Lizard Island Postdoctoral Fellowships

Funding is provided for field expenses at LIRS for one or two years as required. Salary is not provided.

For researchers based at an Australian institution, the maximum value of each 2020 fellowship is $15,000 plus GST per year for either one or two years. For researchers based at an overseas institution, the amount includes GST.

Fellowship funds must be spent on field work at LIRS including bench fees, travel, freight, and field/lab consumables.

They may not be used for salary, for living expenses (such as food while at Lizard Island) or for equipment other than research consumables. The fellow's university may not deduct a fee for administering the fellowship.

• Field work must take place between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021 for the first year, and in the same period of the subsequent year if a second year is awarded. However, a blackout period applies in November and December unless there are compelling biological reasons for doing the work in those months (e.g. coral spawning, fish recruitment).
  
• Funding in the second year, if awarded, is subject to suitable progress.
  
• Reporting, outreach and acknowledgement conditions will be detailed in a contract with each successful applicant.
  
• Any funds unspent at the end of each Fellowship year must be returned to LIRS unless carry-over arrangements are approved.

1. Applicants must have been awarded a PhD degree between 11 October 2014 and 11 October 2019. If a researcher does not satisfy this criterion and considers that s/he has an equivalent research qualification or experience of similar duration, then s/he must determine eligibility by making a case to the Selection Committee at least two weeks before the closing date for applications.
   
2. Applicants must be able to show that they have the time and resources to conduct the field research and to publish the results. This is usually demonstrated by being employed in a research position for the duration of the fellowship period. In recognition of the reality of early postdoctoral employment, other ways of demonstrating a commitment to completing the research process are acceptable.

Applications that do not meet these eligibility criteria will not be considered further.

The person:

1. Meets both of the eligibility criteria.
2. Has an excellent academic record.
3. Has high research output in relation to career stage.
4. Has relevant research and fieldwork experience.

The project:

1. Will significantly advance knowledge in one of two research areas: a) the biology, ecology or processes of coral reefs, or b) the taxonomy of little-known marine or terrestrial fauna or algae.
2. Makes good use of LIRS facilities.
3. Is feasible within the limitations of budget and safety regulations.
4. Makes efficient usage of fellowship funds.
5. Has additional funding available if the fellowship does not cover all planned costs.
6. Enables scientific leverage.
7. For taxonomic projects only, will utilise existing collections within the Australian Museum and/or will contribute to those collections.

Applications must be submitted to Lizard Island Research Station using the form provided.

A curriculum vitae is to be appended to the application form.

The application should be sent as a single email attachment in Word or rich text format (not as a pdf file). Applications will be assessed against the selection criteria.

Application form for 2020 postdoctoral fellowships

To assist in preparing your application, please consult other sections of this website to learn about LIRS facilities and the number of assistants you will need to bring to comply with the Station's scuba diving and boating regulations. You are welcome to contact LIRS with any queries.

Use the indicative costs for bench fees and travel between Cairns and Lizard Island as provided in the application form.

Before applying, proponents of taxonomic projects for fauna are strongly advised to contact the relevant collection manager at the Australian Museum to determine how the proposed work fits within the collection strategy. This should be referred to in the project outline.