School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability
Full-time, fixed-term position through to May ****.
Base salary will be in the range $85,452 - $94,984 + 17% super (HEW Level 5). Based at our St Lucia Campus.
About This Opportunity
Join a purposeful, collaborative research workplace supporting Australia's Food and Beverage Accelerator, a nationally significant initiative hosted by The University of Queensland. As Senior Research Assistant, you will provide technical and laboratory support for an industry-linked project focused on next-generation food ingredients and products with enhanced nutritional functionality, improved processing performance, and reduced allergenicity. Working alongside multidisciplinary colleagues across food science, immunology, and commercial translation, you will contribute practical expertise that helps turn research insight into industry-ready outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
Conduct and support laboratory experiments across compositional and amino acid profiling, in vitro gastrointestinal digestion studies, protein digestibility assays, and allergen release kinetics assessments.
Perform thermal denaturation and processing experiments, including differential scanning calorimetry, turbidity and dynamic light scattering measurements, and industry-relevant thermal treatments.
Benchmark techno-functional performance across foaming, gelation, emulsification, and baking applications, including stability and shelf-life studies for liquid, frozen, and powdered ingredient formats.
Assist with research study design, technical troubleshooting, equipment upkeep, research documentation, literature reviews, reporting, and routine team administration.
About You
Completion of a degree level qualification in Food Science, Food Technology, Biochemistry, or a related discipline, or completion of a Diploma with relevant work experience, or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and education or training in food protein or allergen research.
Demonstrated experience in food protein characterisation, thermal processing of egg or dairy products, or allergenicity assessment methodologies such as ELISA, immunoblot, or in vitro digestion models.
Strong practical research skills in analytical techniques relevant to the project, such as differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic light scattering, texture analysis, LC-MS/MS sample preparation, or food rheology measurements.
Ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team spanning food science, immunology, and commercial translation.
Capability to manage routine laboratory procedures independently with a methodical, organised, and self-motivated approach.
Confidence troubleshooting scientific or technical equipment and contributing to safe,



effective laboratory operations.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to assist with reports, figures, presentations, and research documentation.
Experience in industry-based research and development, particularly within the food or ingredient sector, would be considered favourably.
About UQ
As part of the UQ community, you'll have the opportunity to work alongside the brightest minds, who have joined us from all over the world, working together to create a better world. Join a community where excellence is at the core of our culture, contributions are valued and a range of benefits and rewards are available. This role connects with UQ's industry-facing food innovation ecosystem. In ****, UQ News highlighted how FaBA researchers developed a texture toolkit to help food manufacturers improve product texture and consumer appeal, reflecting the applied, practical impact this team is helping to build. Read more about FaBA's texture toolkit.
Enjoy up to 26 weeks paid parental and primary care leave, 17% super, 17.5% leave loading, flexible and hybrid working options, health and wellbeing programs, a heavily discounted Study for Staff program, on-campus childcare, affordable parking, and salary packaging.
Other Information
Pre-employment checks may include verification of the right to work in Australia. 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.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
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 criteria but can demonstrate their potential relative to opportunity.
We're also happy to support any accessibility needs throughout the recruitment process.
UQ values equity, diversity and inclusion and seeks to reflect the broader community by attracting and retaining high-quality staff from a range of backgrounds.
Our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion aims to ensure that everyone at UQ feels valued and empowered to achieve their full potential.




We are particularly interested to hear from people who bring diversity to UQ – whether that be gender identity, LGBTQIA+, cultural and/or linguistic, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, or people with a disability.
Applications
Applications close 16 AEST (R-*****).
Community Acknowledgement
The University of Queensland (UQ) acknowledges the Traditional Owners and their custodianship of the lands on which UQ is situated. We pay our respects to their Ancestors and their descendants, who continue cultural and spiritual connections to Country.
UQ Overview
At the University of Queensland, we are proud to be one of Australia's leading research and teaching institutions, consistently ranking among the top 50 universities worldwide. As a member of the prestigious Group of Eight (Go8) universities, UQ is widely recognised for its intensive focus on research and teaching excellence – evidenced by our numerous accolades including more teaching awards than any other Australian University and reflected in UQ being the number one recipient of ARC Fellowships and Awards nationally across all scheme years (totalling 452 awards worth $339 million). Our state-of-the-art facilities, libraries, and cutting‐edge research centres offer unparalleled opportunities for academic and professional growth. With five faculties, a number of globally recognised research institutes, and over 100 research centres, we attract an interdisciplinary community of more than **** staff, supporting more than 55,000 current students from over 137 countries.
UQ is dedicated to supporting the career aspirations of our students and staff. Our comprehensive career services provide personalized guidance, skills development, and networking opportunities to help you achieve your professional goals. Whether you are a student seeking internships and job placements or a staff member looking for career advancement, UQ is here to support you every step of the way.
UQ values equity, diversity and inclusion and seeks to reflect the broader community by attracting and retaining high‐quality staff from a range of backgrounds.
Whether you are a recent graduate, an Academic, or an experienced professional, UQ offers a wide range of opportunities to help you grow and succeed. Explore our current job openings, discover our programs, and become part of a community that is dedicated to creating lasting, meaningful impact for the communities in which we live and work. For more information about working at UQ and our employee benefits (such as generous leave provisions, 17% superannuation, flexible working arrangements, and health and wellness discounts) please visit Why Work at UQ.
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