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The opportunity

• Exciting postdoctoral role for an early career researcher with a PhD in soil science, agriculture or environmental science.
• Focus on research to increase the resilience and sustainability of agricultural system
• Collaborate with industry, government and the community to make a real-world difference.

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 Agriculture and Food are excited to have the opportunity to recruit an early career researcher with a passion for resilient farming systems to work within the GRDC funded ‘Sandy Soils II-Management to sustain production potential in the low to medium rainfall environments of the Southern cropping region’ project team. The CERC Fellow will develop novel farming systems approaches which provide greater insight into the spatio-temporal complexity of agricultural soils to transform sandy landscapes in the southern cropping region of Australia. They will have the opportunity to work across different spatial scales (paddock level to regional level) and will work with farmers/advisors to implement and analyse commercial-scale soil amelioration trials.  

The CERC Fellow will collaborate with a team of researchers from within CSIRO who have expertise in soil science, spatial analysis and agronomy. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to collaborate with the Spatial Sciences team at the University of Sydney, the Agricultural Engineering team at the University of South Australia, along with other collaborating research agronomists.
 

Your duties will include:

• Design, conduct and analyse field-based farming systems experimentation involving crop, soil, climate and tillage dimensions, including the application of new digital technologies for soil, crop and environmental sensing.
• Develop spatial models to predict where and when in the landscape to ameliorate soil constraints for profitable and sustainable cropping outcomes.
• Advance spatial trial analysis techniques using data from On-Farm-Experimentation (OFE).
• Produce high quality scientific papers suitable for publication in high quality international journals and conferences.
• Carry out innovative, impactful research of strategic importance to CSIRO that will, where possible, lead to novel and important scientific outcomes

Location:  Adelaide, Toowoomba/Forest Hill or Brisbane (negotiable)

Salary:  AU$96k - AU$105k plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure:  Specified term of 3 years

Reference:  96922

To be considered you will need:

• A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD) in a relevant discipline area, such as agricultural/ environmental/ soil science or related disciplines. Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (full-time equivalent) of postdoctoral research experience.
• Experience and skills in programming (eg. R or Python), data manipulation, model development using statistical and machine learning algorithms, and aptitude for the use of high-performance computer (HPC) facilities for the prediction of soil and land properties, processes, and functions.
• Experience and/or demonstrated knowledge of GIS and precision agriculture techniques and/or experience in developing and deploying Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) technology at paddock and regional scale. 
• Demonstrated ability to conceive and undertake original and innovative research by generating and pursuing novel ideas and solutions to scientific research problems.

For full details about this role please view the Position Description

Eligibility

Applications for this position are open to Australian/New Zealand Citizens, Australian Permanent Residents or you must either hold, or be able to obtain, a valid working visa for the duration of the specified term. 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.

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

22 July 2024, 11:00pm AEST