Gulbali Institute

23/10/2026

Position Vacant: Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Functional Biomaterials for Sustainable Agriculture
Closes 10 November 2026
Apply now https://internal-jobs.csu.edu.au/ci/en/job/499165/postdoctoral-research-fellow-functional-biomaterials-for-sustainable-agriculture
The role
Full Time, Fixed Term (up to 12 months)
Level A - $80,046 to $108,204 pa (plus 17% superannuation)
Wagga Wagga
As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, you will support an ARC Mid-Career Industry Fellowship project focused on transforming agricultural waste into low-cost, high-quality substrates and soil amendment products. You will develop controlled-release biomaterials designed to improve nutrient release and water retention for mushroom cultivation and crop growth.

Working with industry partners and a multidisciplinary research team, you will plan and deliver experimental research spanning nanomaterials synthesis and characterisation, laboratory studies, plant and soil experiments, data analysis and research translation. You will contribute to publications, reports and project milestones while supporting the scale-up, commercialisation and practical application of research outcomes.

Charles Sturt University - TEQSA Provider Identification: PRV12018 (Australian University). CRICOS Provider: 00005F.

21/10/2026

📣 Congratulations to Associate Professor Paul Humphries and Dr Katherine Doyle!
Their book Carp in Australia has won a Whitley Commendation Award for Invasive Species Zoology from the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. The Whitley Awards recognise “outstanding publications that profile the unique wildlife of the Australasian region,” and this year’s awards were presented at the Australian Museum in Sydney on 20 October.
Published by CSIRO Publishing, Carp in Australia tells the story of how and why one of our most hated species was brought to this country. It traces carp’s relatively recent spread through the Murray-Darling Basin, our largest inland river system, and its impacts on freshwater ecosystems. It also examines the attempts to deal with the problem, and offers key insights into the management challenges and possibilities ahead.
The big question it leaves us with: is there hope for eradication, or is this fish here to stay?
A well-deserved recognition for work that matters to our rivers and the wildlife that depends on them. 👏

23/09/2026

🐢 Two turtles, one river, one big dilemma

In the Manning River on the NSW north coast, an endangered native turtle is fighting for survival. Meanwhile, another Australian turtle species — one that doesn't naturally belong in this river — is thriving there and even interbreeding with the survivors.

Gulbali Institute researcher Dr Jessica Tout-Lyon describes the latest research on the development and validation of three species-specific eDNA assays for the conservation and management of our endangered and range-expanding freshwater turtles.

So what do you do when the "intruder" isn't an overseas species, but another native species just trying to get by? Fascinating (and tricky) conservation problem. Worth a read 👇

Not all conservation threats come from overseas. Some are our own native animals.

21/09/2026

Drought doesn't have to mean disaster for your breeding flock. 🐑

In the latest Gulbali Stories episode, host Wes Ward sits down with livestock researcher Dr Susan Robertson to unpack sheep confinement — the practice of pulling sheep off pasture to protect your paddocks, your soil and your bottom line during dry times.

Dr Robertson shares hard data from her latest trials, including:
🔹 Why sheep in confinement need up to 15% less energy than sheep out grazing
🔹 How much roughage you actually need to feed (hint: less than you think)
🔹 The real risks of lambing in confinement — and how to manage them
🔹 The disease and nutrition traps that catch farmers out

It's a practical, evidence-based listen for anyone managing breeding stock through tough seasons.

🎧 Listen now to Gulbali Stories, from the Gulbali Institute at Charles Sturt University.
https://soundcloud.com/csu-gulbali-institute/managing-sheep-during-drought?in=csu-gulbali-institute/sets/the-gulbali-report&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

21/09/2026

Help shape the future of environmental research
We’re looking for an exceptional research leader to lead our Water and Environmental Systems research program at the Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University.
This is a significant opportunity for an established or emerging research leader to help shape the next phase of a broad environmental research program spanning terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, water, ecology, biodiversity, environmental management and related areas.

We need someone who can bring people together across disciplines, grow major research partnerships and investment, develop and support our researchers, and help set an ambitious strategic direction for the program.

The successful candidate will join a strong community of researchers working with government, industry, communities and international partners to address major environmental challenges in Australia and internationally.

The position is based at our Albury-Wodonga campus and is available at Associate Professor or Professor level.

If this sounds like you, we’d encourage you to take a look. And if it sounds like someone you know, please share it with them.
https://external-jobs.csu.edu.au/cw/en/job/499109/associate-professorprofessor-of-environmental-science-water-and-environmental-systems-program-lead

14/09/2026

Want to help shape the future of livestock research at Gulbali?

We’re looking for an outstanding research leader to lead our Livestock Systems Program at the Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University.

Based at our Wagga Wagga campus, this is an opportunity to lead and grow research that tackles some of the major challenges facing livestock production, from productivity and sustainability through to resilience and the changing needs of producers and industry.

We’re looking for someone who can bring researchers together, build ambitious research programs, create strong partnerships with industry, RDC's and government, attract major research investment, and develop the next generation of researchers.

There is also plenty of opportunity to shape the next few years. We want someone with the ambition and ideas to build on our existing capability and take the program further.

The position is available at Associate Professor or Professor level.

If leading a nationally recognised livestock research program sounds like your kind of challenge, I’d encourage you to take a look.

