"Postdoctoral Research Associate in Soil Health"

• Full time, 3-year fixed term opportunity. Located on the Eveleigh Campus at the Faculty of Science
• Opportunity to make a tangible difference in advancing sustainable agriculture and soil health across Australia
• Base Salary $113,400 - $121,054 (Level A) + 17% superannuation

About the opportunity

The School of Life and Environmental Sciences is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Soil Health to work on a large multi-organisation project called Development of a Soil Health Framework for Australian agricultural production systems which is funded by the Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC). The project is led by CSIRO with the University of Sydney leading the component on the assessment of soil health using remote sensing.

The postdoctoral position will be based in the Precision Agriculture, Hydrology and Geoinformation Science Laboratory (PAHGISL) at the University of Sydney. The project team at the University of Sydney includes Professor Thomas Bishop, Dr Patrick Filippi, Professor Feike Dijkstra and Professor Stephen Cattle. The successful applicant will also work closely with CSIRO scientists; including project lead Dr Mark Farrell and Dr Uta Stockmann.

For more information on the PAHGISL Laboratory, please click here

Your key responsibilities will be to:

• liaise with project partners and stakeholders to ensure effective communication, collaboration, and alignment across multiple organisations involved in the project
• develop and implement novel approaches for assessing soil health using remote sensing, integrating cutting-edge techniques to generate meaningful insights for agricultural production systems
• contribute to the development of the broader soil health framework, supporting the creation of practical tools and guidelines that will benefit Australian agriculture at scale
• publish research in peer reviewed publications and present findings at relevant conferences, disseminating knowledge to both academic and industry audiences
• manage the project to ensure the delivery of project milestones, coordinating tasks, monitoring progress, and maintaining accountability to funding and partner expectations.

About you

• a PhD in soil or agricultural science with a quantitative focus (or an equivalent discipline)
• expertise in statistical and machine learning approaches, with the ability to apply advanced methods to complex environmental and agricultural datasets
• proficiency in R and/or Python for analysing spatial data, particularly in the context of remote sensing, ensuring robust data processing and interpretation
• strong ability to communicate effectively in both oral and written forms, including presenting research findings to diverse audiences and contributing to collaborative discussions
• expertise in deep learning techniques with experience applying neural networks or related methods to environmental or agricultural data (desirable)
• knowledge of farming systems, providing valuable context for interpreting soil health data and contributing to practical agricultural outcomes (desirable).

Closing date: Sunday 18 January 2026 11:59 PM