Research Projects Officer - Insectary

Ventia; Geelong; On-site; AUD 100,000 - 113,000; Full time

Job summary

CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness invites applications for a Research Technician - Insectary. You will establish and maintain mosquito and other arthropod colonies, perform species identification and imaging, and apply molecular methods to support disease vector research.

You will work with scientists and students and help keep the insectary running safely in a regulated environment. You will contribute to vector biology research, manage data, and support experimental studies

Qualifications

• Experience in entomology, including arthropod handling and species identification.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for collaboration with colleagues and collaborators.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• High attention to detail and accurate record keeping.

Responsibilities

• Establishing, optimising and maintaining colonies of mosquitoes and other arthropods to support research and operational requirements.
• Conducting arthropod species identification, imaging, infection, dissection, molecular techniques and other specialised procedures.
• Contributing to the planning and delivery of research projects through experimental design, data collection, analysis and reporting.
• Maintaining a clean, organised and well‑stocked environment, ensuring equipment is maintained to a safe operational standard.
• Contributing to procurement, receipt and inventory management of Insectary consumables and biological materials.
• Maintaining accurate records and developing, reviewing and improving procedures, work instructions and other controlled documentation.

Skills

Entomology experience

Arthropod handling

Species identification

Data management

Independent work

Education

Science degree or equivalent

Tools

Molecular techniques

Job description

Role highlights

• Contribute to cutting-edge vector biology and vector control research at CSIRO’s ACDP
• Bring your entomology expertise to hands-on work with mosquito and other arthropod colonies
• Join a collaborative research environment supporting Australia’s disease preparedness capability

About CSIRO

As Australia's national science agency, CSIRO is solving the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. Many of our iconic innovations were once considered impossible until someone, just like you, joined us and took on the challenge.

Visit CSIRO.au for more information.

The opportunity

Join CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) as a Research Technician - Insectary and contribute to world class research that advances our understanding of disease vectors and their control.

In this hands‑on role, you’ll bring your entomology expertise to establish, maintain and characterise mosquito and other arthropod colonies, including species identification and scientific imaging. You’ll contribute to research on vector biology, vector competence and vector control, applying specialised techniques including arthropod infection and dissection and molecular methods. Working closely with scientists, technical staff and students, you will support experimental studies, collect and manage data and contribute to high quality research outcomes. You’ll also play an important role in the day-to-day operation of the ACDP Insectary. This includes routine laboratory activities, record keeping and other operational tasks essential to keeping the facility running safely and effectively within a highly regulated environment.

Working as part of a small team, you’ll need to be comfortable working independently for periods of time, balancing competing priorities and supporting broader operational activities when required. Your ability to organise competing tasks, maintain attention to detail and work consistently within strict quality, safety and compliance requirements will be important to your success.

Your high-level duties will include:

• Establishing, optimising and maintaining colonies of mosquitoes and other arthropods to support research and operational requirements.
• Conducting arthropod species identification, imaging, infection, dissection, molecular techniques and other specialised procedures.
• Contributing to the planning and delivery of research projects through experimental design, data collection, analysis and reporting.
• Maintaining a clean, organised and well‑stocked environment, ensuring equipment is maintained to a safe operational standard.
• Contributing to the procurement, receipt and inventory management of Insectary consumables and biological materials.
• Maintaining accurate records and developing, reviewing and improving procedures, work instructions and other controlled documentation in accordance with regulatory and quality standards.

Location and office arrangements:

Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Geelong, VIC

Salary:

AU$100k – AU$113k per annum (pro rata for part‑time), plus 15.4% superannuation

Reference: 104320

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

• A degree in science or related discipline and/or equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience in entomology, including arthropod handling, species identification.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with colleagues and collaborators.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage multiple competing priorities, reprioritise work as required, and meet deadlines.
• A high attention to detail, with demonstrated experience maintaining accurate records and documentation.
• The ability to meet the ‘Special ACDP requirements’ as listed in the position description.

For full details about this role, and other criteria, please review the Position Description.

Not sure if you meet all the criteria?

While it is CSIRO policy that the successful candidate must meet all the essential criteria, there are many ways to demonstrate this. Don’t let the list discourage you. If you are unsure about applying, please reach out to the contact person in the Position Description.

Setting you up for success

We are committed to providing a recruitment process that is fair, equitable and accessible to everyone. We recognise that it may be helpful for us to adjust our process to make it equitable for your individual situation. Please contact Cristina O’Brien via email at ***************@csiro.au and let us know how we can support you.

Life at CSIRO and flexible work arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. We can discuss flexible work arrangements with you during the recruitment process. CSIRO also offers a range of leave entitlements, benefits and career development opportunities. To find out more, visit Careers at CSIRO.

Inclusion and belonging

Solving Australia's greatest challenges takes a diversity of minds and lived experiences. We know diverse teams are more effective and deliver more innovative outcomes. As an equal employment opportunity organisation, we are committed to creating diverse and inclusive teams where people feel they belong. We recognise true diversity encompasses all ages, abilities, cultures, faiths, levels of education, genders, sexualities, diversity of thought and much more. We focus on hiring people who share our values of People First, Further Together, Making it Real and Trusted.

CSIRO holds Gold Status for the Australian Workplace Equality Index for LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and a Science in Australia Gender Equity Bronze Award.

Applications for this position are open to Australian Citizens. Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check, Negative Vetting Level 1 security check (to be arrange post-commencement) and the ability to meet the security and microbiological security requirements specific to ACDP. Please review the ‘Special Requirements’ section of the position description.

Child safety

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs. View our Child Safe Policy.