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.

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.

The Opportunity

• Are you passionate about a career in research?
• Want to access CSIRO's world-class facilities and staff?
• Apply for a CSIRO Ph D Top-Up Scholarship now!

CSIRO Ph D Top-Up Scholarships provide enhanced opportunities in science and engineering for outstanding graduates enrolling in a Ph D at Australian tertiary institutions. Collaborating with us to complete your Ph D degree will give your research the edge. We offer you access to our leading scientists, engineers and mentors, the opportunity to take your research to the next level in our first-class facilities and first-hand experience in an environment where our innovative research really is changing the world for the better.
A CSIRO Ph D Top-Up Scholarship is a supplementary award, which adds to the student’s support from a principal scholarship awarded by another body, e.g. RTP scholarship. In all respects recipients of awards will be regarded as students of the University at which they are registered, and all rules relating to degree candidature and the primary award will apply. In particular, recipients will undertake research at CSIRO as a student of the university concerned and will not be employees of CSIRO.

CSIRO Environment is conducting research that is dedicated to addressing the challenges to, and opportunities of, the environmental sector, now and into the future. From oceans to coasts to land to atmosphere to climate, we aim to deliver solutions that support the resilient and sustainable management of our natural resources fundamental to Australia's development and prosperity. For more information, please see our website at Environment

Project Title: Quantifying the contribution of Trichodesmium to the Great Barrier Reef

Project Details
The cyanobacteria Trichodesmium is a key contributor to marine ecosystems as a major nitrogen fixer, converting atmospheric nitrogen into forms usable by other organisms, thus playing a crucial role in nutrient cycling. Additionally, Trichodesmium forms large surface blooms, providing a food and habitat for various marine organisms. Its ability to fix nitrogen also makes it significant for carbon sequestration and climate regulation as nitrogen fixes could benefit under climate change in oligopthic conditons usch as the Great Barrier Reef. The contribution by Trichodesmium to the nitrogen budget of the Great Barrier Reef is poorly understood but is likely to be of similar magnitude to catchment loads. As Trichodesmium nitrogen fixation depends on phosphorus and iron availability, changes to N fixation plus warming oceans have implications for the prioritisation of these elements in catchment management. Reef Authority has expressed an interest in this topic and has provided funds to CSIRO (and partner AIMS and JCU) for co-investment in this species for 2024-2027 (Project OD-233147 / R-21207).

Contact: For more information on the research project, please contact either: Dr Jenny Skerratt Jennifer.Skerratt@csiro.au; Dr Ruth Eriksen Ruth.Eriksen@csiro.au; or Dr Anusuya Willis Anusuya.Willis@csiro.au

Location: Hobart, TAS with the possibility of some time spent with researchers in Townsville or Brisbane
Scholarship: Top-Up Scholarship of $10,000 per annum, plus a learning and development budget of $5,000 over the term of the studentship
Tenure: 3 years
Reference: 97930

Eligibility:

To be eligible to apply you must have (or expect to gain):

• first or upper second-class honours or equivalent in a relevant research area;
• admission to an Australian University as a Ph D student;
• hold an appropriate visa to study in Australia (if international)*
• be no further than one year (FTE) into a Ph D on commencing at CSIRO
• hold a primary scholarship; for example, a Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship or other primary scholarship of similar value
• not be in receipt of any other Top-Up Scholarship
• a university supervisor who is willing and able to supervise you; and
• be available to commence with CSIRO no later than 30 June 2025.

• International applicants must be residing in Australia and have the appropriate immigration approvals to allow them to take up the scholarship.

The successful applicant will be required to obtain and provide a National Police Check or equivalent.

Applications will be assessed on:


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.

CSIRO is committed to values-based leadership to inspire performance and unlock the potential of our people.

Join us and start creating tomorrow today!

How to apply:
You will be required to:


If you experience difficulties applying online call 1300 984 220 and someone will be able to assist you. Outside business hours please email: careers.online@csiro.au.

Applications Close
31 October 2024, 11:00pm AEDT