Research Scientist - Coral Reef Ecology

About AIMS

The Australian Institute of Marine Science is a world leader in tropical marine research, expanding our nation’s knowledge hidden below the surface. AIMS provides unique insight into Australia’s tropical waters and knowledge to develop globally relevant and innovative research solutions.

From Ningaloo in the west, across the Top End to the Great Barrier Reef, AIMS’ researchers understand large-scale, complex, and emerging challenges in iconic marine habitats in Australia’s vast and remote tropical waters. As a trusted name in marine science, AIMS looks to Australia’s future needs and builds upon its existing capabilities and knowledge to support thriving oceans.

AIMS’ mission is to deliver research and knowledge to manage, protect, and steward Australia’s tropical marine ecosystems. AIMS Strategy 2040 sharpens its focus on safeguarding Australia’s tropical oceans in the face of environmental change, including its innovative work to improve reef resilience.

AIMS was awarded Athena Swan Bronze status in 2020 by the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) program, recognising AIMS’ commitment to improving gender equity, diversity and inclusion in STEMM disciplines.

About the Team & Our Locations

The Reef Ecology and Monitoring Program brings together diverse lines of research to deliver essential components of the science for solutions that are core to AIMS Strategy 2040. Globally, marine ecosystems are rapidly changing due to increasing pressures from climate change and local disturbances. There is an increasing need for reliable information about the status and trends of tropical marine ecosystems such as coral reefs. The Program’s research focuses on understanding the trajectory of coral reef ecosystems and how they might perform in the future, informing sustainable and adaptive management and policy development, through diverse approaches including long-term monitoring, population and community ecology, applied conservation technologies, advanced ecological modelling, and foundational ecological research.

The Program’s geographic focus is the Great Barrier Reef, guided by the Reef 2050 Long-term Sustainability Plan, and has a growing international reach, especially with AIMS’ nearest Pacific neighbours.

Within this program, the Reef Process Dynamics team supports the conservation and sustainable use of the Great Barrier Reef by establishing ecological baselines, assessing reef condition and trends, and improving understanding of the processes that drive reef change, recovery and resilience. Rapid advances in environmental monitoring and data-processing technologies (including remote and proximal sensing, photogrammetry, artificial intelligence and machine-learning analytics) are creating new opportunities to observe and understand reef systems at greater spatial, temporal and ecological scales. A key focus of the team is helping translate these emerging technologies into robust, operational tools for marine research, monitoring and assessment.

AIMS’ headquarters, near Townsville, North Queensland, is an international landmark in tropical marine science and home to the National Sea Simulator (SeaSim). Located at Cape Ferguson, about 50km from Townsville’s CBD, it is adjacent to the centre of the Great Barrier Reef and surrounded by a 207-hectare national park and marine reserve. AIMS also has offices in Perth, Western Australia (Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre) and Darwin, Northern Territory, with a liaison office in Canberra.

About This Opportunity

As AIMS’ Research Scientist – Coral Reef Ecology, you will play a key role in advancing coral reef monitoring, ecological research, and regional partnerships across Australia, the Pacific, and Southeast Asia. Working at the interface of ecology, technology and applied reef management, you will help deliver major initiatives, including ReefCloud and Marine Resources Initiative (MRI2), generating high-quality science and strengthening the capacity of partners to monitor and understand coral reef change.

You will provide scientific, project and people leadership across a diverse portfolio of activities, including supporting the design and coordination of regional monitoring activities, analysing and interpreting ecological data, supervising staff, contributing to research outputs, and ensuring delivery against partner and funding commitments.

Working closely with multidisciplinary AIMS teams and regional partners, the Research Scientist plays a central role in building monitoring capability through training, mentoring, and technical support, supporting the adoption of ReefCloud and other emerging monitoring approaches, and developing productive relationships with government agencies, research institutions, NGOs, Indigenous and local monitoring groups, and international reef monitoring networks.

