Alfred Deakin Research Institute Research Fellowships

Please note that the current round has now closed. Details for the 2014 program will be provided later in the year.

The Alfred Deakin Research Institute (ADRI) Research Fellow positions have been created to support doctoral candidates in the transition phase between their doctoral and postdoctoral careers. Successful applicants funded through this scheme are expected to use the Fellowship to advance the development of their research careers - by writing research publications, conference papers, job applications, and postdoctoral fellowship/grant proposals - while engaging with the interdisciplinary activities of Alfred Deakin Research Institute (ADRI). Successful applicants will be supervised by an Alfred Deakin Research Institute member. The Research Fellow positions are available only on a part-time basis. Research Fellows will be expected to participate in a number of activities at the Alfred Deakin Research Institute.

Research Fellows will be expected to run at least one research-orientated workshop for current Deakin PhDs during the tenure of their award. Help with organisation and promotion is available from the Faculty of Arts and Education and ADRI. This workshop will either be focused on skills development or be subject-based, depending on the common interests of the Fellows. Limited funding to cover refreshments, materials etc will be available from ADRI for skills-based sessions or for subject-based activity.

Research Fellows will also be expected to participate in an interdisciplinary seminar series, convened by the Director, ADRI in conjunction with other Institute staff. Each Research Fellow will maintain an ePortfolio, and contribute to the ADRI’s web-based resources for Early Career Researchers.

The award is explicitly targeted at PhD candidates whose thesis is under examination. It is not intended to provide financial support to students who have not yet submitted their thesis. Please clearly indicate your (expected) submission date on the application form.

Eligibility

The competition is open to doctoral research students. There is currently one application round each year for doctoral students who have submitted or expect to submit their thesis for examination as follows:

Round 1: open between 9 December 2011 and 15 January 2012 (The position will start on or before 1 April 2012). Please note these positions have now closed.

Postgraduate doctoral research students who have submitted or expect to submit their thesis between 1 March 2011 and 31 March 2012 inclusive are eligible to apply. Candidates awarded a position who do not meet this requirement will not be able to take up the appointment.

Continuation of the appointment beyond the doctoral examination is contingent upon a recommendation to award the PhD or other doctoral degree with or without minor corrections, but NOT a recommendation to resubmit/referral.

Deakin Employees
Applicants currently employed at Deakin University are eligible to apply.

Overlap with other Fellowships Schemes
Applicants who have requested Fellowship support from other sources for funding in 2012 may submit the same project to the Alfred Deakin Research Institute Research Fellow scheme provided full disclosure is made in the application.

If a successful applicant is awarded a Fellowship from another source, the Alfred Deakin Research Institute Research Fellow position must be relinquished within 2 months of notification of the other award.

Duration of awards
Research Fellow positions will be awarded for a period of up to 12 months.

Value and number of awards
There is a maximum of three (3) Alfred Deakin Research Institute Research Fellow position available in 2012.

Research Fellows will receive a salary (taxable) at Level A, Step 6 of the University’s Academic salary scale.

In addition Research Fellows may claim up to $300 towards research expenses (eg towards costs of attending a conference). This expenditure must be agreed in advance with the Director, Alfred Deakin Research Institute

Research Fellows will have access to the Deakin University Library and to office and seminar room facilities at one of ADRI’s Campus locations (Geelong Waterfront Campus, Melbourne Burwood Campus or Warrnambool Campus).

Conditions of Award

The Fellowship is awarded under the following conditions:

Employment Conditions
Positions will be continued beyond the doctoral examination date only when the thesis is successfully passed (ie has resulted in a recommendation to award the PhD or other doctoral degree with or without minor corrections, but NOT to resubmit/be referred).

The maximum duration of the position shall be for a total period of 12 months.

Appointments must commence within three months of a formal letter of offer, unless the Director, Alfred Deakin Research Institute approves otherwise.

Requests to suspend or vary the position for any reason must be submitted for approval to Director, Alfred Deakin Research Institute.

All conditions of employment are governed by the Deakin University Enterprise Agreement 2009 - 2012. The Human Resources Division will issue the formal offer of employment and can advise successful fellows on matters such as superannuation, leave entitlements, relocation allowance, immigration requirements and intellectual property provisions.

