Bioinformatician (AusTrakka) in Melbourne

Role type: Full-time; Fixed-term (12 months)

Faculty: Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences

Department/ School: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Sciences

Salary: $111,275 – $120,435 p.a plus 17% super

Nationally significant pathogen genomics role / Drive real-time outbreak detection and response / Build connections across Australia's public health genomics community.

Apply your bioinformatics expertise to AusTrakka and help shape Australia's future public health surveillance capability.

Investing in you – 17% superannuation, benefits package including salary packaging, health and wellbeing programs, discounted services, and professional development opportunities.

The University of Melbourne takes pride in its people, who all contribute to its mission to benefit society through the transformative impact of education and research.

Your next career opportunity:

You will apply advanced bioinformatics skills to national pathogen genomics surveillance through AusTrakka, directly informing outbreak detection and public health responses. Working with leading experts across jurisdictions, you will analyse and interpret genomic data, refine pipelines, and support continuous improvement of Australia's genomics capability. You will gain deep exposure to the full public health genomics ecosystem, building relationships with key partners across government, laboratories and academia.

What you will deliver:

• Plan, execute and report routine and ad hoc AusTrakka genomic analyses that support surveillance and outbreak investigations.
• Collaborate with genomic epidemiologists and public health partners to interpret findings and communicate clear, actionable reports.
• Design, develop, validate and maintain bioinformatics pipelines and workflows for routine pathogen genomics service delivery.
• Maintain high standards for data management, documentation, turnaround times and audit-ready practice across analyses and pipelines.
• Represent AusTrakka and MDU PHL bioinformatics capabilities in internal and external forums, including meetings and conferences.

You may be a great fit if you:

• Hold a postgraduate qualification in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology or a closely related discipline.
• Use Python and/or R confidently and work effectively in a UNIX or Linux environment.
• Design, validate and troubleshoot bioinformatics pipelines using standard tools for assembly, gene detection and phylogenetics.
• Work with large next-generation sequencing datasets, including phylogenomics, ideally in a public health or clinical context.
• Manage competing priorities and high-throughput analyses while maintaining accuracy, documentation quality and required turnaround times.
• Bring experience or interest in workflow engines, containers, and advanced statistical or microbial genomics approaches.

What we offer you:

• Build future financial security with 17% superannuation.
• Supportive flexible work arrangements underpinned by our commitment to inclusion and well-being.
• Career development opportunities, including access to a range of tailored programs, such as Academic Women in Leadership, and learning platforms including LinkedIn Learning.
• Progressive, considerate leave provisions to empower your work-life balance and well-being, including leading parental leave, gender affirmation leave, cultural leave, and menstruation and menopause leave.
• Salary packaging and access to a range of discounted services including Bupa health insurance, and access to unique cultural and recreational benefits such as discounts for the Melbourne Theatre Company.
• Health and well-being services including a leading Employee Assistance Program.

Your new team:

You will join the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory within the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, part of the School of Biomedical Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. Embedded in the Peter Doherty Institute, the team integrates laboratory science, genomics, epidemiology and bioinformatics to tackle diseases of public health importance. You will collaborate with Victorian, national and international partners in a values-driven environment that prizes excellence, integrity, inclusivity and real-world impact.

The University of Melbourne is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a child-safe organisation. The diversity of our community enriches us all, and we are committed to creating an inclusive and fair workplace where everyone is valued, respected, and empowered to succeed. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We're committed to a barrier-free recruitment process and ongoing workplace support, providing adjustments throughout. We warmly encourage applications from people with disabilities.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Applicants: We aspire to be the University of choice for Indigenous Australians. Visit our Indigenous staff page to learn more about our investment and support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff. Indigenous applicants are encouraged to connect with our Indigenous Employment & Development team at korin-korin@unimelb.edu.au.

You must have current valid work rights for Australia. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role. A Working with Children Check is required for all positions. If successful, we will guide you through the process and reimburse you.

Applications close: 22 November 2026 11:55 PM; Melbourne time zone.