Position Details

• Position Number: 22093.
• Organisational Unit: Reef Process Dynamics (7106), Program: Reef Ecology & Monitoring (Program 1).
• Primary Location: Townsville, QLD.
• Agreement: AIMS Enterprise Agreement 2024–2027 (and any subsequent agreement).
• Position Classification: AOF Level 5. FTE Status: Contractor/Labour Hire.
• First Level Supervisor: Research Team Leader - Reef Process Dynamics Team.
• Positions under Direct Supervision: up to 3.

Position Responsibilities

• Support delivery of MRI2, including project planning, partner engagement, milestone delivery, reporting and coordination of activities across Southeast Asia.
• Supervise three staff members, providing day-to-day guidance, mentoring, performance support and coordination of workloads across project and team priorities.
• Provide scientific leadership in coral reef monitoring, including survey design, benthic and reef condition assessment, data interpretation, ecological analysis and applied reporting.
• Support capability development with regional partners, including the design and delivery of training, mentoring and technical support related to coral reef monitoring, ReefCloud, data management, analysis and reporting.
• Work collaboratively with partners in Southeast Asia, the Pacific and Australia to understand monitoring needs, strengthen regional capacity, and support practical uptake of AIMS tools, workflows and scientific outputs.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of ReefCloud-related monitoring and reporting workflows, including quality assurance, data interpretation, image-based monitoring, automated analysis and communication of reef condition insights.
• Lead or contribute to the synthesis and reporting of coral reef monitoring information for diverse audiences, including project partners, funders, managers, technical users and scientific audiences.
• Contribute to the development of regional and global reef monitoring products, including technical reports, scientific publications, training resources, dashboards, briefing materials and communication products.
• Coordinate effectively across a dynamic, multidisciplinary team, helping to align scientific, technical, engagement and reporting activities.
• Build and maintain positive, respectful and productive relationships with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, research organisations, NGOs, Indigenous and local monitoring partners, and regional reef monitoring networks.
• Represent AIMS in national and international forums, workshops, training activities and partner meetings.
• Ensure work is delivered safely, ethically, collaboratively and in accordance with AIMS policies, including requirements for fieldwork, travel, data management, intellectual property, workplace safety and diversity and inclusion.

Science Outputs: contribute to achievement of project milestones and project and team research plans; co-develop scientific papers based on coral reef monitoring datasets for international refereed journals, and develop science communication tools and products (infographics, written articles); support and promote engagement and use of AIMS coral reef monitoring datasets and tools through national and international online and in-person presentations.

About You

You will be an accomplished and motivated coral reef scientist with a PhD, or equivalent experience, in coral reef ecology, marine ecology, environmental science, or a closely related discipline. You will bring a strong record of research and applied science, demonstrated through scientific publications, technical reports, and/or other outputs that contribute to understanding and managing coral reef ecosystems. You will have extensive expertise in coral reef monitoring, including marine field survey techniques, reef condition assessment, and the collection, analysis, and interpretation of ecological data. Strong quantitative skills are important, including proficiency in statistical analysis using software such as R, working with complex ecological datasets, and translating scientific findings into clear and useful information for different audiences.

You will also be a collaborative and capable leader who can coordinate complex activities, supervise and mentor staff, and work effectively across disciplines, organisations and cultures. You will be confident building relationships with research partners, government agencies, NGOs, Indigenous and local communities, and international partners. You will hold relevant marine fieldwork qualifications or experience and demonstrate a commitment to collaborative science, innovation in coral reef monitoring, and delivering high-quality research that supports AIMS’ Strategy 2040 and its mission to support the sustainable management of marine ecosystems.

Key Selection Criteria

A response to each criterion is required as part of the application, addressed in a separate paragraph (maximum 250 words per criterion) in a single document.