And if someone in your network comes to mind, please send it to them. Please feel free to send me a DM for more information.

Applications close 6 October.
https://external-jobs.csu.edu.au/cw/en/job/499110/associate-professorprofessor-of-livestock-systems-research-program-lead

11/09/2026

Got big ideas for the future of Aussie agriculture?
Want to help shape the next generation of plants, cropping and horticultural research at Gulbali?

We’re looking for an outstanding research leader to lead our Plants, Cropping and Horticultural Systems Program at the Gulbali Institute Charles Sturt University.

This is an opportunity to lead and grow an established research program, bringing together a group of passionate researchers and partners to tackle some of the major challenges and opportunities facing Australian agriculture.

We’re looking for someone who can grow research programs, create strong partnerships with industry, RDC's and government, attract major research investment, and to develop and support the next generation of researchers.

Just as importantly, there is real scope to shape the program. We want someone with ideas, ambition and the ability to bring people together around them.

The position is based at our Wagga Wagga campus and is available at Associate Professor or Professor level.

If building a nationally recognised research program in plants, broadacre cropping, innovative technology and horticultural systems sounds like your kind of challenge, We’d encourage you to take a look.

And if someone in your network comes to mind, please send it to them. Please feel free to DM with any questions.

Applications close 6 October.
https://external-jobs.csu.edu.au/cw/en/job/499111/associate-professor-professor-of-plants-and-horticultural-systems-research-program-lead

25/08/2026

🚨 We are Hiring - POSITION CLOSING THURSDAY 27 AUGUST —
Associate Professor of Molecular Diagnostics, Charles Sturt University

Want to lead the molecular diagnostics program shaping how Australia manages its rivers, fisheries and biosecurity?
Charles Sturt University's Gulbali Institute is looking for an Associate Professor to lead the development of a nationally recognised molecular diagnostics research program — addressing some of Australia's most significant agricultural, environmental and biosecurity challenges.
🔬 What you'll be doing:
🧬 Lead a nationally recognised molecular diagnostics research program tackling major agricultural, environmental and biosecurity challenges
🌊 Apply cutting-edge molecular ecology, eDNA and emerging molecular technologies to deliver real outcomes for communities, industry and government
🏗️ Establish and grow ground-up research capability — backed by significant investment in purpose-built molecular laboratories and infrastructure
🤝 Secure competitive research funding and build strategic partnerships across a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment
🎓 Mentor the next generation of researchers and help shape the future of applied molecular diagnostics
🌏 Strengthen Charles Sturt University's reputation as a leader in regional and globally relevant research

What's on offer:
💰 Level D - $167,348 to $184,243 pa (plus 17% superannuation)
📅 5-year fixed term from appointment
📍 Based at our Albury-Wodonga campus
Applications close in 2 days — if you (or someone in your network) are ready to lead this program, apply now.
👉 Apply now

Charles Sturt University

Charles Sturt University - TEQSA Provider Identification: PRV12018 (Australian University). CRICOS Provider: 00005F.

21/08/2026

We've been quietly losing our native pollinators for 50 years — and honeybees may have been hiding it.
Dr Joanne M Bennett Bennett (Gulbali Institute) went digging through old museum collections — pressed orchids and pinned bees, some dating back to the 1800s — to find out what's really happening to Australia's pollinators.

And Dr Bennett found:
→ Orchid pollination has dropped ~70% since the 1970s
→ Half the native bee species once recorded at Kosciuszko can no longer be found there
→ Orchids with just one specialist pollinator have lost over 90% of their pollination service.

The biggest driver isn't land clearing or pesticides. It's climate change. Honeybees aren't native to Australia, but they've likely been quietly propping up pollination for some decades. Now that varroa mite is here, we may find out how much trouble our native pollinators are already in.

90% of flowering plants and 75% of our crops depend on pollinators, including coffee, chocolate, berries and avocado.

Dr Bennett's call to action: Australia needs a national pollinator monitoring network. We already have the pieces — museum collections, citizen science apps like iNaturalist, eDNA and AI camera monitoring. Now we need to connect them.
You can't manage what you don't measure.
As we come to the end of a shout out to why long-term scientific records matter: some truths only reveal themselves after decades of patient, unglamorous data collection.

Sturt Research

TEQSA PRV12018 (Australian University) CRICOS 00005F

14/08/2026

We're hiring! 🌊 Two great roles at Gulbali Institute, Albury-Wodonga

Want to work on some of the biggest challenges facing our rivers, waterways, and biosecurity? We've got two opportunities open right now:

🔹 Aquatic Laboratory Manager (closes 19 Aug) — help run our growing research program on healthy rivers and waterways.
🔗https://external-jobs.csu.edu.au/cw/en/job/499079/aquatic-laboratory-manager

🔹 Associate Professor of Molecular Diagnostics (closes 27 Aug) — lead our eDNA lab and shape our molecular diagnostics research.
🔗 https://external-jobs.csu.edu.au/en/job/499082/associate-professor-of-molecular-diagnostics

These roles are part of a bigger program covering river restoration, fisheries, environmental DNA, biosecurity, and international research partnerships.

Know someone who'd be perfect for this? Tag them below or share this post — it really helps us reach the right people! 💙