research activities, including data collection, ethics documentation, evaluation, reporting and dissemination.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work respectfully and effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, organisations and stakeholders in culturally safe ways.

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.

UQ research is helping demonstrate how population-level approaches can reduce inequalities in children’s oral health. https://news.uq.edu.au/2025-07-fluoride-has-greater-benefits-vulnerable-children.

The greater benefits of joining the UQ 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, access to exclusive internal-only vacancies, and genuine career progression opportunities via the academic promotions process.

• 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
• access to exclusive internal-only vacancies
• and genuine career progression opportunities via the academic promotions process

Other Information

Pre-employment checks may include verification of the right to work in Australia and qualifications. 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’re dedicated to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We recognise that career pathways and opportunities differ, and encourage applications from candidates who may not meet every criterion but can demonstrate their potential relative to opportunity. We’re also happy to support any accessibility needs throughout the recruitment process. Just let us know how we can help by emailing [e-mail] or calling [phone].

Applications close Thursday 5th November at 11.00pm AEST (R-70102).