Essential

• PhD or equivalent experience in coral reef ecology, marine ecology, environmental science or a related discipline, with relevant postdoctoral experience and evidence of research achievement through publications, technical outputs, applied reporting and/or other relevant scientific outputs.
• Demonstrated expertise in coral reef monitoring, including marine field sampling techniques, reef survey methods, benthic ecology, reef condition assessment, and preferably experience collecting and analysing coral reef field data.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills, including experience in sampling design, data management, ecological data analysis and interpretation of spatial and/or temporal monitoring datasets using statistical software such as R.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating complex projects and working with diverse teams and stakeholders to deliver, monitor and report on multiple project outcomes, including planning, milestone tracking, workload management and delivery to agreed timelines and quality standards.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate scientific information clearly to diverse audiences, contribute to analysis, reporting and presentation of results, and work safely in accordance with OHSE principles and practices, particularly in fieldwork contexts.

Desirable

• Demonstrated ability in identification of reef benthos and experience applying this knowledge in coral reef monitoring or reporting contexts.
• Experience working independently and conducting fieldwork in international, remote or logistically complex locations, particularly in Southeast Asia and/or the Pacific.
• Current C Class Open Drivers Licence (or equivalent) or the willingness to obtain and relevant advanced field qualifications, such as coxswain, commercial diving or equivalent marine fieldwork credentials, and/or experience supporting research sponsorship, project funding or partnership development.

Work Health & Safety – Minimum Functional Requirements

Candidates must participate in Manual Task (Functional) Assessments and Fit for Work medical assessments as required. Minimum functional requirements include: maximum lift expected up to 25kg; approximately 10% of the role mobilising, 65% sitting, 20% standing/static positions, and 5% diving; and work in offshore or remote locations for extended periods of time is required.

AIMS is an inclusive employer and will assess if modifications to the above work requirements can be made if provided with Reasonable Adjustment criteria from a Treating Doctor or other suitably qualified medical professional. AIMS strongly encourages all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (not currently mandatory for this role, though AIMS reserves the right to review this policy). The role requires the ability to pass an Annual AS2299 Dive Medical, and willingness and ability to participate in fieldwork activities at remote, off-shore locations for extended periods of time.

Special Requirements

AIMS requires all staff to: provide evidence of right to work in Australia; provide original or certified copies of qualifications for sighting (where listed as Essential); provide 100 points of ID including at least one photograph (e.g. Drivers Licence and birth certificate or passport); and complete a satisfactory pre-employment medical from AIMS’ provider. Staff may also be required to obtain and provide evidence of other checks and verifications such as Police Clearances or Working With Children Checks, as indicated in the Selection Criteria.

Rewards and Working Conditions

Attractive working conditions are detailed in AIMS’ Enterprise Agreement. The successful candidate for this exciting opportunity will be rewarded with:

• AIMS AOF Level 5 salary ($126,440 to $138,614 per annum) plus 15.4% superannuation.
• Full-time, Temporary (Labour Hire) up to 30 Jan 2028, Parental Leave Replacement Officer opportunity.
• Located in Townsville (Qld).
• 9-day fortnight, enjoy a long weekend each fortnight.
• Flexible Work Arrangements considered including hybrid working (where suitable).
• Generous and supportive leave entitlements.
• Access to Commuter car fleet arrangements to travel to site (in Townsville only).
• Employee Assistance Program.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted via the advertised position on AIMS’ website, and should include: a current resume; a document addressing the Key Selection Criteria (a response to each criterion is required); and a short cover letter (optional).

Recruitment contact: position enquiries can be directed to Emma Kennedy, Coral Reef Ecologist – Reef Process Dynamics Team, at E.Kennedy@aims.gov.au. Applications must be made through the website.

Closing date: Sunday, 06 September 2026 (11:45pm, AEST).

NB: Non-Australian citizens must hold an appropriate visa with working entitlements that allows paid employment with AIMS from commencement and for the term of the appointment, depending on the Department of Home Affairs’ current policies.

More information and application: https://careers.aims.gov.au/page.php?pageID=160&windowUID=0&AdvertID=923636