Principal Research Technician in Brisbane

Full-time, fixed-term position for up to 2 years. Full-time equivalent base salary will be in the range $106,709.01 - $116,198.52 + 17% super (HEW Level 7). Based at our St Lucia Campus.

About This Opportunity

Join a purposeful and collaborative senior research team supporting Professor Yengo’s Snow Fellowship Research Program, where you will apply specialist statistical genetics and bioinformatics expertise to research using large-scale genomic and biobank datasets from genetically diverse populations. As Principal Research Technician, you will develop scalable analysis pipelines, curate complex datasets and provide technical leadership that enables rigorous, high-impact research and helps translate genomic data into meaningful scientific discovery.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, test and apply scalable and generalisable statistical genetics and bioinformatics pipelines for large-scale genomic and biobank datasets.
• Provide specialist scientific and technical expertise, conduct complex analyses and contribute to the design, implementation and refinement of research methodologies and protocols.
• Curate research datasets and manage their responsible use, including compliance with Data Access Agreements, Data Transfer Agreements, ethics approvals and research integrity requirements.
• Provide technical leadership by supervising, training and developing junior research engineers, scientists and technicians, while contributing to research outputs, publications and collaborative initiatives.

About You

• Postgraduate qualifications in Genetics or Genomics, with subsequent experience in statistical genetics and biobank data analysis, or an equivalent combination of relevant education, training and experience.
• Demonstrated expertise across the research cycle, including data quality control, software benchmarking, scientific analysis, reporting, publication preparation and oral presentation.
• Specialist expertise in methods for detecting identity-by-descent in biobanks containing relatives, together with methods for detecting and characterising local ancestry.
• Advanced programming capability in R or another high-level programming language, with experience developing robust bioinformatics or statistical genetics workflows.
• Advanced technical expertise in genome-wide association studies and downstream applications.
• Significant experience collaborating with analysis consortia or multidisciplinary teams within the statistical genetics community, including national and international research collaborations.
• Demonstrated leadership capability, including the ability to supervise, train and develop junior staff and foster a safe, respectful and collaborative research environment.
• Strong interpersonal and scientific communication skills, together with a commitment to research integrity, ethics, workplace health and safety, openness, respect and integrity.

About UQ

As part of the UQ community, you’ll have the opportunity to work alongside the brightest minds, who have joined us from all over the world, working together to create a better world. Join a community where excellence is at the core of our culture, contributions are valued and a range of benefits and rewards are available.

• Up to 26 weeks paid parental and primary care leave
• 17% super
• 17.5% leave loading
• Flexible and hybrid working options
• Health and wellbeing programs
• Heavily discounted Study for Staff program
• On‑campus childcare
• Affordable parking
• Salary packaging

Pre-employment Checks

Pre-employment checks may include: verification of the right to work in Australia. This may also include checks relating to gender-based violence matters or other integrity and conduct requirements. You must maintain unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this appointment to apply. Employer sponsored work rights are not available for this appointment.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

We’re dedicated to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We recognise that career pathways and opportunities differ and encourage applications from candidates who may not meet every criteria but can demonstrate their potential relative to opportunity. We’re also happy to support any accessibility needs throughout the recruitment process.

Applications Close

Applications close Sunday November 8th 2026 at 11.00pm AEST (R-70193).

About the University of Queensland (UQ)

The University of Queensland (UQ) acknowledges the Traditional Owners and their custodianship of the lands on which UQ is situated. We pay our respects to their Ancestors and their descendants, who continue cultural and spiritual connections to Country. At the University of Queensland, we are proud to be one of Australia’s leading research and teaching institutions, consistently ranking among the top 50 universities worldwide.

UQ values equity, diversity and inclusion and seeks to reflect the broader community by attracting and retaining high‑quality staff from a range of backgrounds. Our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion aims to ensure that everyone at UQ feels valued and empowered to achieve their full potential.