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

• Contribute to leading national research in secure, private and trustworthy digital systems
• Work at the forefront of AI, privacy, cybersecurity, and digital resilience
• Thrive in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment and deliver impact-driven 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

CSIRO’s Data61 sits at the forefront of Australia’s data and digital innovation landscape. Within this, the Privacy Technology (PT) Group leads research that enables secure, private, and trustworthy AI and data systems.

As a Research Scientist/Engineer, you will contribute to CSIRO’s mission to ensure that digital technologies are safe, responsible, and beneficial for all Australians. You will work across AI, data management, and security to create privacy-enhancing and fairness-preserving technologies. The role offers the opportunity to collaborate widely across CSIRO programs, engage directly with government and industry stakeholders, and translate research into deployable, real-world technologies. This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated researcher looking to build scientific leadership, drive innovation, and contribute to a digital future that is privacy-preserving, inclusive, and trustworthy.

Your high-level duties will include:

• Conducting original and applied research in AI-enabled system resilience, data privacy, and secure digital systems, leading to significant scientific outcomes.
• Integrating AI, data, privacy and security concepts to define and solve complex real-world problems in trustworthy digital systems.
• Translating research outputs into practical, scalable technologies and engaging with stakeholders to co-design solutions that meet government and industry needs.
• Communicating research findings through high-quality publications, reports, and presentations, and contributing to proposal and project development.
• Collaborating effectively within multidisciplinary and regionally dispersed teams across CSIRO and with external partners.
• Supervising PhD students and contributing to the Data61 scholarship program (where applicable).
• Preparing and presenting conference papers and representing CSIRO at national and international forums.
• Conducting feasibility studies and applying creativity and innovation to explore new research directions.
• Engaging professionally with clients and delivering high-quality outputs in a timely manner.
• Contributing to the broader functioning of the PT Group and Data61, and supporting organisational goals.
• Upholding CSIRO’s Code of Conduct, safety procedures, diversity initiatives, and collaborative culture.

Role particulars

Location and office arrangements: Sydney (Marsfield), NSW preferred; Melbourne (Clayton), VIC; Canberra (Black Mountain), ACT and other locations considered.

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

Tenure & work schedule:Indefinite; Full-time

Reference: 101889

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

Essential criteria

• Education/Qualifications: A PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following areas: AI-driven system resilience, privacy-enhancing technologies, cybersecurity, or trustworthy data analytics.
• Demonstrated a strong research track record, evidenced by peer-reviewed publications, applied research outputs, or technology demonstrations relevant to AI, security, or privacy.
• Familiarity with applied research translation, adopting research to real world problems, engineering principles, project management, stakeholder engagement, and collaboration in government or industry contexts will be highly regarded.
• Strong English writing skills beyond academic publications and understanding writing for non-technical audiences are also advantageous.
• The ability to work effectively as part of a research team, plus the motivation and discipline to carry out autonomous research.

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 ming.ding@data61.csiro.auand 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 and candidates who either hold, or are able to obtain, a valid working visa. 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 cover letter (maximum 2 pages) and CV that demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the essential requirements of this role.

Applications close

26 January 2026, 11:00pm AEDT