Winanga-y Postdoctoral Fellowship in Agricultural Digital Transformation

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

• Do you have a PhD in Human Computer Interaction, User Experience and Engagement, Agricultural Systems or similar?
• Shape the direction and application of AI in agriculture.
• Join CSIRO – Australia's leading scientific research organisation

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.

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The opportunity

We are thrilled to be able to deliver on the commitment we made in our strategy to invest in frontier science with the CSIRO Agriculture & Food Winanga-y Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme. The word Winanga-y (pronounced win-na-gnay) is a cultural asset gifted by the Gomeroi Nation in Myall Vale to CSIRO's Agriculture and Food Business Unit to name the Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme. Winanga-y means to understand, know, remember, and think.

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 specific focus of this Winanga-y Postdoctoral Fellowship role is to address a critical gap in agricultural technology adoption by investigating how AI and machine learning outputs can be better translated into actionable decisions for industry end-users. The Postdoctoral Fellow will lead research at the intersection of AI, machine learning, and agricultural decision-making. This role will focus on improving the usability and adoption of advanced agricultural technologies—such as crop forecasting and disease monitoring—by addressing both technical and human barriers.

The successful candidate will work directly with farmers, agronomists, and industry stakeholders to understand decision-making processes and simplify data capture and integration workflows. A strong background in data science and decision theory, combined with a user-centred research approach, is essential for bridging the gap between complex AI tools and practical, on-farm application.

Your high-level duties will include:

• Conduct User-Centred Research and Stakeholder Engagement
• Investigate and Optimize Data Capture and Integration Workflows.
• Design and Evaluate User Experience Solutions for Agricultural Technologies
• Bridge Data Science and Decision Theory Applications
• Disseminate Research Findings and Contribute to Digital Agriculture Advancement
• Contribute to new knowledge in the emerging field of agricultural Human-Computer Interaction, through publication and evidence-based recommendations for agricultural technology development

Role particulars

Location and office arrangements: Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane or Canberra

Salary: AU$99,990 - AU$109,527 pa (pro rata for part-time), plus 15.4% superannuation

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

Reference: 101077

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 of soil science, such as Human Computer Interaction, User Experience and Engagement, Agricultural Systems. Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (full-time equivalent) of relevant research experience.

• Advanced qualitative research methodologies, with expertise in participant observation, in-depth interviewing, focus group facilitation and mixed methods research design.

• Demonstrated experience in data integration and workflow analysis, with technical competency in assessing data systems, workflow optimisation, data interoperability challenges in an applied field.
• 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.
• A current Australian driver's licence or the ability to obtain one.

CSIRO is an Equal Opportunity employer working hard to recruit world-class talent that represents the diversity across our society. As part of our commitment to equitable employment outcomes for under-represented groups, preference will be given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who meet the role criteria. CSIRO's Conscious Inclusion practices are intended to constitute a special/equal opportunity/affirmative measure under section 8(1) of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth).

For full details about this role, and other criteria, please review 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 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 or you must either hold, or be able to obtain, 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.

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander candidates being considered for the role under CSIRO's Conscious Inclusion Practices may be required to provide evidence to confirm that they are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person.

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 cover letter (maximum 2 pages) and CV that best demonstrates your motivation and ability to meet the essential requirements of this role.

Applications close

11 November 2025, 11:00pm AEST