FaBA Research Fellow in Food Science Full-time

Research Fellow Position

Australia's Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) is a national, $160 million initiative accelerating innovation, sustainability and growth across the Australian food and beverage manufacturing sector. Hosted by The University of Queensland in partnership with QUT, UniSQ and UniQuest, FaBA connects industry with world-class research capability, next-generation talent and pilot-scale infrastructure.

We are seeking a highly motivated Research Fellow to join the FaBA / AGFS research team. This role offers a unique opportunity to work at the interface of applied research and industry translation, contributing to the development of next-generation food ingredients and products with enhanced nutritional functionality, improved processing performance and reduced allergenicity. You will work in a collaborative, inquisitive and industry-connected research environment, translating scientific discovery into real-world impact for Australia's food and beverage sector.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Research: Conduct high-quality, applied and industry-linked research in functional and nutritional foods, translating laboratory and pilot-scale outcomes into commercially relevant solutions and research outputs.
• Supervision and Researcher Development: Contribute to the supervision, mentoring and development of Honours and Higher Degree by Research students, supporting researcher performance, capability building and professional growth.
• Citizenship and Service: Demonstrate active academic citizenship through collaboration, service roles and partnership-building activities that align with UQ values and support the objectives of FaBA and the broader University.

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

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Completion of a PhD in Food Science, Biochemistry or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrated expertise in advanced analytical techniques including HPLC, UPLC, LC–MS/MS and HPAEC–PAD, applied to complex food and biological matrices.
• Experience in protein separation, characterisation and quantitative analysis, including Western blotting, ELISA and mass spectrometry-based proteomics (MRM, PMF).
• Hands-on experience in bacterial genetic engineering, including strain engineering and functional validation.
• A minimum of three years' experience in food product development, spanning benchtop formulation through pilot-scale evaluation and manufacturing scale-up.
• Evidence of successfully seeking, obtaining and managing external research funding.
• A growing record of supervision of Honours and Research Higher Degree students.
• Strong written and interpersonal communication skills, with a publication record commensurate with opportunity and the ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams.

Industry experience in a commercial R&D environment within the food, nutrition or ingredient sectors will be highly regarded.

As part of the UQ community, you will have the opportunity to work alongside some of the brightest minds from around the world, within a collaborative and ambitious environment where interdisciplinary research is encouraged. UQ is committed to creating change together, supporting research excellence through world-class facilities, grant writing support and meaningful industry engagement.

The benefits of joining UQ are broad and include being part of a Group of Eight university, recognition of prior service with other Australian universities, up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave, 17.5% annual leave loading, flexible working arrangements including hybrid options, access to exclusive internal-only opportunities, and genuine career progression through the academic promotions process.