QUT just opened applications for a Lecturer or Senior Lecturer in Machine Learning.

The role sits in the School of Electrical Engineering and Robotics. It carries an ongoing full-time contract at Gardens Point with hybrid options. Salary ranges from $137,608 to $163,427 for Level B or $168,578 to $194,406 for Level C, all inclusive of 17 percent superannuation and leave loading.

You need a PhD in electrical engineering, machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision or a closely related field. The university wants demonstrated research output, grant success, teaching experience and the ability to supervise higher-degree students. Expertise must cover at least one of three areas: machine learning systems and deployment, deep learning for computer vision or signal processing, or applied AI in high-impact domains such as electrical systems, manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, aerospace, defence or robotics.

This position exists because QUT is launching Australia’s first Machine Learning Systems major inside an accredited undergraduate engineering degree. The program starts in 2027 and aims to produce graduates who can design, build and deploy real-world AI-enabled systems at scale.

Australia’s AI and machine learning job market keeps expanding. AI Engineer ranks as the fastest-growing role for 2026 according to LinkedIn data. Mentions of AI skills in job ads have doubled in the past year. Employers across resources, health, transport and defence all need people who understand both the algorithms and the systems that run them in production.

The successful candidate will teach into that new major, develop micro-credentials and push research through QUT’s robotics and autonomous systems groups. They will also chase external funding and build partnerships with industry and government.

Most applications waste everyone’s time. Committees receive hundreds of generic documents that never mention the specific expertise areas listed in the ad. Strong candidates read the position description first, then map every claim to one of those three priority domains. They name the research groups they want to join and sketch one concrete project they would pursue in the first year.

Here is the practical sequence:

1. Download the full position description from the QUT site and print it.
2. List your top three publications or grants against the exact expertise bullets.
3. Write a one-page statement that shows how your work supports the new Machine Learning Systems major.
4. Ask one referee to comment specifically on your industry or interdisciplinary collaboration record.
5. Submit before the 15 September 2026 deadline at 11:30 pm.

Hybrid work is real here. The university already runs many roles this way and lists purchased leave, generous parental leave and salary packaging as standard benefits.

Indigenous Australian applicants receive strong encouragement. QUT runs targeted networks, cultural leave and development programs to reach 3.6 percent Indigenous workforce participation.

If you hold ongoing full-time work rights in Australia and meet the PhD requirement, the window is open now. The role closes in just over five weeks.

Check the official QUT course page for the Machine Learning Systems major to see exactly what the teaching load will involve. Review recent reports on AI skills demand from Jobs and Skills Australia for context on why this specialisation matters nationally. Then open the application portal and start mapping your record to the three expertise areas they named.