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CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs. View our Child Safe Policy.

The Opportunity

• Do you have a PhD in ecological remote sensing, environmental remote sensing or Synthetic Aperture Radar techniques and applications?
• Keen to advance the use of multi-wavelength SAR, using techniques such as polarimetric SAR Interferometry?
• Outstanding opportunity to work on research which will be of high impact and interest across CSIRO, Australia and beyond

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.

This project will improve Australia’s ability to monitor Ecosystem Extent by developing new capability in the use of Earth observation (particularly Synthetic Aperture Radar – SAR - imagery) and data analytics. Ecosystem Extent is a core metric needed by natural resource management organizations, governments and NGOs for multilateral environmental agreements. It enables the identification of - and response to - drivers of change, and has direct application to national priorities, such as quantifying bushfire risk and managing carbon and biodiversity. 
 

Systematic mapping of Ecosystem Extent has not yet been achieved, nor has the value of SAR for Ecosystem Extent mapping been fully realized. The SAR signal is sensitive to the vertical structure of vegetation, providing observables that are critical to determining ecosystem type and condition. This structural information also has direct relevance to pre-fire risk and post-fire regrowth assessments. The CERC Fellow will advance the use of multi-wavelength SAR, using techniques such as polarimetric SAR Interferometry (PolInSAR) and machine learning based classification, to estimate biophysical parameters and implement the results as quantitative Ecosystem Extent monitoring technologies. These approaches will require testing in multiple vegetation regimes and validation against robust 3D structural measurements from terrestrial and drone-mounted LiDAR. 
 

The CERC Fellow will leverage CSIRO’s leading expertise in Earth observation technologies including new Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites (such as CSIRO’s NovaSAR-1 capacity and NASA’s upcoming NISAR mission) and data analytics platforms (CSIRO’s Earth Analytics Science and Innovation platform – EASI). The CERC Fellow will join a cross-disciplinary team with opportunities to collaborate with a newly established Ecosystem Extent Task Team of the international Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS). The research will be of high impact and interest across CSIRO, Australia and beyond.

Your duties will include:

• Carrying out innovative, impactful research of strategic importance to CSIRO that will, where possible, lead to novel and important scientific outcomes. 
• Recognising and exploiting opportunities for innovation and the generation of new theoretical perspectives, and progressing opportunities for the further development or creation of new lines of research.
• Utilising design thinking methodology to plan and prepare research proposals, and applying non-academic impact methodology to research projects.
• Collaborating with the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites Ecosystem Extent Task Team.
• Carrying out research investigations requiring originality, creativity and innovation.

Location: Kensington, Perth, Western Australia preferred, Canberra, ACT, possible and other locations considered

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

Tenure: Specified term of 3 years

Reference: 93433

To be considered you will need:

• A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD) in a relevant discipline area, such as ecological remote sensing, environmental remote sensing or Synthetic Aperture Radar techniques and applications. Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (full-time equivalent) of postdoctoral research experience.
• Programming skills and demonstrated ability to work across a range of programming and data analysis languages (e.g. Python, C or Matlab) and computing platforms. 
• Experience in Earth observation data processing, particularly Synthetic Aperture Radar.
• An understanding of the principles of radar remote sensing.
• 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

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.

The successful candidate will be expected to commence employment by 31 January 2024.

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.

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs, whether we are undertaking research, engaging with the public or nurturing future scientists in person or online. Source – CSIRO Child Safe policy 2023

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

31 August 2023, 11:00pm AEST