Research Officer (Junior Postdoctoral)

About Us

St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research (SVI) is located on the campus of St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, is affiliated with The University of Melbourne, and operates proudly in one of the world's most dynamic biomedical hubs.

For more than 60 years, scientists at SVI have been inspired by discovery and driven by purpose. Our team of 250 staff and students work collaboratively to tackle some of the most critical health challenges facing society today, including cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease and dementia. We celebrate fundamental biological discovery and practical application alike because both are required to improve the treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of disease. There are no breakthroughs, no new wonder drugs, no big leaps forward, without new understanding.

The Cardiometabolic Disease Laboratory

The Cardiometabolic Disease Lab uses human iPSC-derived multicellular cardiac microtissues (combining cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and cardiac fibroblasts) and kidney organoids to investigate the mechanisms of cardiovascular disease, spanning Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) cardiomyopathy, diabetic cardiomyopathy and cardiorenal syndrome.

The Role

The Cardiometabolic Disease Laboratory are recruiting a motivated Research Officer (Junior Postdoctoral) to join the team on a full time, fixed term basis (1-2 years).

This is an exciting opportunity for an early-career researcher, ideally someone who has recently completed or submitted their PhD, to develop their postdoctoral research experience within a collaborative biomedical research environment.

The primary focus of the role will be to investigate lipid dysregulation in FRDA cardiomyopathy, using lipidomics profiling of iPSC-derived cardiac microtissues to better understand disease mechanisms and evaluate potential therapeutic strategies. The successful candidate will also lead the establishment of a cardiorenal syndrome model, including the differentiation of iPSC-derived kidney organoids and investigation of their functional interactions with cardiac microtissues under various disease stimuli.

Please refer to the attached Position Description for a full description of the key responsibilities.

Who we are seeking

The ideal candidate for the role will have:

• A PhD in a relevant biomedical discipline, either recently completed or submitted within approximately the last 12 months.
• Demonstrated data analysis and data management skills.
• Strong laboratory record-keeping skills, with a commitment to research integrity, reproducibility, and accurate documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to primarily troubleshoot independently, but also to seek advice when necessary.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, with the ability to handle multiple tasks and competing priorities.

Experience in one or more of the following areas will be highly regarded:

• Human iPSC culture and directed differentiation would be advantageous, ideally involving cardiac and/or renal lineages.
• Generating and working with 2D and 3D tissue models.
• Live-cell assays and fluorescence imaging.
• Lipidomic sample preparation and/or data interpretation.
• In vivo mouse model research.

To be considered for the role, you must have appropriate rights in Australia to work full-time for the duration of the appointment. The successful candidate will also be required to undergo a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check prior to commencement.

Salary: $98,381-$105,506 per annum (full-time) plus 12% superannuation. Salary applied will be dependent upon successful candidates' current level, experience and qualifications). In addition to your base salary, we offer up to $15,900 FBT exempt salary packaging and up to $2,650 FBT exempt meals and entertainment packaging.

To apply: Applications must be made through Seek or our recruitment portal (Myrecruit). Please ensure you include the below requested documents:

1. A current CV.
2. A cover letter addressed to Dr Jarmon Lees addressing:

• Why you are interested in this position.
• How your previous research training and experience aligns with the role.
• Your alignment with each bullet point under 'Who we are seeking'.
• Any additional experience or expertise you would bring to the position.

Applications Close end of day 19th October 2026; however, applications will be considered as they arrive, and the position may be filled ahead of the closing date