• Based at our Melbourne, Burwood Campus with travel across rural Victoria required
• Full-time and fixed-term until October 2028
• Level A $86,599 - $116,417 + 17% Superannuation

Benefits for working with us!

At Deakin, we offer more than just a job - we offer a lifestyle. Across our campuses in Geelong, Melbourne, and regional Victoria, you’ll find everything you need to thrive: on-site childcare, gyms, medical centres, cafes, accessible public transport, and convenient parking. Enjoy flexible working arrangements that support your work-life balance, generous leave entitlements including extended parental leave and the option to purchase additional time off, plus a wide range of staff discounts on travel and more. Our health and wellbeing services, ongoing professional development opportunities, and inclusive, supportive culture make Deakin a place where you can grow - whether you're working remotely or immersed in the vibrant energy of campus life.

About the Role

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will engage collaboratively to conduct high-quality research, scholarship and creative activities that generate high-impact outcomes. With mentorship from senior researchers and leaders within the research team, the successful candidate will contribute to innovative research projects, support researcher development, and help deliver meaningful real-world impact.

The ideal candidate is an applied microeconomist with expertise in behavioural measurement and strong laboratory experiment skills applied to policy issues. The successful candidate will play a substantive intellectual role in refining the RCT and will have the opportunity to co-author high-quality academic publications. Working closely with the Chief Investigators and project partners, the Associate Postdoctoral Research Fellow will take substantial day-to-day responsibility for experimental design, survey and behavioural measure development, farmer recruitment, regional workshops, field team coordination, research ethics, data quality, causal analysis, and the preparation of academic publications and policy outputs. To achieve this, the successful candidate will be required to spend a significant amount of time travelling to regional Victorian locations.

 As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, you will:

• Conduct high-quality research, scholarship and creative activities generating high impact outputs, with mentorship
• Engage collaboratively to participate in novel and high-quality research or creative activities
• Ensure impact of academic activity on the field and the community
• Support and may lead applications for funding for research and creative activities
• Contribute to Deakin community and its effectiveness via local engagement and citizenship activities

To be successful, you’ll have:

• A PhD awarded or submitted by the time of appointment, in economics, agricultural or resource economics, behavioural or experimental economics, development economics, or environmental economics. 
• Strong knowledge of behavioural and experimental research methods, including lab-in-the-field experiments, design of survey or experimental measures relating to decision-making under risk, intertemporal choice, cooperation, social preferences, or related behavioural outcomes. 
• Advanced applied econometric and causal-inference skills, together with demonstrated capacity to undertake transparent and reproducible analysis using at least one relevant statistical package, such as R or STATA. 
• Evidence of strong research and writing potential relative to career stage, demonstrated through peer-reviewed publications, high-quality working papers, or other relevant outputs, and the ability to communicate findings to both academic and non-academic audiences. 
• Understanding of human-research ethics, informed consent, privacy, research integrity, and responsible data management, with the capacity to contribute to ethics applications, trial registration, pre-analysis plans, project reporting, registered reports for publication, and research documentation. 
• Capacity and willingness to undertake regular travel throughout regional and rural Victoria, including occasional overnight stays and workshops held at times convenient for farming communities.  

Here's how to apply: 

Please submit your updated resume, a short cover letter and responses to the Key Selection Criteria.

For a confidential discussion regarding this role, please contact Pallavi Shukla (Senior Lecturer) on p.shukla@deakin.edu.au

For a copy of the position description, please see below:

 PD-Postdoctoral Research Fellow-590207.pdf

Applications for this position will close on Tuesday, 3rd November 2026.

Are You Ready?

Deakin is a Victorian university with a global impact. We are an agile, dynamic, and innovative university committed to making a positive impact through our excellence in education, research and innovation and the contributions we make to the wider community.

We understand that our reputation has been built on the dedication and expertise of our staff and we offer a dynamic and diverse working environment with opportunities to grow and develop careers. We believe that a progressive, thriving culture will ensure that people choose to come, and stay at Deakin and contribute to our ongoing success.

We value diversity and aim to build an inclusive environment that champions, embraces and respects differences. We support and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people of all abilities, cultures, sexual orientation, and genders.

Pre-employment safety and suitability checks: In accordance with the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence, appointment to this role is subject to successful completion of relevant pre-employment checks, including Working With Children Checks and candidate gender-based violence declarations.

Candidates may be asked to declare whether they have been investigated for an allegation of Gender‑based Violence, or determined to have engaged in conduct that constitutes Gender‑based Violence during the course of their previous employment, or otherwise in a legal process.  A declaration is not required from individuals who have experienced gender‑based violence.  A ‘Yes’ response does not automatically exclude a candidate from employment, and any information provided will be treated confidentially and considered only for relevance to the role and the University’s safety obligations.