Job Description

• Employment Type: Full-time
• Duration: 2-year fixed-term contracts
• Remuneration: Level A $95,036 – $126,711
• Location: UNSW Kensington Campus
• Three positions available

About UNSW:

UNSW isn’t like other places you’ve worked. Yes, we’re a large organisation with a diverse and talented community, a community doing extraordinary things. Together, we are driven to be thoughtful, practical, and purposeful in all we do. Taking this combined approach is what makes our work matter. If you want a career where you can thrive, be challenged and do meaningful work, you’re in the right place.

Why Your Role Matters:

UNSW is recruiting three Research Associates (Level A) to join a collaborative, multidisciplinary team led by Scientia Associate Professor Negin Nazarian in the School of Built Environment. The team is developing urban climate modelling and analysis capability within the Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator (ACCESS), addressing gaps in the representation of cities in national climate prediction and projection.

Delivered in partnership with ACCESS-NRI as part of the Australian Urban Climate Research Infrastructure (AUCRI), the work connects with the Climate-Resilient Cities Lab, the ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather and national research and data partners.

The Three Positions:

1. Research Associate – AI/ML-Based Urban Climate Modelling

• Develop machine learning and hybrid physics–ML techniques to improve urban climate parameterisation and model transferability.
• Develop, test and evaluate AI/ML tools and modelling workflows to improve accessibility and application of urban climate outputs.

1. Research Associate – Urban Data Pipelines and Evaluation

• Design and maintain reproducible pipelines for urban morphology, land cover, building, vegetation and other city-descriptive datasets.
• Benchmark model simulations against observations and develop FAIR-aligned tools to analyse, visualise and share outputs.

1. Research Associate – Urban Model Development

• Develop and improve the representation of urban processes in CABLE and ACCESS, including scale-dependent urban canopy schemes.
• Develop, test and evaluate numerical models and workflows to represent cities and their physical processes.

Responsibilities Summary:

• Contribute independently and collaboratively to high-quality research and scholarly outputs.
• Undertake defined research projects, run and document analyses, simulations and evaluation workflows.
• Contribute to shared modelling frameworks using collaborative and well-documented software practices.
• Present and disseminate findings through research publications, conferences and workshops.
• Assist with research student supervision where required and collaborate with national and international teams.

For more information regarding the responsibilities for this role, please refer to the Position Description at JOBS@UNSW.

Skills and Experience Summary:

• A PhD in a related discipline and/or relevant work experience.
• Demonstrated ability to undertake high-quality academic research independently with limited supervision.
• Track record of publications and conference presentations relative to opportunity.
• Ability to work collaboratively across disciplines and communicate with diverse stakeholders.

Desirable experience relevant to the stream applied for:

• Urban Model Development: numerical model development and benchmarking, land-surface or climate model code, and urban canopy models.
• Urban Data Pipelines and Evaluation: geospatial or environmental data pipelines, observational benchmarking, Python or similar, HPC and FAIR data practices.
• AI/ML-Based Modelling: machine learning for physical processes, hybrid physics–ML or surrogate modelling, and scientific computing in Python or similar.

Benefits and Culture: People are at the core of everything we do. We recognise it is the contributions of our staff who make UNSW one of the best universities in Australia and the world. Our benefits include:

How to Apply:

Please submit the following documents via the application portal:

1. A CV.
2. A cover letter.
3. A separate document addressing your suitability for the role against the selection criteria listed under ‘Skills & Experience’ above. Please address the criteria relevant to the specific stream(s) you’d like to be considered for.

Applications close: 9am on 4 December 2026.

A copy of the Position Description can be found on JOBS@UNSW.

Get in Touch: For questions about the roles, contact Scientia Associate Professor Negin Nazarian: n.nazarian@unsw.edu.au

For queries regarding the recruitment process, contact Lucy Gerondis, Talent Acquisition Consultant, UNSW: l.gerondis@unsw.edu.au

Applications sent via email will not be accepted, please apply via the application portal.

Pre-Employment Checks: As part of our recruitment process candidates may be required to undergo pre-employment screening, which may include reference checks, qualification verification, right-to-work verification, and criminal history screening where relevant to the role.

UNSW is committed to evolving a culture that embraces equity and supports a diverse and inclusive community where everyone can participate fairly, in a safe and respectful environment. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and encourage applications from people of diverse gender, sexual orientation, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background, people with disability and those with caring and family responsibilities. UNSW provides workplace adjustments for people with disability, and access to flexible work options for eligible staff.

The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.

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