• Work type: Fixed Term
• Location: Parkville
• Salary: $73,669 - $99,964 (Level A)
• Role & Superannuation rate: Academic - Part time - 9.5% super

Orygen is the world’s leading research and knowledge translation organisation focusing on mental ill-health in young people.

At Orygen, our leadership and staff work to deliver cutting-edge research, policy development, innovative clinical services, and evidence-based training and education to ensure that there is continuous improvement in the treatments and care provided to young people experiencing mental ill-health.

The Company has three Members: the Colonial Foundation, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health.

The University of Melbourne has an agreement with Orygen for designated employees to be made available to undertake activities for Orygen, and this arrangement will apply to you. University employees working at Orygen are required at all times to continue to adhere to University policies, procedures, regulations and statutes, as well as to Orygen policies and procedures (including Orygen’s delegations of authority framework which can be found at http://staff.orygen.org.au/), but the University’s policies and procedures shall prevail in the event of any inconsistency. For the period of participating in activities at Orygen, you will be subject to the reasonable control and direction of Orygen. You consent to the University disclosing to Orygen your personal employment information solely for the purposes of facilitating your secondment to Orygen, and that such disclosure will not be a breach of any of your privacy rights.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is Australia’s third most costly mental disorder. It starts in adolescence and emerging adulthood, but treatment typically occurs late when problems in interpersonal relationships, education and employment are entrenched. Despite frequently seeking help, people with BPD are as likely to die from suicide as those with schizophrenia. The Helping Young People Early (HYPE) program has pioneered the field of prevention and early intervention for BPD in young people. Our research program aims to address two key questions: (i) How can we accurately define personality disorder characteristics in young people? (ii) How can we understand the cause and development of BPD to help prevention and early intervention?

We seek a Research Assistant to work on a randomised controlled trial (‘VERBATIM’) investigating whether a second-generation antipsychotic (aripiprazole) can reduce the severity of auditory verbal hallucinations in young people with BPD. Participants will be young people (aged 15 to 25 years) attending specialist clinical services at Orygen.

The Research Assistant will be required to display self-initiative and work productively within the research and clinical teams using established protocols. The Research Assistant will also be required to keep meticulous records and maintain data, assisting with data entry and verification.

The Research Assistant will report to, and work under the direction of the Trial Coordinator and Principal Investigator, who reports to the Head, Centre for Youth Mental Health.

To ensure the University provides a safe environment for children, this position requires the incumbent to hold a current and valid Working with Children Check.

For information to assist you with compiling short statements to answer the selection criteria, please go to: https://about.unimelb.edu.au/careers/selection-criteria.

Orygen is an equal opportunity employer. We are dedicated to attracting, developing and retaining our staff irrespective of gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability and age. Applications are encouraged from all sectors of the community.  We strongly encourage applications from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.