Research Projects Officer - AI Enabled Pest Detection and Surveillance

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Role highlights

- Combine biology, imaging and AI to tackle real-world biosecurity challenges
- Get hands-on with imaging systems, sensors, programming and prototype development
- Turn ideas into practical pest detection and surveillance solutions

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.

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The opportunity

Join CSIRO’s Pest Detection Technologies team and contribute to applied biosecurity research bringing together biology, imaging, sensing technologies and artificial intelligence. You’ll work on practical approaches to detecting insect pests and invasive species, including optical and AI-enabled detection technologies and AI-assisted surveillance using drone imagery.

This is a diverse, hands-on research role spanning the laboratory, field and data environments. Working with research scientists, technical specialists and collaborators across CSIRO, you’ll contribute to experimental design and field trials, maintain insect colonies and prepare biological specimens, operate imaging and sensor systems, collect and curate imagery and data,



and use programming and analytical tools to help evaluate emerging pest-detection technologies.

You’ll have the opportunity to think creatively, troubleshoot problems and contribute to the development of practical prototypes and new research approaches. We’re looking for someone who can collaborate effectively across disciplines while also working independently, using initiative and sound judgement to identify issues, develop solutions and know when to draw on the expertise of others. Experience combining imaging or programming with biological, agricultural or environmental research would be particularly valuable.

Your high-level duties will include:

- Under general direction, contributing to research and/or technology through the development of original and adapted experimental methods, equipment or software.
- Undertaking a wide variety of tasks or tasks with a high degree of specialisation.
- Using initiative to seek current approaches to meet experimental or technological needs when encountering new problems where methods are not defined.
- Planning and conducting laboratory, packhouse and field activities supporting optical pest detection and invasive-species surveillance, including the preparation of insect specimens and agricultural samples, operation of imaging and sensor equipment, collection of optical and drone imagery, and coordination of field trials.




- Developing and implementing experimental and data-management protocols to generate reliable biological, image-based and field-validation datasets, including sample identification, metadata and ground-truth recording, image annotation, dataset curation and quality assurance.
- Analysing data and evaluate pest-detection technologies and AI-enabled workflows using appropriate statistical, image-analysis and geospatial tools, documenting performance, repeatability, errors and limitations under laboratory, field and commercial conditions.

Location and office arrangements: Brisbane (Dutton Park), QLD

Salary: AU$103k – AU$116k per annum (pro rata for part-time), plus 15.4% superannuation

Tenure & work schedule: Specified term of two years; full time

Reference: 104379

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

- A relevant degree in biological, agricultural, environmental, data or imaging science, or a related discipline, together with relevant research or technical experience.
- Demonstrated experience planning and conducting laboratory or field research, including experimental design, data collection, quality assurance, analysis and interpretation.
- Demonstrated ability to collect, organise and maintain high-quality image-based or sensor-based datasets, metadata and experimental records.
- Practical problem-solving skills, including the ability to identify and resolve experimental, equipment, fieldwork or data-quality issues.
- Experience in data analysis and scientific computing, including the use of R and/or Python for data cleaning, statistical analysis, visualisation, image processing, or similar applicatio

📌 Research Projects Officer (Brisbane)
🏢 CSIRO
📍 Brisbane