Acknowledgement of Country

CSIRO acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land, sea and waters, of the area that we live and work on across Australia. We acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture and pay our respects to their Elders past and present. View our vision towards reconciliation

Child Safety

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs. View our Child Safe Policy.

The Opportunity

• Do you have a PhD in Geochemistry, Chemistry, Physics or Material Science?
• Exciting 3-year postdoctoral opportunity to solve challenges and drive innovation.
• JoinCSIRO’s CarbonLock Future Science Platform initiative!

CSIRO Early Research Career(CERC) Postdoctoral Fellowships provide opportunities to scientists and engineers who have completed their doctorateand 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.
Future Science Platforms (FSPs) are an investment in boundary-pushing science that will underpin innovation and has the potential to reinvent and create new industries for Australia. These multi-disciplinary, multi-year initiatives bring together diverse networks of partners – including early career researchers – to build the foundations of tomorrow’s breakthroughs.
Nationally and internationally, reaching net-zero emissions and beyond will require new methods of permanently removing significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere that are fast, scalable, and responsible. CarbonLock, CSIRO’s Permanent Carbon Locking Future Science Platform (FSP) will address this challenge by driving radical innovation at the nexus of biology, chemistry and engineering in negative emissions technology and their integration to permanently remove atmospheric carbon dioxide in novel and unconventional ways.
We are seeking a CERC Fellow who will conduct molecular simulation of mineral carbonation reactions to provide a molecular-level understanding of CO2-fluid-rock interactions at a wide range of fluid composition, and T-P conditions. The calculated thermodynamic and kinetic properties will help build geochemical and reactive transport modelling to assess the mineral carbonation potential and to design the reaction pathway for an accelerated mineral carbonation process.

Your duties will include:

• Conduct molecular simulations to study the microstructure of the mineral-water interface, and to understand the mechanism and fundamental control (thermodynamics and kinetics) of mineral carbonation reactions.
• Work with experimentalists to combine molecular simulations with mineral replacement experiments to cross-check the available and new experimental results.
• Perform geochemical modelling to assess the mineral carbonation potential and to design the reaction pathway for an accelerated mineral carbonation process.
• Work as part of an interdisciplinary team of researchers, contributing to the collaboration between the CSIRO Mineral Resources and CarbonLock Future Science Platforms (FSP).

Location: Kensington, Perth, WA
Salary: AU$92k - AU$101k plus up to 15.4% superannuation
Tenure: Specified term of 3 years
Reference: 93805

To be considered you will need:

• A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD) in a relevant discipline area, such as Geochemistry, Chemistry, Physics or Material Science with a focus on molecular simulations. Please note: To beeligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (or full-time equivalent) of postdoctoral research experience.
• Demonstrated experience in applying molecular modelling approaches to solve applied problems in for example geochemistry, chemistry, material or environmental sciences.
• Demonstrated knowledge in reaction kinetics, thermodynamics and geochemical modelling, especially in the context of water-rock interactions.
• 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

Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements.

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.

CSIRO is committed to values-based leadership to inspire performance and unlock the potential of our people.

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs, whether we are undertaking research, engaging with the public or nurturing future scientists in person or online. Source – CSIRO Child Safe policy 2023

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

18 September 2023, 11:00pm AEST