CSIRO Postdoctoral Fellowship in Low Carbon Liquid Fuels

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. 

Role highlights

• Advance Net Zero with sustainable feedstock solutions for low-carbon fuels
• Lead research across the full value chain from biomass to refining
• Collaborate widely to shape policy and grow a multibillion-dollar industry

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 

CSIRO Early Research Career (CERC) Fellowships provide opportunities to scientists and engineers who have completed their doctorate and have less than three years relevant research experience.  These Fellowships aim to develop the next generation of future leaders of the innovation system.

Join our interdisciplinary team to help build Australia’s Low Carbon Liquid Fuels (LCLF) industry—essential for decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors like aviation, mining, and heavy transport. You’ll generate insights on sustainable feedstock sourcing from agriculture and forestry, focusing on renewable fuels such as SAF and renewable diesel made from biomass, residues, and waste, with scope to explore e-fuels from green hydrogen. Working within the Sustainability Program in Agriculture and Food, you’ll collaborate across energy and environment teams and with external partners to deliver full value-chain solutions that meet sustainability, certification, and social license requirements. This is your chance to shape a multibillion-dollar industry critical to achieving Net Zero goals.

Your high-level duties will include: 

• Scope and analyse currently available feedstock production, processing and refining options; the focus will be on identifying pathways and barriers to developing domestic LCLF feedstock supply and refining capacity based on our agricultural systems while protecting food supply, environmental and natural capital values.
• Carry out innovative, impactful research of strategic importance to CSIRO that will, where possible, lead to novel scientific and industry impact and outcomes.
• Support the Scientific Lead for LCLF and project team to deliver diverse projects to external government and industry clients including (but not limited to) bioresource and feedstock assessments, farming systems analysis, integrated sustainability assessments, land use change analysis, techno-economic analysis of LCLF production pathways, review and discussion of international LCLF frameworks including CORSIA, EU Renewable Energy Directive and the Australian Guarantee of Origin scheme.
• Work with broad Agriculture and Food, Energy and Environment teams to develop novel technologies and strategies to overcome current barriers to the expansion of domestic LCLF production and the use of second and third generation feedstocks.
• Engage with government, industry and academic networks to better understand opportunities, barriers and R&D needs to support LCLF industry development and to develop new project funding proposals.

Role particulars

Location: Brisbane QLD, Melbourne VIC or Canberra ACT

Salary: AU$103k - AU$113k per annum (pro-rata for part-time) + 15.4% superannuation

Tenure & work schedule: Specified term of 3 years, Full-time        

Reference: 101344

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

Essential criteria

• A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD). The doctorate must be in a relevant discipline area, such as Agriculture Science or Engineering, Chemical or Environmental Engineering (with bioenergy focus), Environmental Science, Agricultural Economics, Data Science or Modelling (with agriculture or bioenergy focus). Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (full-time equivalent) of relevant research experience.
• Understanding/ knowledge/ experience of the role of agriculture and land-use management in bioenergy/biofuel value chains, the place of low carbon liquid fuels in decarbonisation of hard to abate industries, and/or the role of regulation and sustainability metrics (e.g. GHG accounting) to ensure food supply and environmental values are protected. 
• 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 and engagement with funding bodies and government.
• A sound history of publication in peer reviewed journals and/or authorship of scientific papers, reports, grant applications or patents.
• A record of science innovation and creativity, including the ability & willingness to incorporate novel ideas and approaches into scientific investigations.
• Remain productive, positive and resilient in complex, ambiguous and/or uncertain environments.

 
For full details about this role, and other criteria, 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 Laura Mason via Careers.Online@csiro.au and let us know how we can support you.

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.

Eligibility 

Applications for this position are open to Australian/New Zealand Citizens, Australian Permanent Residents and candidates who either hold, or are able to obtain, a valid working visa for the duration of the specified term (visa sponsorship and relocation assistance may be provided to the successful candidate if required). Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements.

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 submit a CV and cover letter (maximum 2 pages) that demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the selection criteria of this role.

Applications close 

30 November 2025, 11:00pm AEDT