The Opportunity

• Do you have a PhD in geology, geochemistry, physical chemistry, environmental geochemistry and materials chemistry?
• Want to conduct innovative research with a leading research organisation?
• Join CSIRO – Australia’s leading scientific research organisation! 

CSIRO Early Research Career (CERC) Postdoctoral Fellowships provide opportunities to scientists and engineers who have completed their doctorate and have less than three years of relevant postdoctoral work experience. These fellowships aim to develop the next generation of future leaders of the innovation system.

CSIRO's Mineral Resources has an exciting opportunity for a Postdoctoral Fellow to join a multi-disciplinary team conducting research on the presence of hidden impurities in iron ores. This project will have a significant impact towards unlocking the potential of currently uneconomic iron ores while simultaneously providing the added benefit of reducing emissions during downstream processing.

The Postdoctoral Fellow will collaborate with a team of experts to develop and focus experimental procedures and ideas to complete the project. This role provides an outstanding opportunity for the Postdoctoral Fellow to take ownership of an exciting research direction, combining cutting edge analytic techniques with beneficiation of low-grade iron ores.  This project will ultimately equip the applicant with transferrable skills in diverse areas of science across multiple disciplines, including micro- to nano-characterisation, low temperature geochemistry and mineral processing.

The Postdoctoral Fellow will be based in Clayton but will have access to dedicated world-class equipment and specialists operating in areas ranging from ore characterisation, mineralogy, geochemistry, modelling and micro- to (sub)nanoscale characterization.  These facilities are located in Melbourne (CSIRO, Australian Synchrotron, Monash University) and Perth (Curtin University). Some travel will be required.

Your duties will include:

• Carry out innovative, impactful research of strategic importance to CSIRO that will, where possible, lead to novel and important scientific outcomes. 
• Recognise and exploit opportunities for innovation and the generation of new theoretical perspectives, and progress opportunities for the further development or creation of new lines of research.
• Utilise design thinking methodology to plan and prepare research proposals, and apply non-academic impact methodology to research projects.
• Carry out research investigations requiring originality, creativity and innovation.

Location:   Clayton, VIC
Salary: AU$88k - AU$96k plus up to 15.4% superannuation
Tenure: Specified term of 3 years
Reference:   75423

To be considered you will need:

• A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD) in a relevant discipline area, such as geology, geochemistry, physical chemistry, environmental geochemistry and materials chemistry. Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (or part-time equivalent) of postdoctoral research experience.
• Sound knowledge and research experience in modern laboratory methodologies, including materials characterization techniques (e.g. SEM, XRD, EPMA, TEM, synchrotron-based techniques like XAS) among others.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct challenging experiments, solve complex experimental problems and cope with ambiguity or situations that lack clarity.
• High level written and oral communication skills with the ability to represent the research team effectively internally and externally, including the presentation of research outcomes at national and international conferences.

For full details about this role please view the Position Description

Eligibility

To be eligible to for role, you must be an Australian/New Zealand Citizen, Australian Permanent Resident or Australian temporary resident currently residing in Australia and be able to commence in the role by December 2021/January 2022.

The successful applicant will be required to obtain and provide a National Police Check or equivalent. Additional integrity checks may be required for specific roles which require security clearance for working with children, Australian Government cybersecurity requirements or other identified security roles.

Flexible Working Arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. 

Diversity and Inclusion

We are working hard to recruit people representing the diversity across our society, and ensure that all our people feel supported to do their best work and feel empowered to let their ideas flourish. 

About CSIRO

At CSIRO Australia's national science agency, we solve the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. We put the safety and wellbeing of our people above all else and earn trust everywhere because we only deal in facts. We collaborate widely and generously and deliver solutions with real impact. 

Join us and start creating tomorrow today!

How to Apply

Please apply on-line and provide a cover letter and CV that best demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role.

Applications Close

31 August 2021, 11:00pm AEST