Research Fellow - Asia Pacific Heavy Industry Transitions

• UQ Business School within the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law (BEL)
• Full-time or part-time, fixed-term position until 31 December 2027
• Base salary will be in the range $85,372.89 to $113,659.72 + 17% super (Academic Level A).
• Visa sponsorship is not available for this role
• Based at our vibrant St Lucia Campus.

About This Opportunity

Join a visionary research initiative helping shape the future of green and sustainable finance across the Asia-Pacific. As a Research Fellow in Asia-Pacific Heavy Industry Transitions, you will work in a collaborative research environment to deliver applied, policy-relevant research on transition finance and pathways for heavy industry, particularly the iron and steel sector. Your work will explore financing and investments in emerging energy technologies including hydrogen and ammonia, alongside carbon pricing, trade and policy developments across Australia, China, Korea, Japan, India and other economies in the region.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Research: Contribute to the leadership and delivery of research projects examining heavy industry transition finance, and transition pathways, including quantitative analysis of transition technology finance and investment (e.g., hydrogen, ammonia), carbon pricing, international trade, and related policy and technology data, qualitative interviews, scenario analysis and publication in high-quality peer-reviewed journals.
• Research translation and impact: Translate research findings into accessible policy notes and briefs for government, industry and broader audiences, and present research at academic conferences and policy forums.
• Supervision and Researcher Development: Contribute to a collaborative research culture by sharing specialist knowledge, supporting researcher development and applying rigorous research practices across multidisciplinary projects.
• Citizenship and Service: Engage in inclusive team activities, contribute to internal service roles and committees, and help build productive partnerships with academic, industry, government and community stakeholders.

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

About You

• A Master’s degree with approximately three to five years of relevant professional experience, or completion of a PhD in a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience relating to iron and steel investment and green transition in Australia, China or another relevant country.
• Excellent investment, trade and policy data analysis skills, with demonstrated experience collecting, cleaning and analysing data using advanced statistical methods.
• A developing public research and thought-leadership profile demonstrated through high-quality publications or equivalent industry or professional outputs.
• Proficiency in reading and writing Chinese is highly regarded, supporting access to and analysis of primary-source materials and data.
• Knowledge of, or a strong interest in, industrial decarbonisation, energy transition, finance or climate policy.
• Experience contributing to research projects and/or research funding applications, together with the ability to collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary teams and build productive relationships with academic, industry and government stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly to technical and non-technical audiences and deliver high-quality outcomes.

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. 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, access to exclusive internal-only vacancies, and genuine career progression opportunities via the academic promotions process.

Interested?

For more information about this opportunity, please contact Professor Christoph Nedopil via email at c.nedopil@uq.edu.au. For application enquiries, please reach out to the Talent Acquisition team at talent@uq.edu.au, stating the job reference number below in the subject line.

When you apply, please ensure you upload a resume, cover letter, and responses to the ‘About You’ section. Please note that applications received via email will not be accepted.

Other Information

Pre-employment checks may include verification of the right to work in Australia and qualifications. This may also include checks relating to gender-based violence matters or other integrity and conduct requirements.

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.

We’re dedicated to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We recognise that career pathways and opportunities differ, and encourage applications from candidates who may not meet every criterion but can demonstrate their potential relative to opportunity. We’re also happy to support any accessibility needs throughout the recruitment process. Just let us know how we can help by emailing talent@uq.edu.au or calling +61 7 3365 2623.

Applications close Monday 9 November 2026 at 11.00pm AEST (R-69578). Please note applications will be reviewed as received. Candidates may be interviewed prior to the job closing date. We encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible.