Communities Specialist, Inclusive Genomics

• Are you interested in the many, diverse cultures of Australia?
• Do you have skills in applied sociology or ethnography or similar?
• Would you like to contribute to improved health outcomes for all Australians? 

Then come and join us at the Centre for Population Genomics in the role of Communities Specialist, Inclusive Genomics. We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities.

The Opportunity

We are building a new genome reference database – spanning diverse Australian communities – that will improve medical practitioners’ ability to interpret genetic changes found in Australians affected by genetic disease regardless of their ancestral background. When the history is told of this next Australian era, we want it to be inclusive. We want it to tell of a country in which everyone had an equal chance to benefit from modern medicine. One aspect of this is ensuring that the genetic stories of all groups of Australians are known to medicine and to do this well, we need to start by describing the peoples of Australia.

As part of the mission, the Centre will be recruiting more than ten thousand research participants to create a new resource for human genetics that truly reflects the remarkable population diversity of Australia and improves the diagnosis of rare disease patients across a wide range of Australian communities. This position is an opportunity to contribute extensively to the development of a brand-new Centre that will play a key role in establishing genomic medicine in Australia.

This is a three-year full-time role. The position could be based in either Sydney or Melbourne and we would also consider compelling candidates working remotely from elsewhere in Australia or working part-time.

Your role

The Communities Specialist will be a member of the Inclusive Genomics team at the Centre for Population Genomics. Reporting to and working closely with the Lead, Inclusive Genomics, you will conduct research to analyse and describe cultural groups that are likely to have a shared ancestry, develop recommendations for how best to engage with each community, help the team lead to devise the most appropriate, culturally-aligned approach to involving significant numbers of people from the community, contribute to and oversee communications with communities, and assist with community engagement on the ground.

You will bring training and expertise in ethnographic or sociological methods or similar. You will have a bias towards applied research as a way to understand diverse cultures and experience. You see yourself as more of a practitioner than an academic, using ethnographic approaches to collaborate with and support communities to improve well-being, social and health outcomes.

Your experience traveling or living in multiple communities will be of substantial advantage as this role will require some travel (across Australia and, potentially, in the Pacific) to be on the ground, with the Centre team, at the time of survey and sampling, supporting the Project Management team to ensure smooth logistics and clear communications with the community members.

About you

• Master’s or doctorate in sociology, anthropology or related social science subject, or equivalent experience
• 3-5 years’ experience conducting ethnographic or sociological research on community identity, culture or norms – ideally in Australia
• experience working on community-based or place-based initiatives seeking to improve social outcomes
• deep familiarity with Australia, its geographies and diversity of communities
• a strong bias towards applied community work, rather than academic publications
• some prior training or experience in cultural competency, anti-bias thinking, methods of diversity & inclusion or cross-cultural communication is desirable