CSIRO Postdoctoral Fellowship in Mineral Leaching in Brackish and Saline Environment - CSIRO - IndustrialCareer

First listed on: 11 December 2021

CSIRO Postdoctoral Fellowship in Mineral Leaching in Brackish and Saline Environment

 

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 have a PhD in hydrometallurgy, chemical engineering, or similar?
  • Want to conduct world class research and development with a team of dedicated professionals?
  • 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.

The efficiency of water usage has become a priority for the global minerals industry, especially in regions with limited freshwater supplies. Brackish and saline water presents an alternative to freshwater for some copper mineral leaching at mine sites. This project will investigate low grade copper ore leaching reactions in brackish and saline environments, undertake 3D characterization of the development of fluid pathways through the heterogeneous networks, and model mineral dissolution kinetics.

The successful candidate will have access to state-of-the-art mineral characterization/processing equipment at CSIRO Minerals and networking opportunities with first-class researchers. They will have the opportunity to further develop skills and networks in diverse science areas including electrochemistry, mineral processing, and environmental science.

Your duties will include:

  • Characterising the development of fluid pathways in 3D to monitor the progress of coupled dissolution–precipitation reactions at microscale and mineral dissolution in brackish and saline environments.
  • Developing, leading, and managing the experimental program and deliverables on discovery and validation of how sulfide minerals’ chemical reaction mechanisms could underpin potential advances in green mining and environmental management practices.
  • Using state-of-the-art static and column leaching facilities to provide an in situ, continuous, real-time, 3D data stream of leaching parameters under closely controlled leaching conditions.

Location: Melbourne, VIC
Salary: AU$89k - AU$98k plus up to 15.4% superannuation
Tenure: Specified term of 3 years
Reference: 80001

To be considered you will need:

  • A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD) in a relevant discipline area, such as hydrometallurgy, chemical engineering or related areas in physical chemistry, mineral processing, environmental chemistry, and materials. Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (full-time equivalent) of postdoctoral research experience.
  • Experience in using advanced electrochemical microscopy and other spectroscopic techniques to examine in situ microscale changes in chemical species at the surface layers of minerals under different operational and environmental conditions.
  • Practical experience in sulfide mineral leaching, chemical species analysis, leaching kinetics and thermodynamic analysis.

For full details about this role please view the Position Description

Eligibility

To be eligible for this role, you must be an Australian/New Zealand Citizen, Australian Permanent Resident or Australian temporary resident currently residing in Australia and be able to commence in the role by 30 June 2022.

The successful applicant will be required to obtain and provide a National Police Check or equivalent. Additional integrity checks may be required for specific roles which require security clearance for working with children, Australian Government cybersecurity requirements or other identified security roles.

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. 

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 January 2022, 11:00pm AEDT