• Full time/Part-time 12 month fixed term (with a possible extension), located at the Brain and Mind Centre at the world leading School of Psychology, University of Sydney a top-ranked university
• Opportunity to make valuable contributions to research in the prevention of gambling harms with unique connections across stakeholders
• Base Salary Level A $97,043p.a. - $107,516 p.a. pro-rata + 17% superannuation plus the opportunity to maximise your earnings with salary packaging available
• Work for an employer committed to equity and providing a flexible workplace, including the opportunity to work from home and access a broad range of employee support and wellbeing programs, professional development and mentoring

About the opportunity

We are seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Associate to undertake/deliver research to understand problematic gambling behaviours and inform policy and practices to reduce harms related to gambling. The successful candidate will work with a team under the supervision of Professor Sally Gainsbury and be based within the The Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic in the School of Psychology and Brain and Mind Centre.

The nexus of clinical practice and research provides an opportunity to be involved in research to design and evaluate programs and develop innovative prevention and harm-minimisation practices and interventions. The role will include the opportunity to contrinute to supervision of Honours and postgraduate students and to develop an independent line of research as well as to apply for research grants and fellowships.

The research will be highly applied and include co-design and open science principles. The successful candidate will have opportunities to access real-world research methods including in-situ trials, working with large data sets, and community as well as clinical populations.

Your key responsibilities will be to:

• participate in a research programme investigating problematic gambling behaviours and ways to reduce and prevent gambling harms
• contribute to research excellence in psychology and related fields to inform the conceptual understanding and practices related to mental health, addiction, risky decision making, and harm prevention
• develop research collaborations leading to commercialisation, improved policy or practice
• assist with grant writing and publishing original work
• contribute to successful applications for competitive research grants and/ or funding to deliver research impact
• develop profile through conferences and seminars
• enhance relationships with outputs such as research and development, commercialisation, improved practices, and policy development.

The School of Psychology was the first established Psychology department in Australia and is currently one of the largest and has a proud history of excellence that characterises all its research and educational activities. Sustained increases in research funding and strong enrolments have facilitated a rapid growth in our staffing and research profile.

The research will be conducted within the Brain and Mind Centre and Technology Addiction Team. The Brain and Mind Centre is a global leader in research and treatment with a strong focus on multidisciplinary collaboration. All researchers in the Brain and Mind Centre enjoy a supportive and rigorous environment. The Brain and Mind Centre provides the physical infrastructure, state of the art technology, the collegial environment, and support required to facilitate opportunities for complex and innovative research programs. The Brain and Mind Centre has a strong focus on capacity building with its Early-Career Research Development Initiative that aims to create professional development schemes for ECRs, increase networking and multidisciplinary research connectivity opportunities, and develop the next generation of Brain and Mind research leaders. Regularly training workshops are held on topics to support career progression, such as leadership and management, project management and work prioritisation, stakeholder management, influencing, negotiation and facilitation skills. The BMC has a dedicated EMCR committee to ensure that the needs of ECRs are represented and met with support as far as possible.

The University of Sydney Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic (GTRC) https://www.sydney.edu.au/brain-mind/our-clinics/gambling-treatment-clinic.html is Australia's only university-affiliated gambling treatment and research clinic (and one of a handful worldwide) bringing together the nexus of clinical and research excellence in the prevention and treatment of gambling disorders. The GTRC has been providing clinical services to individuals and their families impacted by gambling harm since 1999. In 2021, the GTRC underwent a large expansion with $26M of funding to become the only service in the state of New South Wales to oversee gambling treatment across multiple local health districts. The GTRC now is responsible for all gambling treatment and support across three of the busiest local health districts in the state. The GTRC is recognised as a world-leading research centre in terms of conducting research to inform the development and implementation of gambling harm minimisation practices. Our researchers work with government, industry, treatment, and community stakeholders to evaluate interventions and conduct research to understand how gambling harms develop and how to encourage appropriate engagement with responsible gambling prevention practices and treatment interventions.

About you

The University values courage and creativity; openness and engagement; inclusion and diversity; and respect and integrity. As such, we see the importance of recruiting talent aligned to these values and are looking for a Postdoctoral Research Associate who has:

• a PhD (or near completion) in psychology, behavioural or social sciences, public health, or a related field in the areas of mental health, addictions, risky decision making, and harm prevention from a psychology (or similar) discipline
• demonstrated evidence of independent research ability including developing research questions, completing high level literature reviews, obtaining ethics approval, methodological research planning and design, and interpretation of research results
• high level and varied statistical abilities, ideally including experience working with large data sets and ability to perform a range of relevant bivariate and multivariate analysis techniques (e.g., ANCOVAs, chi-square analysis, multiple linear regression, cluster analysis, structural equation modelling)
• demonstrated evidence of translation and dissemination of research findings ideally including substantinal contribution to writing and publishing manuscripts in peer-review academic journals
• experience in planning and organisation including research record keeping, project management and time-management
• demonstrated excellence in written and oral communications skills, including presentations and interacting with a variety of researchers and stakeholders.
• success in applying for external research funding is desirable
• the ability to supervise students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and coordinate team activities.

To keep our community safe, please be aware of our COVID safety precautions which form our conditions of entry for all staff, students and visitors coming to campus.

Sponsorship / work rights for Australia

Please note: Visa sponsorship is not available for the part-time position.

Pre-employment checks

Your employment is conditional upon the completion of all role required pre-employment or background checks in terms satisfactory to the University. Similarly, your ongoing employment is conditional upon the satisfactory maintenance of all relevant clearances and background check requirements. If you do not meet these conditions, the University may take any necessary step, including the termination of your employment.

EEO statement

At the University of Sydney, our shared values include diversity and inclusion and we strive to be a place where everyone can thrive. We are committed to creating a University community which reflects the wider community that we serve. We deliver on this commitment through our people and culture programs, as well as key strategies to increase participation and support the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people living with a disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and those who identify as LGBTIQ. We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds.

How to apply

Applications (including a cover letter, CV, and any additional supporting documentation) can be submitted via the Apply button at the top of the page.

For employees of the University or contingent workers, please login into your Workday account and navigate to the Career icon on your Dashboard. Click on USYD Find Jobs and apply.

For a confidential discussion about the role, or if you require reasonable adjustment or any documents in alternate formats, please contact Helen Efstathiou, Recruitment Consultant. Recruitment Operations, Human Resources on +61 2 8627 7137 or by email recruitment.sea@sydney.edu.au

Copyright

The University of Sydney

The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.

Click to view the Position Description for this role.

Applications Close

Thursday 23 March 2023 11:59 PM