"Postdoctoral Research Associate in Mechanics of Granular Materials"

• Full time 20 month fixed opportunity. Located in the Civil Engineering Building on the Camperdown Campus
• Advance sustainable mining through granular material mechanics
• Base Salary Level A Step 6 - 8 $113,400 - $121,054 + 17% superannuation

About the opportunity

The School of Civil Engineering at the University of Sydney is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join Associate Professor Pierre Rognon's research team, focusing on the mechanics of granular materials.

Excavating granular materials-such as sand, gravel, and fragmented rock-consumes significant amounts of energy and contributes substantially to global CO emissions. These energy losses occur as ground-engaging tools move through granular packings, yet the mechanisms and scale of this dissipation remain poorly understood.

In this role, you will investigate excavation methods that minimise energy losses. Your work will involve laboratory experiments using a programmable robotic arm to drive 3D-printed buckets into granular packings.

Research Environment

You will be part of the Sydney Centre in Geomechanics and Mining Materials (SciGEM), a world-leading research group in applied granular physics. SciGEM offers a vibrant, collaborative environment with a team of a dozen academics, several postdoctoral researchers, and around 20 PhD students. You will benefit from their collective expertise in physics, geomechanics, geotechnical engineering, experimental methods, and simulation techniques, as well as access to state-of-the-art experimental facilities.

Supervisors: A/Prof Pierre Rognon, Prof David Airey, Dr Benjy Marks

Institution: SciGEM, School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney

Your key responsibilities will be to:

• design and conduct experiments
• experimentally identify how control parameters (e.g. bucket speed, size, depth, and packing density) influence energy dissipation
• develop mathematical models to predict and explain these effects
• collect and analyse data, including with the use of machine learning
• use this knowledge to design excavation trajectories that reduce energy consumption
• develop mathematical models of excavation energy losses
• communicate your findings in domestic and international conferences, and via publication in scientific, peer-reviewed journals.

About you

The University values courage and creativity; openness and engagement; inclusion and diversity; and respect and integrity. As such, we see the importance of recruiting talent aligned to these values and are looking for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Mechanics of Granular Materials who has:

• a PhD in a related or relevant field to this project
• design and conduct experiments
• collect and analyse data, including with the use of machine learning
• develop mathematical models of excavation energy losses
• communicate your findings in domestic and international conferences, and via publication in scientific, peer-reviewed journals.

The project will involve the following skills. Your experience in any of them is desirable,

• applied physics and mechanics
• laboratory experiments
• motion control and data acquisition
• machine Learning
• coding using Python
• writing using Latex.

Sponsorship / work rights for Australia

Visa Sponsorship is available

How to apply

Applications (including a cover letter, CV, and any additional supporting documentation) can be submitted via the Apply button at the top of the page.

For employees of the University or contingent workers, please login into your Workday account and navigate to the Career icon on your Dashboard. Click on USYD Find Jobs and apply.

For a confidential discussion about the role, or if you require reasonable adjustment or any documents in alternate formats, please contact Chris Masaoka, Recruitment Operations by email to recruitment.sea@sydney.edu.au

Click to view the Position Description for this role.

Applications Close

Wednesday 04 March 2026 11:59 PM