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 want to advance your scientific knowledge & experience?
• Do you 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 has over 40 years of experience in the development and application of energy storage devices. We are now beginning to explore the next generation of energy storage devices as part of our recently launched Future Science Platform: Revolutionary Energy Storage Systems (RESS FSP). The RESS FSP is designed to tackle the biggest challenges and we are seeking to explore air-breathing electrodes for the next generation of high energy metal-air batteries. 

We have an opportunity for a postdoctoral researcher to join our FSP team that is exploring several different aspects of air-breathing cathodes. The successful candidate will have demonstrated expertise in metals and metal alloys, and a strong working knowledge of electrochemistry, preferably with some experience with batteries or other electrochemical devices. You will work with a diverse team of researchers to design and develop different metal-based substrates to conduct oxygen electrochemistry. You will be responsible for the conceptualisation and development of these materials including the fabrication of electrodes, undertaking fundamental electrochemical studies and characterisation using a range of different methods. You will then report on these activities to both internal and external stakeholders.

Your duties will include:

• Review and summarise the state-of-the-art of metals and alloys for air-breathing electrodes.
• Develop and characterise metal electrodes for air breathing cathodes incl. new metals and / or alloys and fabrication procedures via techniques such as 3D printing, 
• Understand oxygen electrochemistry in contact with these metals and structures, detailing issues relating to interfaces and other phenomena.
• Collect and report data from electrochemical tests, such as battery cycling, cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy. Be familiar and capable in the use of other characterisation methods, i.e. UV/Vis, Raman and FT-IR Spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, SEM and others appropriate for batteries and components thereof.

Location:  Clayton, VIC

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

Tenure:  Specified term of 3 years

Reference:  92271

To be considered you will need:

• A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD) in a relevant discipline area, such as Material Science/Engineering or related discipline, coupled with experience in some or all of the following: materials design and fabrication methods, microstructure and property evaluation, and electrochemistry Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (full-time equivalent) of postdoctoral research experience.
• An understanding of the relationships between material composition, processing, properties, electrochemical performance, and working environments.
• Technical and scientific experience or knowledge of functional materials development, computational modelling, and/or structural designing.  
• Experience in electrochemical testing and evaluation of functional properties, and proficiency in a range of materials characterisation and chemical analysis techniques.

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

17 May 2023, 11:00pm AEST