**Acknowledgement of Country**:
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. View our vision towards reconciliation
**The Opportunity**:
- **Permanent Canberra based opportunity in the Agriculture & Food Cotton Biotechnology Group**:
- **Work with CSIRO to deliver world-class research for industry, government, and the **community**
The role of Research Projects staff in CSIRO is to collaborate in scientific and technological activities with other research staff usually by assisting with detailed planning, undertaking, or assisting with experimental, observational or technology development work, and in carrying out the more practical aspects of the work.
The Cotton Biotechnology Research Technician will be part of the Agriculture & Food's Cotton Biotechnology Group. This laboratory-based role will be critical in supporting the breeding and deployment of new commercial cotton varieties by CSIRO's highly successful breeding program that is based in Narrabri, NSW.
The technician will help track a suite of GM and non-GM traits through breeding populations using advanced molecular and biochemical assays and provide essential quality control on the release of seed to our domestic seed partner, Cotton Seed Distributors.
The role will work as part of a small integrated technical team interacting closely with our field staff in Narrabri and gain some experience in the processes need to develop crop varieties for industry.
**Your duties will include**:
- As part of a small team, undertake high throughput sample preparation for antibody-based ELISA assays of leaf or seed material and/or extraction of DNAs for trait genotyping and genome sequencing.
- Analyse cotton DNAs for presence/absence and zygosity of several different GM and non-GM agronomic traits using PCR fluorescence-based assays such as KASP and TaqMan, set up using a liquid handling robot.
- Troubleshoot to identify and correct any failures in assay results.
- Prepare reagents for all antibody and molecular biology duties.
- Maintain cotton plants in quarantine facilities.
- Undertake general laboratory housekeeping and stock management in a shared laboratory space.
- Between breeding screening cycles, assist in performing other molecular analyses of transgenic cotton and tobacco plants (Q-PCR, genomic PCR) and some cloning and sanger sequencing to generate new gene constructs for transformation into cotton.
- Under limited supervision, design and perform straightforward experiments and routine laboratory analyses, design new processes or apparatus by adapting existing techniques and components to meet special circumstances or undertake modifications to methods requiring some innovation.
- Work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary, regionally dispersed, cotton breeding research team to carry out tasks in support of CSIRO's obligations to its commercial seed industry partner and the Australian cotton industry.
**Location**:Black Mountain, Canberra
**Salary**:AU$68,148- AU$86,733 pa plus up to 15.4% superannuation
**Tenure**:Indefinite / Full-time
**Reference**:91847
**To be considered you will need**:
**Essential**
- Under CSIRO policy only those who meet all essential criteria can be appointed._
- Relevant trade certificate/diploma/bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant work experience in molecular biology, biotechnology or genetics or relevant work experience
- Demonstrated experience in the preparation of molecular biology reagents and conducting molecular assays such as PCR assays.
- Demonstrated experience in the use of equipment such as thermal cyclers, centrifuges and electronic pipettors and an ability to follow and, when necessary, optimise a written protocol.
- Demonstrated organisation skills coupled with the ability to keep careful records of experimental work and basic computer skills for data entry and analysis.
- Good oral and written communication skills.
- Demonstrated commitment to a high level of personal performance and a track record of following good Health and Safety practices at work.
- Ability to be adaptable and flexible in assigned tasks as work priorities change or in response to externally imposed commercial deadlines and to self-manage allocation of time to tasks.
- A history of professional and respectful behaviours and attitudes in a collaborative environment.
**Desirable**
- Experience in working with liquid handling robots and more complex scientific equipment under instruction.
- Experience with programming and script writing.
- Familiarity with the techniques of ELISA, high-throughput DNA extraction and DNA genotyping would be an advantage.
- Experience working with plants
For full details about this role please review the **Position Description.**
**Eligibility**:
Applications for this position