• Are you a recent (or soon-to-be) PhD graduate in Australian tropical climate science?
• Work with CSIRO Agriculture & Food and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology
• Kick-start your research career at Australia's premier research organisation 

The Position

Postdoctoral Fellows are appointed for up to three years and will work closely with a leading Research Scientist or Engineer in their respective field. They carry out innovative, impactful research of strategic importance to CSIRO with the possibility of novel and important scientific outcomes. They present the findings in appropriate publications and at conferences.

Extensive research has been conducted on seasonal climate variability in the southern half of Australia and how to empower the farming communities of those regions. The same intensity of effort has not been applied in the north over the last decade despite the impact that climate variability has on production and farm finances.  As such, CSIRO Agriculture and Food is seeking to appoint a capable and engaging postdoctoral fellow who is enthusiastic about working with key agricultural stakeholders in northern Australia. While the focus of the role is ultimately on improving sub-seasonal to seasonal timescale forecasts we are wanting to recruit a scientist who has an aptitude and interest in achieving on-ground impact.

As a postdoctoral fellow on our team, you will be based at CSIRO Agriculture and Food supervised by Dr Jaclyn Brown and the Weather and Climate Decisions Team, and collaborating with Dr Andrew Marshall at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. You will contribute to the international sub-seasonal to seasonal research community, in feeding back new developments in tropical climate pushing the boundaries of multi-week to seasonal forecasting. The design of the project will be informed by exploring stakeholder needs from across different agricultural sectors and working across Agricultural domains. This will be done with guidance from Drs Andrew Ash and Peter Thorburn who are based in Brisbane.

Your duties will include:

• Designing statistical approaches to unpack the relationships between the climate drivers and synoptic systems of northern Australia.
• Analysing the output of seasonal climate forecast models for simulating tropical drivers.
• Developing improvements to the ACCESS-S climate model or developing post-processing techniques to enhance rainfall predictability.
• Communicating findings to the CSIRO Climate Decisions Team to assist in developing decision-making tools for farmers and stakeholders from these research findings.
• Undertaking regular reviews of relevant literature and follow research developments in the subseasonal to seasonal international research community.

Location:      Hobart (Sandy Bay), Tasmania, Australia
Salary:          AU$82k- AU$93k plus up to 15.4% superannuation
Tenure:         Specified term of 3 years
Reference:    58795

To be successful you will need:

• A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD) in Australian tropical climate science.
• An understanding of the different temporal scales of variability in the Australian climate.
• Demonstrated strong ability in writing computer programs and in data analysis method/approach and techniques, including the ability to work with ensemble forecasts or multi-model ensembles.
• Demonstrated excellent oral and written communication skills, including seeking opportunities for external engagement.
• The ability to work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary, regionally dispersed research team, plus demonstrated discipline to carry out autonomous research.
• A record of science innovation and creativity, plus the ability & willingness to incorporate novel ideas and approaches into scientific investigations.

For details about who to contact and for more information please view the Position Description

Flexible Working Arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. Talk to us about how this role could be flexible for you. Balance

About CSIRO

At CSIRO you can be part of helping to solve big, complex problems that make a real difference to our future. We spark off each other, learn from each other, trust each other and collaborate to achieve more than we could individually in a supportive, rewarding, inclusive and truly flexible environment. 

Apply Online

To apply online, please provide a CV and letter outlining your suitability and motivation for the role.  Please note: This is a re-advertisement of job reference number 56958. Previous applicants need not apply.

Applications Close: 21st October 2018