Job no: 0051992

Work type: Fixed Term

Location: Parkville

Division/Faculty: Faculty of Science

Department/School: School of Physics

Salary: $73,669 - $99,964 (Level A)

Role & Superannuation rate: Academic - Full time - 9.5% super

About the role:

The Research Fellow will undertake the development of a new tool for investigating intercellular communication.  Currently, techniques for probing cellular functions are either well-suited to controlling a limited number of individual inputs or a large number of complete cells.  This project aims to address these limitations by utilising cutting edge fabrication techniques to create an optically controlled nanoscale array of diamond electrodes, capable of modulating a large number of single cellular inputs with precision.  The technology will allow the Research Fellow to manipulate cellular processes with more control than ever before, potentially gaining insights useful for understanding brain function, memory formation, or cell death.

The objectives of the project are:

• Fabrication and characterization of nanocrystalline diamond electrodes on diamond nanopillars with various surface terminations for charge-coupled and charge-injecting modalities; and
• Use of these electrodes to investigate optically driven chemically and electrically mediated neuromodulation in brain slices and cell cultures.

About you:

• A PhD and/or near completion or equivalent in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, biomaterials, materials science/engineering, physics,  or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to work in collaborative environment, but also independently on specific problems and outcomes including the ability to work to a schedule and meet pre-agreed deadlines.
• Demonstrated expertise on a range of microfabrication techniques such as chemical vapour deposition, photolithography, and reactive ion etching and laser ablation under limited supervision.
• Experience or knowledge in optical neural modulation.
• Demonstrated experience in microfabrication and synthetic diamond processing such as growth, polishing, cutting and brazing.

Applications close: 31 Mar 2021 11:55 PM AUS Eastern Daylight Time