eDNA Data Specialist

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

• Transform eDNA into powerful biodiversity insights
• Build the data highways connecting Australia’s marine life to the world
• Team up with innovators driving the future of FAIR and open ocean science

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 

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is an exciting frontier, changing the way we explore, measure and understand our oceans. But, to have maximum effect, Australia’s marine eDNA data will need to be accessible and re-usable. We are working on solving this challenge and are seeking a highly motivated eDNA biodiversity data specialist to join our team. The successful candidate will play a key role in delivering operational tooling and data infrastructure, such as protocols, scripts, code, software pipelines, interfaces and guidelines, to transform environmental DNA (eDNA) datasets into high-quality, standards‑compliant biodiversity data collections. Output data collections will be integrated with, published on and disseminated to existing infrastructure.

The role will be tailored to match the competencies of the successful candidate. We anticipate that you will be an expert in eDNA data analysis workflows, with some familiarity with data management including the Darwin Core (DwC) data standard, or will have strong experience in data pipelines and software development for scientific data publication, with a familiarity with and willingness to learn about eDNA data workflows.

Your high-level duties will include: 

• Transform eDNA derived data (e.g., sequence read counts, taxonomic assignments) into Darwin Core–compliant datasets.
• Implement and maintain data publication pipelines for eDNA-derived biodiversity data.
• Develop and optimise ETL (extract–transform–load) workflows to ensure data quality, version control, and reproducibility.
• Contribute to the development of software tools or scripts (Python, R, or similar) to automate data validation, transformation, and publication.
• Implement emerging standards and tools for eDNA data integration with the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS), the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA).
• Collaborate with research teams to interpret eDNA results and define metadata, ensuring alignment with FAIR data principles.
• Coordinate with biodiversity informatics platforms (e.g., GBIF IPT, OBIS) for dataset registration, publishing, and updates.
• Provide guidance and training to team members and stakeholders on best practices in eDNA data standards and publication workflows.
• Communicate openly, effectively, and respectfully with all staff, clients, and suppliers in the interests of good business practice, collaboration, and enhancement of CSIRO’s reputation.
• Work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary, regionally dispersed research team, and business unit to carry out tasks in support of CSIRO scientific objectives.
• Adhere to the spirit and practice of CSIRO’s Code of Conduct, Health, Safety and Environment procedures and policy, Diversity initiatives and Making Safety Personal goals.

Role particulars

Location: Hobart, TAS (other locations may be considered)

Salary: AU$118,102k - AU$127,807 per annum (pro-rata for part-time) + 15.4% superannuation

Tenure & work schedule: Specified term of 1 year, Full-time

Reference: 101625

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

Essential criteria

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (or equivalent experience) in bioinformatics, marine ecology, data engineering or a related field.
• Familiarity with eDNA research workflows, from sample collection through to data publishing (e.g. bioinformatic pipelines including DADA2, QIIME2).
• Some experience building or maintaining data pipelines (e.g., using Python, R, or workflow managers like Snakemake, Dagster, Airflow, Prefect).
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently as well as collaboratively.
• Excellent communication skills, particularly in explaining technical concepts to non‑technical collaborators. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and harmoniously with team and project members to achieve joint goals.

Desirable criteria

• Practical experience with Darwin Core terms, data schemas, and publishing tools (e.g., GBIF IPT).
• Familiarity with software development practices (e.g., version control with Git, testing, documentation, docker containerisation).
• Experience with relational databases and data validation.
• Experience with biodiversity data networks (GBIF, OBIS, Atlas of Living Australia, etc.).
• Prior work on open‑source biodiversity informatics tools.
• Understanding of taxonomic data management and biodiversity metadata standards (EML, Audubon Core, etc.).

 
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 Citizens, New Zealand Citizens, Australian Permanent Residents, and Australian Temporary Residents with 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.

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