Research Laboratory Scientist

Bayside Health is a public health service delivering high-quality care across every stage of life for close to 1.2 million people living in metropolitan Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula, Koo Wee Rup, Bass Coast, and Southern Gippsland. With more than 15 main sites—including hospitals, centers, and clinics—we provide comprehensive care from welcoming newborns to supporting older people. Our team of over 22,000 dedicated staff focuses on exceptional, equitable, and locally connected care through shared expertise, compassion, and a commitment to continuous growth. Education and training are central to staff development, encouraging all employees to strive and thrive.

Fixed Term – 12 months
Full-time: 76 hours per fortnight
Classification: Medical Scientist Grade 1 (dependent on experience and qualifications)
Location: Alfred Health

About the Department

The Department of Infectious Diseases at the Alfred Hospital is one of the largest and most comprehensive infectious diseases clinical services in Australia. It is also an academic department within the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, School of Translational Medicine at Monash University, serving as a premier center for clinical and biomedical research and education.

The Department offers expertise in:

• General infectious diseases
• HIV/AIDS
• Hospital-acquired infections and antimicrobial resistance
• Infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship
• Travel-related infections
• Viral hepatitis
• Sexually-transmitted infections
• Infections in immunocompromised hosts, including critical care, burns, cystic fibrosis, and solid organ (lung, heart, and kidney) and stem cell transplant recipients

Through the Alfred Infectious Diseases Training Program, the Department provides outstanding opportunities for advanced training in infectious diseases.

About the Role

This role will support the laboratory aspects of research projects focused on:

• Understanding clinical bacterial isolates
• The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and virulence determinants
• The ability to diagnose bacterial infections from direct clinical samples
• The application of microbial genomics in a clinical setting, including the use of short and long-read sequencing
• Improved understanding of the mechanisms of bacterial disease

Requirements

Essential

• Science or Biomedical Science Degree in an appropriate area of study, or relevant experience
• Demonstrated laboratory research experience
• Ability to solve complex problems by using discretion, innovation, and the exercise of diagnostic skills and/or expertise
• Experience in microbiological techniques, e.g., bacterial culture, identification, susceptibility phenotyping

Desirable

• Honours degree in a relevant discipline
• Experience in molecular biology techniques
• Experience in processing human-derived biological samples
• Experience developing ethics applications

Skills

• Experience with proper handling of DNA/RNA samples
• Experience with the implementation of known molecular biology protocols
• Well-developed planning and organizational skills

Benefits

• Salary packaging
• Onsite gym
• Childcare services