Research Technician in Canberra

CSIRO acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land, sea and waters, of the area that we live and work on across Australia. We acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

Role highlights

• Put your plant tissue culture skills to work in hands‑on research.
• Help develop gene editing tools to improve commercial crops.
• Join CSIRO’s Plant Trait Innovation team in Canberra.

About CSIRO

As Australia's national science agency, CSIRO is solving the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. Many of our iconic innovations were once considered impossible until someone, just like you, joined us and took on the challenge.

As a Research Technician at CSIRO, you’ll work alongside research staff to plan and carry out experiments, observations and technology development activities, providing hands‑on support for scientific research. Joining the Plant Trait Innovation team, you’ll help develop gene editing and cell delivery methods for a range of commercial crop species, with opportunities to contribute to other strategic research areas.

Your high-level duties will include:

• Contribute to plant tissue culture and innovative gene editing research that advances germplasm improvement, championing high-quality research, inclusive teamwork and creative thinking.
• Prepare tissue culture media, establish and maintain plant cell cultures, conduct gene editing experiments, and regenerate and propagate plants.
• Design and conduct experiments and laboratory analyses under limited supervision, adapting techniques and developing new processes to meet research needs.
• Conduct literature reviews, field and laboratory investigations and inspections, and analyse findings using statistical or graphics software as required.
• Collaborate across teams and projects, balancing multiple tasks and competing priorities.
• Plan ahead and use your judgement to schedule activities within agreed team plans, meeting experimental and project requirements.
• Independently test potential solutions to resolve research and technical problems.
• Maintain accurate electronic notebook records of all experimental procedures and results to support research decisions, publications and intellectual property protection.
• Support day-to-day laboratory, glasshouse and field maintenance, including preparing solutions and media, caring for plants and maintaining laboratory supplies.

Salary: AU$76k - AU$96k per annum + 15.4% superannuation

Tenure & work schedule: Specified term of 3 years, Full-time

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant work experience in Molecular Biology/Plant Physiology or related field.
• Experience with plant tissue culture techniques.
• Experience with molecular biology and genetic transformation of plant material.
• Demonstrated excellence in laboratory record keeping and data storage.
• Demonstrated ability to work with a range of stakeholders in a dynamic team.
• Focus on continuous improvement in Health and Safety in the workplace.
• Experience with plant propagation and husbandry.
• Experience with Gene Editing and new breeding technologies.
• Previous experience with use of Electronic Laboratory Record systems.
• Previous experience with use of Health and Safety management and incident recording software such as DoneSafe.
• Proficient in Microsoft programs, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and collaboration tools, Teams and Sharepoint.

While it is CSIRO policy that the successful candidate must meet all the essential criteria, there are many ways to demonstrate this. Don’t let the list discourage you. If you are unsure about applying, please reach out to the contact person in the Position Description.

Setting you up for success

We are committed to providing a recruitment process that is fair, equitable and accessible to everyone. We recognise that it may be helpful for us to adjust our process to make it equitable for your individual situation. Please contact Laura Mason via Careers.Online@csiro.au and let us know how we can support you.

Life at CSIRO and flexible work arrangements

Solving Australia's greatest challenges takes a diversity of minds and lived experiences. We know diverse teams are more effective and deliver more innovative outcomes. As an equal employment opportunity organisation, we are committed to creating diverse and inclusive teams where people feel they belong. We recognise true diversity encompasses all ages, abilities, cultures, faiths, levels of education, genders, sexualities, diversity of thought and much more. We focus on hiring people who share our values of People First, Further Together, Making it Real and Trusted.

CSIRO holds Gold Status for the Australian Workplace Equality Index for LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and a Science in Australia Gender Equity Bronze Award.

Applications for this position are open to Australian/New Zealand Citizens, and Australian Permanent Residents. Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements.

Child safety

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs.