The Opportunity

• Are you skilled in materials engineering, chemical engineering or chemistry?
• Prestigious Postdoctoral Fellowship on offer - kick-start your research career!
• Join CSIRO - Australia's premier science and technology research organisation!

Taking inspiration from living cell membranes we understand that they are fast, efficient and perform selective separations of ions and molecules at a rate of 108 atoms per second. The accuracy and selectivity originates in the architecture of the pore. The scientific challenge identified for the Postdoctoral fellow is to produce membranes that harness these synthetic channel structures for fast, efficient, selective atomic and molecular transport for the separation of ions of the same valence from water; in particular seawater, brines, produced water and waste streams. The Postdoctoral Fellow will research and fabricate new approaches to produce next generation ion selective water filtration membranes.

The project will include producing porous materials with various pore architectures, fabricating membranes from these materials, developing characterisation and performance process and working towards scale-up and a prototype systems.  Our team has demonstrated proof of concept success in materials and membrane science approaches to this challenge, and we are working to scale the materials and processes to higher technology readiness level with a consortium of industry collaborators. This opportunity will suit a researcher who enjoys collaborative team work and who has a passion for fundamental and applied science and engineering approaches that scale.

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:      Melbourne (Clayton), Victoria 
Tenure:         Specified term of 3 years or three years or part time equivalent
Salary:          AU$82K – AU$93K + up to 15.4% superannuation
Reference:   60272

To be successful you will need

• A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD) in a relevant discipline area, such as chemical engineering, materials engineering, chemistry field.
  • Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (or part time equivalent) of relevant postdoctoral experience.
• Strong experience in materials fabrication and characterisation techniques, such as metal-organic framework synthesis and fabrication, porous organic polymer or amorphous material synthesis and fabrications. 
• Strong experience in experimental polymer chemistry, common membrane synthesis, membrane fabrication methods (ie; composite membrane, phase inversion, flat sheet, hollow fibre), characterisation, and testing of thin film membranes for separations of gas and/or liquid.
• Demonstrated experience in research publications and grant applications.
• High level written and oral communication skills with the ability to represent the research team effectively internally and externally, including through peer reviewed journals and/or authorship of scientific papers, reports, grant applications, patents, and presenting at national and international conferences
• A record of science innovation and creativity, including the ability & willingness to incorporate novel ideas and approaches into scientific investigations.
• A history of professional and respectful behaviours and attitudes in a collaborative environment.
• The ability to work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary, potentially regionally dispersed research team, plus the motivation and discipline to carry out autonomous research.

For more information please view the Position Description. 
We’re working hard to recruit diverse people and ensure all our people feel supported to do their best work and empowered to let their ideas flourish.

Flexible Working Arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. Talk to us about how this role could be flexible for you. Balance

About CSIRO

At CSIRO you can be part of helping to solve big, complex problems that make a real difference to our future. We spark off each other, learn from each other, trust each other and collaborate to achieve more than we could individually in a supportive, rewarding, inclusive and truly flexible environment. 

Apply Online

To apply online, please provide a CV and cover letter outlining your suitability and motivation for the role

Applications Close

Wednesday, 20th March, 2019.