Research Scientist - Digital Crops

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Role Highlights

• Great opportunity to lead innovative research in digital crop phenotyping
• Join us to create cutting-edge solutions for cotton breeding
• Exciting role to collaborate with top experts & be part of a supportive team

About CSIRO

As Australia's national science agency, CSIRO is solving the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. Many of our iconic innovations were once considered impossible until someone, just like you, joined us and took on the challenge.

Visit CSIRO.au for more information.

The opportunity

Our dynamic ‘Digital Crops’ team is seeking an experienced and motivated Research Scientist, with a passion for applying emerging computer vision techniques for crops, to join their team in an exciting role!
 

As a Digital Crops Research Scientist, you will lead a multidisciplinary research project forming part of a portfolio funded by Cotton Breeding Australia, and your goal will be to develop innovative computer-vision solutions to advance new cotton varieties. By incorporating expertise in plant phenotyping, engineering, image collection, computer vision, and deep learning, you will essentially help redesign crop breeding systems. You will work towards creating a high-throughput digital phenotyping solution to improve plant establishment and growth dynamics in Australia’s cotton breeding program. This will reduce reliance on manual methods, enabling the selection of superior varieties and generating data for genomic prediction models.
 

Ideally based in Canberra (ACT) with the Project Leader and experts in Plant Phenomics, Computer Vision, and Plant Physiology, you will collaborate closely with cotton breeders in Narrabri (NSW), where field experiments will be conducted. Therefore, please note that regular travel to Narrabri for field trips will be required for this position.
 

If this sounds like an area that excites you, join our team and be part of an exciting journey to transform cotton breeding with cutting-edge technology and innovative research!

Your high-level duties will include:

• Identifying and developing methods to acquire imagery (including LiDAR and hyperspectral) using a range of sensors and platforms from cotton field trials suitable for scoring target traits.
• Leading the development of an imagery-based platform for cotton establishment and growth dynamics quantification.
• Developing and implementing practical data science methods to score target traits in cotton.
• Assisting in the planning and preparation of research proposals, and carrying out research investigations, requiring originality, creativity and innovation.
• Assisting the project leader in reporting to external client by providing well-crafted progress summaries and other relevant information as required.
• Undertaking experimental and/or observational research activities (including fieldwork) and supervising/training others to ensure experiments are established in accordance with research design.

Role Particulars

Location and office arrangements: Canberra (Black Mountain) ACT preferred; Narrabri NSW (Other CSIRO sites may be considered, if required, based on needs of the role and individual circumstances. Flexible work options available).

Salary: AU$114K – AU$123K per annum (pro-rata for part-time) plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure & work schedule: Specified Term between 1 October 2025 to 30 June 2028; Full-time (preferred)

Reference: 99528

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

• A PhD and demonstrated relevant postdoctoral experience in the fields of applied computer vision, phenomics or data science.
• Ability to balance scientific innovation with delivery of tangible and practical AI outputs that can be adopted in a commercial breeding context.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate and conduct field work using effective communication skills (please note that this position requires regular travel to field sites).
• Demonstrated publication history of authorship on scientific papers and ability to lead peer-reviewed publications combining innovation in 3D computer vision and domain application.
• Excellent ability to communicate complex artificial intelligence opportunities and novel developments with a potential to create innovation in the application domain to a range of non-specialist stakeholders, including industry experts and end users.
• Demonstrated ability and experience in operating UAVs to collect field data.
• Experience using a range of sensors (i.e. RGB, multispectral, hyperspectral, LiDAR).
• Strong capabilities in using programming languages such as Python, Pytorch and other relevant AI/CV libraries, with experience developing new Deep Learning model architectures.
• Demonstrated flexibility in efficiently managing competing tasks and priorities, to facilitate complex experiments across multiple sites, and to cooperate with other members of the project team to ensure HSE standards are maintained, and project goals are achieved. 

For full details about this role please review the Position Description.

Not sure if you meet all the criteria?

While it is CSIRO policy that the successful candidate must meet all the essential criteria, there are many ways to demonstrate this. Don’t let the list discourage you. If you are unsure about applying, please reach out to the contact person in the Position Description.

Setting You Up for Success

We are committed to providing a recruitment process that is fair, equitable and accessible to everyone. We recognise that it may be helpful for us to adjust our process to make it equitable for your individual situation. Please contact the Talent Acquisition Partner via email (see details in the Position Description) and let us know how we can support you.  

Eligibility

Applications for this position are open to Australian Citizens, New Zealand Citizens, Australian Permanent Residents, and Australian Temporary Residents with a valid working visa for the full duration of the specified term (until 30 June 2028).

Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements. Due to the nature of this role, the successful candidate should also be able and willing to regularly travel to field sites and remote locations.

Life at CSIRO and Flexible Work Arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. We can discuss flexible work arrangements with you during the recruitment process. CSIRO also offers a range of leave entitlements, benefits and career development opportunities. To find out more, visit Careers at CSIRO.

Inclusion and Belonging

Solving Australia's greatest challenges takes a diversity of minds and lived experiences. We know diverse teams are more effective and deliver more innovative outcomes. As an equal employment opportunity organisation, we are committed to creating diverse and inclusive teams where people feel they belong. We recognise true diversity encompasses all ages, abilities, cultures, faiths, levels of education, genders, sexualities, diversity of thought and much more. We focus on hiring people who share our values of People First, Further Together, Making it Real and Trusted.

CSIRO holds Gold Status for the Australian Workplace Equality Index for LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and a Science in Australia Gender Equity Bronze Award.

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.

How to apply

Please apply online, and provide a CV and a detailed cover letter, responding to each of the selection criteria in detail, that best demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role. Please attach your selection criteria responses to your cover letter as one document.

Applications close

13 April 2025, 11:00pm AEST