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POSITION DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Lecturer in Bioprocess Engineering


Organisation Unit: School of Civil Engineering
Position Number: 3027343
Type of Employment: Full time, continuing
Classification: Academic Level B


BACKGROUND

Organisational Environment
The Federal Governments 2012 Excellence in Research for Australia exercise confirmed The
University of Queensland as one of the nations top three universities, measured by the quality of its
comprehensive range of specialised research fields. ERA reported that research at UQ is well above
world standard in more specialised fields than at any other Australian university: this reflects UQs
leading global role in many areas of discovery. UQs outstanding critical mass offers researchers
significant interdisciplinary capability.

UQ integrates its research strengths with excellent teaching and learning and has won more national
teaching awards than any other Australian university. International university rankings highlight UQs
excellence: Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Jiao Tong), Times Higher Education,
QS and National Taiwan University Ranking all rank UQ in the top 100. UQ is one of Australias Group
of Eight, and a founding member of Universitas 21, an international consortium of leading research-
intensive universities.

UQs 45,500-strong student community includes more than 10,000 postgraduate scholars and more
than 11,000 international students from 162 countries. The University has more than 7,000
academic and professional staff and a $1.6 billion annual operating budget. Its major campuses are
at St Lucia, Ipswich, Gatton and Herston, in addition to teaching and research sites around
Queensland and Brisbane city. The University has six faculties and eight institutes. The institutes
funded by government and industry grants, philanthropy and commercialisation activities have
built scale and focus in research areas that UQ regards as strategically important.

The School of Civil of Engineering

The School of Civil Engineering has a long and proud record of academic achievement and
involvement with the profession and industry and is among the leaders in civil engineering education
and research in Australia and has world standing in several research areas. Its mission is to provide a
cohesive learning environment enabling quality education, leadership with a desire to meet
technological challenges and an ability to work with a wide range of people.

The School currently employs 28 academic staff who contribute to its teaching and research
programs, and staff numbers are growing rapidly. The Schools total annual income is over $28M.

The School contributes to teaching in the Bachelor of Engineering (BE) with over 900 students
enrolled in years 2, 3 and 4 of the BE in the fields of Civil Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering and
Environmental Engineering. There are also over 80 students enrolled in research higher degrees.
The School has extensive laboratory facilities located along with the staff in the new Advanced
Engineering Building (AEB) at UQs St Lucia Campus, covering structures, hydraulics, geomechanics,
concrete and environmental engineering which are used for teaching, research and commercial
testing.

The Centre for Solid Waste Bioprocessing

The Centre is a joint initiative between Remondis and UQ and its goal is to become an internationally
leading research Centre in solid waste management, particularly in organic waste degradation and
bioconversion processes. A description of the current personnel and facilities in the Centre can be
found at www.cswb.uq.edu.au.

The facilities include a dedicated research laboratory in the AEB. The laboratory has been
specifically designed for organic waste bio-processing with the following features:
Walk-in freezer, to accommodate large representative waste samples
Walk-in refrigerator, to similarly accommodate large samples
Constant temperature room
PC2 standard laboratory with rigorous risk management practices, including H
2
S, flammable
gas sensors and alarms.
Reticulated gases to the laboratory including H
2
, argon, N
2
and CH
4
for analyses and
experimentation
Fume cupboards, laminar flow hoods and a 4m x 1.2m fume hood for large scale aerobic
experiments
4 x 200L temperature controlled reactors with online high precision measurement of CO
2
,
CH
4
and O
2
fluxes in and out of the reactors, for operation in either anaerobic or aerobic
modes.
Gas chromatography faciilties for analysing CH
4
, CO
2
, H
2
and O
2
from the % to the ppm
range.
Further information and details of the research interests of academic staff may be accessed on the
schools web site at http://www.civil.uq.edu.au


For further information, please contact Professor Bill Clarke on +61 7 3365 6464 or
william.clarke@uq.edu.au

Information for Prospective Staff
Information can be found at https://www.uq.edu.au/uqjobs.

