Satellite Oceanographer – CSIRO

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

• ​​​​​​Use your expertise in ocean remote sensing to enhance scientific databases of observed surface waves and winds
• Integrate remotely sensed and in-situ ocean observations with ocean models to understand coastal and ocean processes
• Flexible work arrangements! Mix of home and office

Understanding our oceans, coasts, climate and atmosphere is fundamental to Australia’s sustainable development and prosperity. CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere undertakes science to ensure a healthy coastal and marine ecosystem and atmospheric environment now and into the future.
 

As a Satellite Oceanographer, you will be working closely with Senior Research Scientists / Engineers to support wind-wave and aligned ocean remote sensing research at CSIRO. This exciting opportunity will give you exposure to explore data streams from a variety of ocean observing satellites such as (but not limited to) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Radar Altimeter, Scatterometer, multispectral as well as emerging and next-generation platforms. You will enhance and extend existing ocean surface waves and wind satellite observations and develop new integrated data products from upcoming missions. The work will involve quality assessment, calibration and validation, data standardisation and dissemination as well as evaluation of new ocean surface waves and wind observations from emerging missions. You will utilise these satellite observations, in conjunction with numerical models, in-situ measurements, and other relevant supporting information to underpin scientific research addressing current challenges in the marine and coastal zones, including in the context of climate variability and change. 

Your duties will include:

• Enhance and advance ocean wind-wave and surface wind data streams derived from satellite observations, independently and through collaboration, to support scientific studies addressing issues in the marine and coastal zones. 
• Initiate and/or contribute to development of algorithms to extract sea-state information from satellite data streams, and undertake processing, calibration, and validation of these.
• Ensure timely delivery of satellite wind and wave products in quality controlled and standard formats.
• Exploit complementarities between satellite observations, numerical models, and in-situ observations to develop datasets characterising the ocean surface in the Australian region, and globally.
• Produce high quality scientific and/or engineering papers suitable for publication in quality journals, prepare reports and presentations and make significant contributions to the interpretation and communication of research or technological results at national and international conferences or stakeholder meetings.
• Under general direction participate in planning projects and accept responsibility for the scheduling and completion of major parts of projects.

Location: Melbourne (preferred), Hobart; other Australian locations negotiable.

Salary: AU$87k – AU$98k plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure: Specified term up to 31, Dec 2023

Reference: 82976

To be considered you will need:

• Relevant Masters or PhD degree in areas of discipline such as physical oceanography, meteorology, physics, applied mathematics or engineering, or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work with and process satellite data, and/or integrate remotely sensed ocean data with ocean models. 
• Demonstrated proficiency in mathematics and statistics, and scientific programming in languages such as Python (preferred), MATLAB, R, and/or C. Willingness and ability to transition to Python (if needed) as the programming language of choice.
• Ability to work effectively and respectfully, as part of a multi-disciplinary, regionally dispersed research team to achieve organisational goals. 
• Ability & willingness to incorporate novel ideas and creative approaches into scientific investigations.
• Strong written and oral communication skills including the ability to publish research results, prepare reports and present the results of scientific investigations at national and international conferences and stakeholder meetings. 
• Additional desirable criteria are listed in the position description.

For full details about this role please review the Position Description.

Eligibility

Applications for this position are open to:

• Australian/New Zealand Citizens, 
• Australian Permanent Residents, and
• Candidates already residing in Australia or New Zealand holding a valid visa with rights to work in Australia

Appointment to this role is subject to the provision of a National Police Check.

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 online and provide (i) a cover letter, (ii) CV, and (iii) direct responses to the essential and desirable criteria listed in the position description(PD), that best demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role.

Applications Close

08 May 2022, 11:00pm AEST

If you think you have the right capabilities required for this role, we’d love to hear how your capabilities, achievements and experience set you apart. 
 

CSRIO reserves the right to withdraw this ad prior to the closing date. We will be reviewing applications as they are received, so we encourage you to apply early!