Research Fellow – Workplace Sickness Absence
Job No.: 686418
Location: 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Employment Type: Full-time
Duration: 3-year fixed-term appointment
Remuneration: $118,974 - $141,283 pa Level B (plus 17% employer superannuation)
- Amplify your impact at a world top 50 University
- Join our inclusive, collaborative community
- Be surrounded by extraordinary ideas - and the people who discover them
The Opportunity
Monash University is proud to invite applications for a Research Fellow (Level B) specialising in Workplace Sickness Absence, as part of the newly established ARC Laureate Fellowship research program led by Professor Alex Collie.
Backed by a $3.8 million Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship, this flagship national program is modernising Australia’s work disability, workers’ compensation and social security systems through large-scale, evidence-based research that reflects real-world working lives.
This role will lead one of the most ambitious national studies ever undertaken on worker sickness absence in Australia.
About the Role
This position will lead a landmark national prospective cohort study of worker sickness absence, tracking Australian workers over time to generate new evidence on health, employment participation and long-term work outcomes. Working closely with Professor Collie and the broader Laureate Fellowship team, the successful candidate will:
- Design and deliver a national prospective cohort study of Australian workers
- Lead recruitment of a large national sample and manage 12-month follow-up
- Link survey data with national administrative data systems for long-term outcome analysis
- Conduct advanced statistical analysis and interpretation
- Translate findings into system-level insights for policy and practice
- Lead project reporting, stakeholder engagement and high-impact publications
- Co-supervise a PhD student aligned with the project
- Contribute across other major programs within the ARC Laureate Fellowship portfolio
This role offers outstanding scope to lead a nationally significant dataset, build methodological leadership, and shape future policy and system reform related to workplace absence and recovery.
About Professor Alex Collie and the Program
Professor Collie is Director of the Healthy Working Lives Research Group and the Division of Health Systems, Services and Policy within the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University. He is an ARC Laureate Fellow, President of the Scientific Committee on Work Disability Prevention for the International Commission on Occupational Health, and a member of the Australian Research Council College of Experts.
His research leadership spans work injury rehabilitation, occupational health, workers’ compensation, motor accident injury compensation and disability insurance systems. The Laureate Fellowship establishes a new research centre of excellence at Monash focused on national system reform, lived experience and real-world impact.
About You
You will bring disciplinary expertise in public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, occupational health, or a related field, along with strong quantitative research capability and experience working with large datasets and cohort studies.
Essential qualifications and experience include:
- A doctoral qualification in a relevant discipline, or equivalent research experience
- Demonstrated statistical analysis capability and a strong refereed publication record
- Experience contributing to competitive research funding proposals
- Capacity to supervise and mentor research staff and PhD students
- High-level organisational, communication and project management skills
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively within multidisciplinary research teams
- Advanced experience with analytical software such as R Studio, STATA or SPSS
- Desirable: Experience in occupational health and safety, workers’ compensation, or a closely aligned field
About Monash University
At Monash, work feels different. There’s a sense of belonging, from contributing to something ground breaking – a place where great things happen.
We value difference and diversity, and welcome and celebrate everyone's contributions, lived experience and expertise. That’s why we champion an inclusive and respectful workplace culture where everyone is supported to succeed.
Some 20,000 staff work for Monash around the world. We have 95,000 students, four Australian campuses, and campuses in Malaysia and Indonesia. We also have a major presence in India and China, and a significant centre and research foundation in Italy.
In our short history, we have skyrocketed through global university rankings and established ourselves consistently among the world's best tertiary institutions. We rank in the world’s top-50 universities in rankings including the QS World University Rankings 2026.
Together with our commitment to academic freedom, you will have access to quality research facilities, infrastructure, world-class teaching spaces, and international collaboration opportunities.
Learn more about Monash.
Today, we have the momentum to create the future we need for generations to come. Accelerate your change here.
Monash supports flexible and hybrid working arrangements. We have a range of policies in place enabling staff to combine work and personal commitments. This includes supporting parents.
To Apply
For instructions on how to apply, please refer to
'How to apply for Monash Jobs'. Your application must address the Key Selection Criteria.
Diversity is one of our greatest strengths at Monash. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, and people of all genders, sexualities, and age groups.
We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible recruitment process at Monash. If you need any reasonable adjustments, please contact us at hr-recruitment@monash.edu in an email titled 'Reasonable Adjustments Request' for a confidential discussion.
Your employment is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of all pre-employment and/or background checks required for the role, as determined by the University.
Enquiries: Professor Alex Collie, Director, Healthy Working Lives Research Group, Alex.Collie@monash.edu
Position Description: Research Fellow - Workplace Sickness Absence
Applications Close: Sunday 1 February 2026, 11:55pm AEDT
Supporting a diverse workforce