Schedule 10 of The University of Queensland Enterprise Agreement 2010 2013 outlines the
position classification standards for Levels A to E.






DUTY STATEMENT

Primary Purpose of Position
The successful applicant will have an emerging track record in the field of Bioprocess Engineering,
either related to the production of commodities including methane, transport fuels and H
2
from 2
nd

generation feedstocks including municipal waste, or related to environmental bioremediation
applications. The appointee will be encouraged to establish their own vibrant research program,
supported by the Centre, competitive funding rounds and other industry sources. They will
contribute to the expansion of organic resource engineering activities within the School of Civil
Engineering and enhance links with industry. They will work closely and collegiality with other
academic staff and develop synergies with allied disciplines at UQ, particularly through links with the
School of Chemical Engineering, the Advanced Water Management Centre. The appointee will also
teach into the Civil Engineering teaching programs and to facilitate growth, innovation and
enterprise within the academic unit.

Duties
Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Research
Grow the Centre by grants and consulting
Promote the profile of the Centre through publications, professional development courses in
applied areas such as solid waste management and bioengineering and participate on
professional committees such as waste management industry bodies and journal editorial
boards.
Recruit and supervise Doctoral research students
Publish research outcomes in high quality, high impact journals and conferences

Teaching
Teach into the undergraduate Civil and Environmental Engineering program at UQ, including
participation in courses such as
Wastewater and solid waste management
Environmental Modelling
Sustainable Built Environment
Groundwater and surface water modelling

Service
Foster the Schools relationships with industry, government departments, professional
bodies and the wider community.
Provide professional engineering consulting and services.

Administration
Perform a range of administrative functions in the School
Contribute to the processes that enable the academic team to manage the work of the
School, including participate in School decision-making and serve on School committees
Comply with the Universitys Code of Conduct (see the Universitys web site at
http://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/1.50.01-code-conduct)
Adopt sustainable practices in all work activities and comply with associated legislation and
related sustainability responsibilities and procedures developed by the University (see the
Universitys web site at http://www.uq.edu.au/sustainability/responsibilities

Occupational Health and Safety
Comply with requirements of Queensland occupational health and safety (OH&S) legislation
and related OH&S responsibilities and procedures developed by the University or School.
(see the Universitys web site at http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/index.html?page=133956)

Reporting Relationships
The position reports to the head of School.


SELECTION CRITERIA

Qualifications
Essential
PhD in Chemical, Environmental, Bioreaction or Civil Engineering with relevant experience.

Knowledge and Skills
Essential
Demonstrated expert knowledge in an aspect of bioprocess engineering, such as
o bioreactor operation and control
o the use of bio-electrochemical systems for producing desired products
o meta-genomic analysis of fermentation or digestion systems
o environmental bioremediation
o biofuel production.
Desirable
Demonstrated modelling ability. This could include:
o kinetic, mass balance models for bioprocessing systems
o the use of metabolic flux analysis together with empirical models to predict the
composition of fermentation products from mixed cultures
o incorporation of physicochemical effects in systems limited by mass transfer, such as
biofilms.
Demonstrated use of phylogenetic and metabolite analyses to infer the function of mixed
microbial cultures.

Experience
Essential
Evidence of effective research contributions, through publications in international peer
reviewed journals and conference proceedings.
Evidence of leadership in research, including
o Supervision of either undergraduate or postgraduate students.
o Evidence of an ability and willingness to pursue research opportunities, including
attempts to obtain research funding.
Evidence of developing research collaborations

Desirable
Demonstrated teaching skills, in the preparation and delivery of tutorials or lectures in
undergraduate, postgraduate or short course classes.


Personal Qualities
Essential
A high level of drive and enthusiasm.
Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and research students,
including those from different disciplines, as well as with administrative and technical staff.
Demonstrated high-level interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to promote the Schools activities within the University and the external community.
Seminar
Applicants invited for interview will be expected to present a seminar in conjunction with the
selection interview process.

The University of Queensland is an equal opportunity employer.

Smoking is prohibited in all University buildings.

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