CSIRO Industry PhD Program - Meredith Dairy

The Opportunity

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:

  1. Admission to a university PhD program.
  2. Supervision by the participating university, CSIRO, and an industry partner.
  3. A four year scholarship package totalling approximately $47,000 per annum (2025 rate).
  4. A four year Project Expense and Development package of $13,000 per annum.
  5. A 60 day Industry Engagement component with the industry partner.
  6. 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.

The Project

Supervisory team details

1. University

Name of university supervisor

Ibrahim Sultan

Name of university

Federation University Australia

Email address

i.sultan@federation.edu.au

Faculty

Institute of Innovation, Science and Sustainability (IISS)

2. CSIRO

Name of CSIRO supervisor

Nawshad Haque

Email address

Nawshad.Haque@csiro.au

CSIRO Business Unit

Energy

3. Industry

Name of industry supervisor

Dominic Murphy

Name of business/organisation

Meredith Dairy Pty Ltd

Email address

dominic@meredithdairy.com

Website

https://meredithdairy.com/

Project details

Project title

Waste heat recovery for onsite production of hydrogen utilising microgeneration and machine learning

Project description

This project aims to utilise a novel technology to produce hydrogen from heat, which would otherwise be wasted. The expected outcomes are modelling plant thermodynamics to optimise settings for hydrogen production, a cost model and manufacturing a hydrogen unit within the plant. The potential benefit is to increase the overall efficiency of manufacturing plants, resulting in a more environmentally friendly process.

Primary location of student

Federation University Australia, University Drive, Mt Helen VIC 3350

Industry engagement component location

Meredith Dairy, 106 Cameron Road, Meredith VIC 3333

Other locations

CSIRO Clayton, Research Way, Clayton VIC 3168

Ideal student skillset

  • An engineering background (mechanical,   chemical, electrical, mechatronics or systems).
  • Reasonable command of computer programming   and mathematical modelling
  • A background in thermal engineering
  • Developed communication skills
  • Some hands-on experience and deep   appreciation of safe work practices

Application Close Date

Open until position filled

Eligibility Requirements

The student must:

  1. Be an Australian citizen or Permanent Resident, or a New Zealand citizen.
  2. Meet participating university PhD admission requirements.
  3. Meet university English language requirements.
  4. Not have previously completed a PhD.
  5. Be able to commence the Program in the year of the offer.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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

  1. Applicants are required to submit an expression of interest (EOI) following the instructions detailed on the participating university’s webpage.
  2. The EOI is assessed by the supervisory team and shortlisted applicants are interviewed.
  3. The supervisory team nominates a preferred applicant and informs iPhD office.
  4. The nominated applicant will be instructed to apply.
  5. The application is then assessed by the host university against PhD admission criteria.
  6. The university will issue a letter of offer for the program if all conditions have been satisfied.

Further information

General Program Information:

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Project Specific Information:

  • Contact the nominated supervisors for the project listed above.