Research Fellow – Mine Closure and the Social Sciences bei Uq

• Sustainable Minerals Institute / Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining

• Part-time (40%), fixed-term position for up to 12 months

• Base salary will be in the range $114,824.05 - $136,048.72 + 17% Superannuation (Academic Level B)

• Based at our St Lucia Campus

About This Opportunity 

We’re looking for a passionate Research Fellow with deep expertise in strategic risk, mining legacies, and governance to help advance Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining’s (CSRM) mission. This is a unique opportunity to lead and contribute to research that uncovers hidden risks—those slow-moving, often invisible threats that can culminate in catastrophic outcomes.

This role is ideal for a researcher with interdisciplinary experience across mining, government, consulting, and academia, and a strong foundation in earth sciences and qualitative social research. You’ll apply practice theory and process perspectives to explore how organisations respond to elongated and insidious risks in mining and related sectors—and how they can do better.

Key responsibilities will include: 

• Research:

  • Lead independent and collaborative research programs focused on mining-related social and environmental risks, mining legacies, and resource governance.

  • Produce high-impact outputs including peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, and implementation tools such as maturity models and standards.

  • Secure competitive research funding and contribute to multi-party grant applications. Translate research on mine closure and abandoned mines into practice through stakeholder engagement, policy influence, and knowledge transfer.

  • Apply and refine qualitative methodologies, including practice theory, to complex social phenomena.

• Teaching: Contribute to CSRM’s HDR supervision and professional development programs. Deliver guest lectures, workshops, or short courses on topics such as risk management, mine rehabilitation, and legacy governance. Support capacity-building in industry and government through tailored training initiatives.

• Supervision and Researcher Development: Supervise Honours and HDR students, fostering interdisciplinary and practice-based research. Mentor early-career researchers and contribute to a collaborative and inclusive research culture. Facilitate engagement opportunities for supervisees with external stakeholders.

• Citizenship and Service: Demonstrate leadership through mentoring, engage in internal service roles and committees, perform administrative functions, provide support to colleagues, and uphold university values. Actively participate in CSRM’s multi-stakeholder dialogue forums and external engagement activities. Represent CSRM in national and international networks, including standards development bodies and policy forums.

This is a research focused position. Further information can be found by viewing UQ’s Criteria for Academic Performance.

About UQ

As part of the UQ community, you will have the opportunity to work alongside the brightest minds, who have joined us from all over the world, and within an environment where interdisciplinary collaborations are encouraged.

At the core of our teaching remains our students, and their experience with us sets a foundation for success far beyond graduation. UQ has made a commitment to making education opportunities available for all Queenslanders, regardless of personal, financial, or geographical barriers.

As part of our commitment to excellence in research and professional practice in academic contexts, we are proud to provide our staff with access to world-class facilities and equipment, grant writing support, greater research funding opportunities, and other forms of staff support and development.

The greater benefits of joining the UQ community are broad:  from being part of a Group of Eight university, to recognition of prior service with other Australian universities, up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave, 17.5% annual leave loading, flexible working arrangements including hybrid on site/WFH options and flexible start/finish times, access to exclusive internal-only vacancies, and genuine career progression opportunities via the academic promotions process.

About You 

• A PhD in a relevant discipline (e.g. earth sciences, sociology, human geography, business strategy, or development studies), with demonstrated application of qualitative research methods.

• Expertise in managing social and environmental risks in mining and resource governance.

• A track record of high-quality publications, successful research funding, and leadership in standards development.

• Experience working across sectors including mining, government, and academia, with strong stakeholder engagement skills.

• Commitment to ethical research practices and advancing social justice in resource development.

The successful candidate may be required to complete a number of pre-employment checks, including: right to work in Australia, education check. 

You must maintain unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this appointment to apply. Employer sponsored work rights are not available for this appointment.

Questions? 

For more information about this opportunity, please contact Professor Deanna Kemp [email protected].  

For application inquiries, please reach out to the Talent Acquisition team at [email protected], stating the job reference number (below) in the subject line.
 

Want to Apply? 

We welcome applications from all individuals and are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. To be considered, please ensure you upload:

• Resume

• Cover letter responding to the ‘About You’ section

Our strength as an institution lies in our diverse colleagues. We're dedicated to equity, diversity, and inclusion, fostering an environment that mirrors our wider community. We're committed to attracting, retaining, and promoting diverse talent. If you require an alternative method to submit your application due to accessibility needs or personal circumstances, please contact [email protected].

Other Information 

UQ is committed to a fair, equitable and inclusive selection process, which recognises that some applicants may face additional barriers and challenges which have impacted and/or continue to impact their career trajectory. Candidates who don’t meet all criteria are encouraged to apply and demonstrate their potential. The selection panel considers both potential and performance relative to opportunities when assessing suitability for the role.

Applications close Monday 13 October at 11:00pm AEST (R-56107). Please note that interviews have been tentatively scheduled for Thursday 23 October.