The Reef Recovery, Adaptation and Restoration Program delivers essential components of the science for solutions that are core to AIMS Strategy 2030. Global and local stressors are increasingly impacting the Great Barrier Reef and reefs around the world. Corals that form key ecosystem functions must acclimatise and adapt to persist in a warming future. The Program’s research progresses the understanding of the scope, rates and molecular mechanisms underpinning acclimatisation and adaptation — knowledge that is essential to forecast corals’ responses, including bleaching susceptibility and mortality under different emission and management scenarios.
Applying this fundamental knowledge, the research and development delivered by this Program is testing the feasibility, benefits and risks of novel reef restoration and adaptation interventions that seed corals onto reefs. This includes developing techniques for coral enhancements that improve temperature tolerance, and advancing large-scale aquaculture production of selected coral stock. The Program is currently focused on four priority research areas:
- Delivery of coral propagation at scale, based on expanded knowledge of coral reproduction and early life history.
- Innovation to overcome bottlenecks in coral life-histories to optimise cost and scale of coral seeding techniques.
- Expanded knowledge of coral adaptation and the scope for enhancement to predict coral futures under climate change, and to evaluate the benefits and risks of enhancement.
- Expanded knowledge of the roles of microbial symbionts and innovation in hardening treatments for coral health and tolerance.
Program staff works closely with partners, particularly indigenous communities, and stakeholders to co-develop reef restoration and adaptation research and development and translate outcomes into benefits and value through relevant knowledge and tools. The Coral Reef Adaptation team is focused on understanding natural rates of acclimatisation and adaptation, if and how they can be enhanced for restoration and adaptation applications.
In this role you will be responsible providing high quality technical assistance to support research programs, assisting with a range of activities including coral propagation, microalgal symbiont culturing, data acquisition and analysis, experimental set-up, maintenance and breakdown, laboratory analysis, data management and analysis, field work and project logistical support.
About you
Your experience in marine biology, coral biology and ecology, marine science and carrying out scientific research both field and laboratory based will be supported by your bachelor degree in a marine science field. You are able to work both with other team members and independently, you are experienced with field data collection including boating and diving. Proficiency in data management and analysis programs is highly desirable.
Salary: AUD $76,454 to $86,147 per annum
Application deadline: August 27, 2025
