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 computer science, economics, social science, or similar?
• Want to be a part of the Valuing Sustainability Future Science Platform?
• Join CSIRO – Australia’s leading scientific research organisation!

The Valuing Sustainability Future Science Platform (VS FSP) is a substantial new 5-year investment in cutting edge research by CSIRO that will recruit several post-docs who will be embedded diverse inter-disciplinary research teams. The VS FSP aims to co-produce future pathways, measures, and indicators to underpin sustainable innovation and prosperity for current and future industries and communities.

While the technological possibilities for creating and sharing sustainability knowledge are greater than ever, the social and economic processes which underpin it remain underdeveloped. The ‘Knowledge Commons’ project focusses on the institutions which shape how sustainability data and knowledge are created and shared. It recognises that while data and knowledge can in theory be treated as a common resource, in practice they are often considered private property.

The successful candidate will apply a quantitative approach to investigate institutional mechanism design for sustainability knowledge commons. This will simulate the functioning of existing knowledge sharing arrangements and compare them against feasible alternatives, using case studies from a number of sustainability contexts, such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity, soil health and local provenance. A broad range of mechanisms will be considered, including markets, cooperatives and blockchains.

Your duties will include:

• Reviewing available literature on institutions supporting the creation and sharing of sustainability knowledge. When possible, special attention should be paid to approaches designed with the Australian and/or indigenous context in mind.
• Developing novel models and simulations recreating key features of sustainability knowledge commons, focussing on relevant case studies (e.g., carbon sequestration, biodiversity, soil health, pest management, local provenance, circular economy).
• Testing alternative institutional designs in laboratory simulations.
• Co-designing knowledge commons institutions that reflect the values of stakeholders including Indigenous Australians and agricultural place-based economies.
• Collaborating across the Valuing Sustainability Future Science Platform, including projects running in parallel to the Knowledge Commons project and across CSIRO, as identified and appropriate.

Location: Canberra, ACT or Brisbane, QLD
Salary: AU$89k - AU$98k plus up to 15.4% superannuation
Tenure: Specified term of 3 years
Reference: 81643

To be considered you will need:

• A doctorate (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD) in a relevant discipline area, such as computer science, economics or social science. However other disciplines would be considered. Please note: To be eligible for this role you must have no more than 3 years (full-time equivalent) of postdoctoral research experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of institutional economics or similar.
• Knowledge of, and interest in, social and economic aspects of digital technology.
• Strong foundation and demonstrated track record in quantitative analytical approaches (e.g., coding, statistics, microeconomics, industrial organisation, system dynamics, etc.).
• Evidence of application of sustainability data systems, metrics, evaluation or information technology solutions in agri-food or socio-ecological systems is desirable

For full details about this role please view the Position Description

Eligibility

To be eligible to work in CSIRO you must be an Australian Citizen, Permanent Resident or either hold, or be able to obtain, a valid working visa.

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

6 March 2022, 11:00pm AEDT