CSIRO Industry PhD Program (iPhD) scholarship
The CSIRO Industry PhD Program (iPhD) is a four-year research training program, focusing on applied research that benefits industry by solving real-world challenges. It aims to produce the next generation of innovation leaders with the skills to work at the interface of research and industry in Australia.
The CSIRO Industry PhD Program (iPhD) is a four-year research training program, focusing on applied research that benefits industry by solving real-world challenges. It aims to produce the next generation of innovation leaders with the skills to work at the interface of research and industry in Australia.
The Program includes:
- Admission to a university PhD program.
- Supervision by the participating university, CSIRO, and an industry partner.
- A four-year scholarship package totalling $46,000 per annum (2024 rate).
- A four-year Project Expense and Development package of $13,000 per annum.
- A three month industry engagement component with the industry partner.
- A structured professional development and training program to develop your applied research skills.
Successful students are subject to the policies, procedures and guidelines of the participating university in addition to the CSIRO Industry PhD Program terms and conditions. Students will receive a standard PhD on completion.
Available projects
Advancing passive seismic imaging techniques for energy resource exploration at Canning Basin
This project aims to develop novel seismic imaging techniques to extract the maximum information from exploration data in the Canning Basin. The outcomes include improved techniques to combine active seismology with economic passive seismology to better characterise 3D basin structures and enhance the identification of potential energy resources. This project will bridge academia and industry by fostering collaboration with government agencies and industry partners, which will position Australia as a global leader in subsurface geophysical imaging techniques.
Supervisory team
Primary location of student
Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200
Other potential locations
CSIRO Kensington, Perth, WA 6151
Industry engagement component location
Buru Energy Limited, Perth, WA 6005 & field sites in the Canning Basin
Ideal student skillset
Essential:
- Excellent academic background in geology, geophysics, mathematics and/or physics
- Substantial research experience with an Honours or Master’s degree
- Good computational skills in either Python, Matlab or C
Desirable:
- Knowledge on signal processing and seismic data analysis
- Exposure to high performance computer programming
Application Close Date
Open until position filled
Towards climate resilient crops: Understanding effects of changing climate on crop fungal disease resistance
Rust fungal diseases pose a constant threat to wheat production. Plant resistance genes for fungal diseases are an important and environmentally friendly method of disease control. Multipathogen or adult plant resistance (APR) genes can confer partial resistance to multiple pathogens and differ from classical immune receptor resistance genes. Abiotic factors are known to influence the expression and function of APRs, however, it is unknown how the current repertoire of wheat rust disease resistance genes perform under future predicted environmental conditions.
The proposed PhD project will explore relationships between elevated temperature, CO2 and APR gene function in the broader context of developing climate resilient crops. The overall objective will be to characterise wheat rust interactions under high temperature and CO2 for commercially important APR genes. Anticipated outcomes will be an understanding of effects of elevated temperature and CO2 on APR gene expression and function. APR genes (or combinations) which prove to be effective under predicted future climatic conditions will be identified. The significance of this project relates to documented rises in atmospheric temperature and CO2 levels. The effect of these environmental factors on some plant processes are well characterised, but knowledge for resistance genes in this context is lacking. Expected impacts will be to provide important information into the utility of resistance genes into the future.
Supervisory team
University
John Rathjen (ANU)
CSIRO
Ricky Milne (CSIRO Agriculture and Food)
Primary location of student
Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200
Other potential locations
CSIRO Black Mountain, Acton, ACT 2601
Industry engagement component location
Australian Grain Technologies, Roseworthy SA 5371
Ideal student skillset
Essential:
- Undergraduate degree in biology, Honours/Masters in biological research, preferably plant biology and/or molecular biology.
Desirable:
- Experience working with wheat and/or plant-pathogen interactions
Application Close Date
Open until position filled
Domesticating Australian native bees for use as alternative pollinators
Australian agriculture is facing an existential threat in the form of Varroa mites, honeybee ectoparasites that will likely cause widespread colony collapses and disruptions to pollination. To address the urgent challenge posed by the establishment of Varroa mites in Australia, we aim to domesticate native Australian bees to use as an alternative pollinator. This project leveraging Australia's unique biodiversity to come up with an alternative solution. The anticipated outcomes could revolutionize Australia's agriculture, by offering a more resilient pollinations and opening new economic avenues for beekeepers.
Supervisory team
University
Alexander Mikheyev
(ANU)
CSIRO
Antonio Reverter-Gomez
(CSIRO Agriculture and Food)
Industry
David Griffin Lyall
(Griffin Honey)
Primary location of student
Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200
Industry engagement component location
Field work (industrial pollination services in NSW, Victoria and Queensland)
Ideal student skillset
Essential:
-
Strong knowledge in entomology, particularly in bee biology, genetics, and behaviour.
-
Foundational understanding of breeding techniques and genetics, coupled with hands-on experience in beekeeping
Desirable:
Quantitative and computational skills to handle large data files in a rigorous manner and in a UNIX environment.
Application Close Date
Open until position filled.
Evolution of Varroa tolerance in feral honey bees
Achieving commercial-scale resistance to Varroa is elusive because resistance mechanisms are poorly understood. While feral bees may rapidly evolve resistance to Varroa, how this happens is unclear, largely because no pre-invasion genetic data exist. We will sample pre-Varroa bees throughout Australia, and monitor the populations for the evolution of resistance, with a goal to identify responsible genes. These mechanistic insights can be used to improve commercial strains.
Supervisory team
University
Alexander Mikheyev
(ANU)
CSIRO
Andreas Zwick
(CSIRO National Collections and Marine Infrastructure)
Industry
Andrzej Kilian
(Diversity Arrays Technology Pty Ltd)
Primary location of student
Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200
Other potential locations
CSIRO office, Black Mountain, Canberra, ACT
Industry engagement component location
Diversity Array Technologies offices, Canberra, ACT
Ideal student skillset
- A strong background in population genetics and genomics
- Good communication, coordination, and project management skills
- A foundational understanding of entomology would be useful
Application Close Date
Open until position filled
Eligibility Requirements
The student must:
- Be an Australian citizen or Permanent Resident, or a New Zealand citizen.
- Meet participating university PhD admission requirements.
- Meet university English language requirements.
- Not have previously completed a PhD.
- Be able to commence the Program in the year of the offer.
- Enrol as a full-time PhD student. Part-time arrangements may be considered if approved by the supervisory team and in accordance with university policy.
- Be prepared to be located at the project location(s) that the host university has approved and, if required, comply with the host university’s external enrolment procedures.
- Be prepared to undergo onboarding to CSIRO, which will include passing mandatory government background checks (allow for between 4 to 8 weeks) and complete any other CSIRO requirements.
Application Process
- Applicants are required to submit an expression of interest (EOI).
- The EOI is assessed by the supervisory team and shortlisted applicants are interviewed.
- The supervisory team nominates a preferred applicant.
- The nominated applicant will be instructed to apply.
- The application is then assessed by the host university against PhD admission criteria.
- The university will issue a letter of offer for the program if all conditions have been satisfied.
Further information
General Program information:
- Visit the CSIRO website
- Contact the ANU Graduate Research Office
- Contact the iPhD team
Subscribe to the iPhD newsletter for up-to-date program information and announcements.
Project specific information:
- Contact the nominated supervisors for the project listed above.