Duties
Research Fellows are expected to:

Focus on research for the duration of their appointment
Prepare and submit an application for an Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and/or a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
Hold one research-orientated workshop for current Deakin PhD students
Attend the ADRI headquarters on a regular basis (including interdisciplinary seminars) and to maintain systematic contact with the nominated supervisor(s) during the tenure of the appointment
Acknowledge, in their publications, support received from the Alfred Deakin Research Institute

Reports
Progress reports are required at the end of the first six months. The report should include:

Outcomes of project milestones and achievements for the last 6 months
Details of the intended program for the next 6 months
An evaluative commentary by the Fellow’s supervisor

A final report is required within three months of the completion of the appointment. The report should include:

All aspects of the work undertaken (including grants awarded, grants applied for and their status, details of student supervision or co-supervision, conference presentations and publications)
Details of any new knowledge gained in the field of study at the completion of the fellowship
An evaluative commentary by the host Supervisor which should include an assessment of the benefits to ADRI

Reports are to be forwarded to the Director, by email only, to adri@deakin.edu.au

Application Procedures

Applications must be made electronically, using the ADRI application form. Completed applications will comprise:

Completed application form received by the deadline
Project statement of up to 1,000 words
Statement of up to 150 words on how their research would benefit from/contribute to ADRI
CV of the applicant
2 letters of reference (including one from PhD supervisor) emailed directly to adri@deakin.edu.au by the deadline

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete with the academic references and reaches the Alfred Deakin Research Institute by the closing date. Late or incomplete applications submitted will not be considered.

Assessment Criteria and Process
Applicants will provide a narrative statement of up to 1,000 words outlining their proposed use of the time and facilities available to advance their postdoctoral research careers. Additionally, they will provide a statement of up to 150 words describing the relevance of the ADRI context for their research development.

Selection will be made on the basis of:

Academic Excellence (CV, two academic references, including one from PhD supervisor) - the following will be taken into account:

Previous publication record, if any, arising from the doctoral research

Conference papers, if any, based on the doctoral research
Grants and fellowships awarded during postgraduate career
Supervisor’s report
Length of time as a doctoral candidate (priority will be given to students who submit their thesis without extensions, excluding approved periods of leave)

Quality of proposal, including:

Intellectual ambition and scope of proposed programme of activities

Ability of the proposed programme of activity to advance the candidate’s postdoctoral research career
Supervisory/support arrangements available at ADRI to enhance the applicant’s research
Feasibility (ability to accomplish stated goals within the Fellowship period)

Applicant’s ability and willingness to situate his/her research project within the broader interdisciplinary research framework of ADRI

Applications will be considered by a panel of senior ADRI academic staff including the ADRI Director.

How to Apply

The Alfred Deakin Research Institute Research Fellow positions will be listed under Academic staff vacancies on the Careers at Deakin website.

Full Application
The application template should be completed as follows and submitted online at Careers at Deakin website:

Part A - Application Form is completed by the applicant
Part B - Project statement 1,000 words to be completed by the applicant
Part C - a statement of up to 150 words on how their research would benefit from/contribute to ADRI
Part D - the CV of the applicant
Part E- is completed by the applicant’s nominated (two) referees. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure the referees complete their statements. The statements are to be submitted directly to adri@deakin.edu.au on or before the final submission date by the referee (scanned pdf acceptable). The referee statements must be obtained prior to the closing date
The applicant collate Parts A to D of the application and saves as one file using the naming convention [Applicant Surname] [Applicant Given Name] ADRI RF Application 2012
The applicant to submit a pdf of the complete application online at: www.deakin.edu.au/jobs

The following formatting requirements should be used:

Do not alter page format margins, line and character spacing, or font type and sizes
References can be in Arial Narrow 10 point
The Word template should be converted to pdf for submission
The application must not exceed 2 Mb in size

Applicants are advised to retain a copy of their application.

Deadlines

Applications for the 2012 ADRI Research Fellowships have now closed.

Further Information

Professor David Lowe
Director
Alfred Deakin Research Institute
Phone: +61 3 5227 2691
Email: director-adri@deakin.edu.au

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