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 to take us well beyond the limitations of today’s energy storage options and systems.  

We have an opportunity for a postdoctoral researcher to join our FSP team to explore using reverse electrodialysis (RED) to create cheap, large scale energy storage. Whilst batteries typically store energy through a chemical potential difference, it is possible to achieve storage of energy by a difference across a cell in the concentration of metal ions, commonly known as an osmotic pressure.  Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is a process that generates electrical energy from the salinity difference between two solutions. It involves the use of a series of alternating cation and anion exchange membranes to create a gradient of ion concentration, which can then be used to drive an electric current. This project seeks to find out if it is possible to revolutionise these ion exchange membranes by developing new nanomaterials capable of extremely efficient separation of these ions.

This project will be supervised by Professor Matthew Hill and Dr Tim van Der Laan. 

Your duties will include:

• Preparation of candidate membrane materials.
• Development of membrane coating methods.
• Conduct test campaign, designing new testing modules as required.
• Carry out innovative, impactful research of strategic importance to CSIRO that will, where possible, lead to novel and important scientific outcomes. 
• Recognise and exploit opportunities for innovation and the generation of new theoretical perspectives, and progress opportunities for the further development or creation of new lines of research.
• Carry out research investigations requiring originality, creativity and innovation.

Location:  Clayton, VIC

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

Tenure:  Specified term of 3 years

Reference:  92469

To be considered you will need:

• A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD) in a relevant discipline area, such as chemistry, chemical engineering or materials science. Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (or part-time equivalent) of postdoctoral research experience.
• Experience with membrane science. 
• Familiarity with energy storage. 
• Demonstrated ability to synthesise and characterise nanomaterials.  
• Ability to construct prototype devices.  

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

30 May 2023, 11:00pm AEST