Research Officer - Seaweed

Job Details

The Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre (CMERC) is seeking a highly motivated Research Officer to support applied marine research focused on seaweed ecology and ecophysiology. Located within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, CMERC hosts the world’s largest seagrass nursery and leads research in coastal habitat restoration, sustainable marine resources and ecosystem health.

This role will contribute to a pioneering coral aquaculture restoration project in partnership with Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC), focusing on how macroalgae influence coral health and restoration outcomes. You will support experimental design, data collection and analysis of algal–coral interactions, including thermal stress, competition and allelopathic effects on coral transplants.

You will also contribute to an interdisciplinary initiative developing a seaweed-based biorefinery to produce high-value bioproducts, including optimising extraction and purification protocols, characterising biopolymers and metabolites, and evaluating scalability to support circular economy outcomes. This includes ecological surveys, algal processing and close collaboration with CMERC researchers and project partners, using infrastructure such as aquaria systems and mesocosms to deliver high-quality data aligned to project milestones, particularly for seaweed–coral interactions and restoration under climate stress.

Requirements

Position Requirements

• Completion of a four-year tertiary qualification in Seaweed Biology/Ecology, Marine Biotechnology or Marine Biology, with relevant work experience; or an honours degree or higher; or an equivalent combination of qualifications and research experience.
• Demonstrated experience using R or Python for statistical modelling, data analysis and visualisation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including a record of publication in peer-reviewed journals.
• Proven ability to conduct high-quality investigative research, including research design, statistical analysis, data interpretation and preparation of research reports.
• Experience in the extraction and characterisation of seaweed or algal biomolecules, including polysaccharides or biopolymers (desirable).
• Completion of a PhD in Seaweed Biology/Ecology, Marine Biotechnology or Marine Biology (desirable).

Contact Information

Applications Close: 11:59pm, Sunday, 18 January 2026

For further information about this position, please refer to the Position Description.

Contact Details:
Manoj Kumar
0469 784 335
manoj.kumar@cqu.edu.au