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

Child Safety

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 computational physics, computational chemistry and/or computer science?
• Do you want to advance your scientific knowledge & experience?
• 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.

In this position you will contribute to developing software for molecular design using machine learning.

Given a molecular geometry, the calculation of microscopic parameters would typically proceed via quantum chemistry calculations which are typically too slow and problematic. Here we bypass this limitation by pre-training an artificial neural network to predict relevant microscopic molecular parameters based only on the structural and alchemical information of candidate molecules.  We train and test the neural network on a hybrid data set of known compounds, making use of in-house quantum chemistry calculations and existing, open-access organic molecule databases.

Your duties will include:

• 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.
• Utilise design thinking methodology to plan and prepare research proposals, and apply non-academic impact methodology to research projects.
• Carry out research investigations requiring originality, creativity and innovation.

Location:  Clayton, Victoria

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

Tenure:  Specified term of 3 years

Reference:  95420

To be considered you will need:

• A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD) in a relevant discipline area, such as computational physics, computational chemistry and/or computer science. Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (full-time equivalent) of postdoctoral research experience.
• A background in machine learning and artificial intelligence.
• Operational knowledge of Python programming language required with good knowledge of either PyTorch and/or TensorFlow frameworks.
• Tangential knowledge of quantum chemistry, computational chemistry and/or molecular physics.
• High level written and oral communication skills and ability to work within a team.

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

31 January 2024 11:00pm AEDT