Ref 1741/24 Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Managed Pollination of Almonds, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment

Western Sydney University

  • Almonds, VIC
  • $106,765-128,989 per year
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 13 days ago
  • Western Sydney University Internal Applicants Only
  • Full-time, fixed-term position for 18 months | Based at Westerns Hawkesbury Campus
  • Remuneration: $106,765 to $128,989 p.a Inclusive of Super + Leave Loading
Western Sydney University Internal Applicants Only.
To be eligible to apply for this position you must be employed by Western Sydney University on an ongoing, fixed term or casual basis at the time of this advertisement.In accordance with section 45.4 of the Academic Staff Agreement 2022, Casual academic staff are eligible to apply for appointment if they have been employed at Western Sydney University as a casual employee for at least two teaching sessions in the last 24 months.About the Role
The Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE) are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Managed Pollination of Almonds to join the dynamic HIE Pollination Research Team that focuses on insect pollinators and horticultural crop pollination.The successful candidate will conduct research on the diet and health of managed honeybees while being used for pollination services on almond orchards and assessing the dependence of new “self-fertile” almond varieties on pollen movement by honeybees. Almond production is a major and expanding horticultural industry in Australia and is heavily dependent on honeybees. This research will improve understanding of how to manage honey bee health on almond orchards and whether new self-fertile cultivars have a reduced need for honeybees.The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will undertake analysis of samples and data from previous field work on almond orchards and conduct new field experiments. This will involve:
  • Analysis of pollen samples collected from bee hives during previous almond flowering seasons to characterise the non-crop floral resources used by the on-farm hives. This will involve microscopy, quantifying pollen colour diversity and DNA metabarcoding.
  • Design and execution of field experiments on almond orchards to measure the extent to which new self-fertile almond cultivars benefit from pollen movement within and between flowers by honeybees.
The data generated will reveal to what extent honeybees use extra (non-crop) floral plantings and flowering weeds in their diets while positioned on almond farms for crop pollination services. In addition, the results will inform decisions on honeybee stocking rates for orchard blocks with self-fertile almond cultivars. The project involves collaboration with key almond growers and beekeepers using our established industry links.The Fellow will communicate findings at scientific meetings and publish research in high-impact international journals, as well as provide research updates for funders and industry stakeholders. A career mentoring plan will be developed and will include opportunities to contribute to teaching and supervising students, as well as leadership and engagement.This is a full-time, fixed-term position for 18 months, predominantly based at the Hawkesbury Campus of WSU in Richmond. Some field work will take place in almond cropping regions in New South Wales and/or Victoria, involving driving a motor car.For information about The Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, please visit our webpage .If this sounds like an opportunity for you, we want to hear from you! Apply now ensuring you carefully address each of the selection criteria in your application.Remuneration Package: Academic Level A $106,765 to $128,989 p.a. (comprising Salary of $90,218 to $108,997 p.a., plus Superannuation and Leave Loading)Position Enquiries: Please direct enquires about the role to Professor James Cook via email atRecruitment Enquiries: Specific enquiries or issues with your application may be directed to the Recruitment Team atClosing Date: 8:30pm, Sunday 21 April 2024Working Rights in Australia - Eligibility
You must provide evidence of your full-time working rights in Australia for the full term of the appointment at time of application.Please note, only those applications submitted via the WSU online recruitment system will be accepted.

Western Sydney University