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

The Opportunity

• Do you have a PhD in materials science/engineering, chemical engineering or chemistry?
• Interested in developing biomimetic membranes for separating nutrients from complex wastewater streams?
• Join the CSIRO Agriculture and Food team for this exciting postdoctoral opportunity

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 research and implement new approaches to create novel membrane separation technology that enables the harvesting of target resources from nutrient rich liquid waste. The project aims to intelligently combine biomimetic concepts and molecular engineering along with adopting the easy processing and scalability of conventional polymeric membranes to create intrinsic selective mechanisms for energy efficient separation and harvesting of clean water and nutrients from wastewater. The project will include designing the membrane synthesis technique with embedded protein structures for flat sheet and/or hollow fibre membranes, establishing method for membrane module assembly, and ultimately building a prototype system to explore the applications to harvest high value resources from agri-food wastewater and beyond.

Your duties will include:

• Developing and optimising the scalable membrane fabrication technique for novel biomimetic selective channel embedded membranes to maximise the membrane separation performance for targeted separation.
• Fabricating the spiral wound or hollow fibre membrane module and designing a prototype membrane system for membrane performance evaluation using real industrial wastewater.
• Undertaking regular reviews of relevant literature and patents. 
• Producing high quality scientific and/or engineering papers suitable for publication in high impact journals, documents for client reports and patent applications.
• Presenting work to a wide variety of audiences and actively engaging in outreach activities and contribute to the development of innovative concepts and ideas for further research.

Location: Clayton, Victoria

Salary: AU$92k - AU$101k plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure: Specified term of 3 years

Reference: 90600

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/engineering, chemical engineering or chemistry. Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (or full-time equivalent) of postdoctoral research experience.
• Strong track record of experimental research in membrane materials and technology for desalination, wastewater treatment, and/or resource recovery.
• Demonstrated strong experience in the common membrane synthesis technique (e.g. phase inversion, interfacial polymerisation, spin coating, solution casting), characterisation and testing of polymeric membranes, preferably for nanofiltration, RO and FO membranes.
• Demonstrated ability to undertake original, creative and innovative research by generating and pursuing novel ideas and solutions to scientific research problems, including the ability & willingness to incorporate novel ideas and approaches into scientific investigations.

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 and Australian temporary residents currently residing in Australia. 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. 

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

20 January 2023, 11:00pm AEDT