Garvan Institute of Medical Research brings together world leading scientists and clinicians, collaborating locally and globally, to advance our understanding of disease, particularly cancer, autoimmunity and genetic disorders. Garvan is a global leader in fundamental biomedical research and its translation. Our mission is to make discoveries that will improve health for all.
To support this vision, the Garvan Institute has established strategic programs which bring together research expertise and cutting-edge technologies from across Garvan, along with clinical, industry and consumer partners. The Cancer Plasticity and Dormancy Program, led by A/Prof Christine Chaffer and Prof Peter Croucher, is one of seven strategic programs at the Garvan Institute.
The Cancer Plasticity and Dormancy Program is focused on discovering the fundamental control mechanisms that regulate cancer cell dormancy and cancer relapse. Our goal is to develop tools to predict relapse and develop new treatments to stop relapse before it occurs. There is a focus on understanding relapse in cancers that spread to the skeleton including, multiple myeloma, breast and prostate cancer. The program has recently established the AllClear program, supported by a major collaborative research accelerator grant from the National Breast Cancer Foundation, to tackle cancer relapse in breast cancer. This is a major national and international collaborative program and flagship activity for the program.
The Research Assistant provides essential technical and operational support to a research laboratory or group. The primary purpose of this role is to enable and facilitate high-quality medical research while optimising productivity through technical expertise and efficient resource management. Appointees typically hold a Bachelor’s Degree or a Master’s Degree and work with an increasing sense of direction and autonomy as they gain experience.
Research Assistants are appointed on a salary scale depending on level of experience, performance and requirements of the role required within the lab/group. For further information, refer to Garvan’s Research Assistant & Senior Research Assistant Criteria.
Salary: Up to $80,000 (depending on experience) + 14% super + salary packaging
Employment Type: 2 year fixed-term contract with possibility to extend
Depending on level of experience and requirements of the role, a Research Assistant is typically expected to:
Data integrity: Ensure all research data is accurate, high-quality, and conforms to good scientific practice, ensuring it is accessible to other researchers as required.
Mentorship & Training: Train students, postdocs, and peers on data collection, specialised instruments, and laboratory safety protocols.
Operational Management: Manage the group’s daily operations, including the coordination of consumables, samples, and equipment maintenance.
Health & Safety and Risk Management
Comply with Garvan’s workplace polices (as amended from time to time) and especially Garvan’s Work Health & Safety (WHS) Policy, including working in accordance with the WHS management system at all times, as safety is Garvan’s number one priority.
Proactively identify, assess, and report operational, financial, and safety risks associated with the duties of this role. The incumbent is required to adhere to the organisation’s Risk Management Framework, ensure all activities are conducted in accordance with established policies and procedures, and contribute to a culture of continuous improvement by suggesting mitigation strategies for identified hazards or inefficiencies.
The key skills and experience include:
Garvan Institute of Medical Research is an independent Medical Research Institute (MRI) in Sydney, delivering scientific and clinical impact on a global basis and in partnership with organisations that share our vision. We are proud to be one of Australia’s largest and most highly regarded MRI’s.
Our vision is global leadership in discoveries to impact and our enduring purpose is to impact human health, by harnessing information encoded in our genome.
We seek to see our world-class discovery research achieve life-changing impacts, not only for individual patients with rare diseases, but for the many thousands affected by complex, common disease.
Garvan promotes a diverse workplace and is committed to the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. We are always looking for culture ‘add’, not culture ‘fit’ and are building diverse teams with great sets of complementary styles and skills to help deliver our important work effectively.
To apply for this position, please submit your application with a CV and cover letter as one document, stating why you are interested in this role. We are reviewing applications as they are received. If you think you’re the right person for this role, we’d love to hear how your capabilities, achievements and experience set you apart. Only applicants with full working rights in Australia are eligible to apply for this role.
