Postdoctoral Fellow, Bioacoustics

Australia's largest public museum organisation is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow, Bioacoustics to join Museums Victoria.

ABOUT MUSEUMS VICTORIA:

Ever dreamed of working in a place where science, conservation, and technology come together to expand our understanding of the natural world? Welcome to Museums Victoria (MV), where we care for the state's scientific and cultural collections, and every day brings new opportunities to inspire, challenge, and educate. From the awe-inspiring Melbourne Museum to the culturally significant Immigration Museum, the innovative Scienceworks, and the World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building, we're a team of passionate professionals dedicated to preserving the past and shaping the future.

And now, we're on the lookout for a Postdoctoral Fellow, Bioacoustics to lead pioneering research in machine learning and bird sound classification. If you have expertise in bioacoustics, AI-driven data analysis, and deep learning for ecosystem monitoring, this role could be your next great adventure!

ABOUT THE POSITION:

We are seeking an enthusiastic and energetic individual to join the Sciences team as a Postdoctoral Fellow, Bioacoustics, leading the development, optimisation, and implementation of machine-learning algorithms to analyse large-scale audio data from birds as part of the Hearing Victoria's Birds project. This research will advance automated bird call detection methods and contribute to understanding how bird communities respond to environmental disturbances, including fire. The successful candidate will work as part of a global research network, with opportunities to lead scientific publications on methods for multi-species sound detection and ecosystem monitoring. This 12-month fixed-term role is full-time and has the potential for renewal for up to three years. The position provides an exciting opportunity to work within a global research network, collaborating with national and international scientists in the field of bioacoustics.

Some of the key duties include:

• Evaluating the performance of existing bird sound classification algorithms.
• Training and optimising deep learning models for multi-species sound detection, focusing on Victoria's birds.
• Generating species detection data from Museums Victoria's digital wildlife sounds library.
• Preparing new species detection records for registration in the Ornithology Collections.
• Developing and deploying a bird sound classification algorithm for use on micro-computers (e.g., Raspberry Pi).
• Collaborating with international research partners on cutting-edge machine learning and acoustic analysis projects.
• Publishing scientific research papers and presenting findings at conferences and workshops.
• Disseminating developed computer code and project outcomes through open-access platforms.

THE SUCCESSFUL APPLICANT WILL HAVE:

• PhD or equivalent experience in statistical or computational biology, particularly in relation to bioacoustics
• Proficient with training and evaluating deep learning algorithms (e.g., using Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow) and software deployment frameworks suitable for machine learning (e.g., Docker, Hugging Face), particularly in relation to sound classification/acoustics
• Familiar with single-board computers and TFlite implementation (e.g., BirdNET-Pi)
• A high level of organisational skills and attention to detail
• Well-developed verbal, interpersonal and written communication skills with evidence of research publications and other scientific outputs.

Please see our Role Statement for a copy of the full Key Selection Criteria and Duties.

OTHER INFORMATION:

Reporting to the Curator of Birds, this is an exceptional opportunity for committed individuals to apply their skills and gain experience in audio surveys of wildlife, community engagement, museum collections and bushfire research.

For more information about this position, please contact Karen Rowe (Curator of Birds) on email: karowe@museum.vic.gov.au

This role is a full-time, fixed-term position for 12 months. The salary on offer is $95,102 per annum (Base of grade) plus 11.5% superannuation.  

The successful applicant must provide a National Police Records Check and a Working with Children Check as part of the pre-employment process. New employees are responsible for covering the cost of these checks.

Applications will only be accepted via the online application process through the advertised job listing. Email applications will not be considered.

HOW TO APPLY?

To view the full position description, visit Careers - Museums Victoria. From our Current Vacancies page, select “All Jobs” and click on the link for this job's listing.

To apply, please click “Apply for this Job” at the bottom of the job listing page.

To apply, please submit the following:

• A brief cover letter that outlines your interest in this role.
• A current CV detailing relevant experience.
• A brief document outlining your responses to the key selection criteria.

Please note: Applications that do not include the above elements will not be considered.

Applications Close: Tuesday, 8 April 2025 11:59 pm