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The opportunity

• Exciting opportunity for an early career researcher with a PhD in materials science and engineering, electrical engineering, additive manufacturing or artificial intelligence
• Play an important role in the development of novel metal 3D printing technology using microwave-induced plasma
• Join the CSIRO Manufacturing Advanced Materials and Processing Program for this 3-year role

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.

The CERC Fellow will join the Advanced Materials and Processing Program in the Manufacturing Research Unit to develop a novel metal 3D printing technology using microwave-induced plasma. Leveraging expertise in materials science, physics, electrical engineering, and/or machine learning (ML), the CERC Fellow will investigate the intricate interactions among microwaves, plasma, and metal powders. The primary objectives are to achieve controlled microwave plasma generation, ensure stable melting and solidification of metal powders for additive manufacturing, and use ML to optimise process insights and control mechanisms.

Your duties will include:

• Undertake literature reviews on microwave-induced plasma interactions with materials.
• Organise experimental setup and design for generating microwave-induced plasmas for microwave 3D printing: including the metal powder bed system, microwave components, controlled atmosphere, temperature monitoring, and electromagnetic field intensity monitoring.
• Conduct experiments to investigate metal powder behaviour under microwave radiation. 
• Conduct data processing and feature selection: Process data to make it suitable for machine learning algorithms.  
• Select appropriate machine learning models and train them on the available data and tune the hyperparameters to optimise experimental design and model performance.

Location: Clayton, Victoria

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

Tenure: Specified term of 3 years

Reference: 97414

To be considered you will need:

• A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD) in a relevant discipline area, such as materials science and engineering, electrical engineering, additive manufacturing or artificial intelligence. Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (full-time equivalent) of postdoctoral research experience.
• Proven experience in experimental design, data monitoring and collection, and material characterisation. 
• Demonstrated understanding and knowledge of metal 3D printing processes and microwave theory. 
• Demonstrated basic programming skills.
• 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.

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

2 September 2024, 11:00pm AEST