Senior Cognitive Scientist - Department of Defence - ResearchCareer

First listed on: 26 August 2021
Senior Cognitive Scientist 

 

EL 1 - (S&T Level 5)
$106,074 - $119,651 (plus super)
Edinburgh – SA

The Role

The Senior Cognitive Scientist (SCS) is primarily responsible for leading and coordinating multidisciplinary research focused on enhancing the cognitive performance of healthy personnel within the Australian Defence Force. You will be expected to identify research gaps and design and lead programs to address these gaps. You will collaborate with university and Defence stakeholders, publish findings and translate these findings into Defence outcomes.

The SCS plays a vital role in leading applied research programs in current and emerging areas. In particular, the SCS will be expected to the following:

Conduct and account for research in one or more of the following broad research areas that could lead to enhanced cognitive performance for Defence personnel: Adaptive training approaches for accelerated learning and skilled performance; Advanced training technologies for enhancing situation awareness and decision-making; Multi-modal approaches for assessing and enhancing human cognition; Neurocognitive assessment and modulation for cognitive enhancement; Novel methodologies to support identification of individual differences in cognition; Team performance and resilience; and Objective and subjective assessment methods.

  • Support data collection activities in the laboratory and field.
  • Communicate the results of research using a variety of means to stakeholders with varying level of experience.
  • Foster research collaborations based on trust and respect across DST Group, Universities and Defence stakeholders.
  • Work closely with international partners to advance research in mutually beneficial areas
  • Manage financial resources.
  • Supervise students and support the development of more junior staff.
  • Contribute to the development of the profile and standing of Defence and the Cognition and Behavior Science and Technology Capability.
  • Support the development of national science fora.
  • Translate research findings into Defence outcomes.

Our Team

This position is within the Cognition and Behaviour (C&B) Science and Technology Capability (STC) of Land Division (LD) and is located in Edinburgh, South Australia.

The C&B STC undertakes applied cognitive science research to enhance the capability of the warfighter. The research is focused on providing advice to Defence on warfighter selection strategies, training interventions and optimal ways to realise cognitive performance across a wide range of challenging military operational tasks and environments.

Our Ideal Candidate

To be successful in this role you will have a good understanding of the role that DSTG plays in Defence and have a clear understanding of the relationship between health and enhancement research.

You will have an excellent track record of applied research in Cognitive Science or related fields and a good understanding of the potential for exploiting individual cognitive differences (intra and inter) for enhanced warfighter performance. You will be able to show significant experience in identifying gaps in current research and have experience leading a multi-disciplinary team to deliver high quality outputs on time.

You will have demonstrated experience highlighting your adaptability, self-motivation and responsiveness to changing research priorities. You will have excellent communication skills. You will have demonstrated experience working autonomously and effectively within teams.

You will have experience of managing work programs within a multi-discipline science & technology organization. You will have mentored junior staff to deliver work at a high standard to achieve best results.  You will have sound judgement and decision-making skills to concurrently manage multiple complex issues. You will continue to develop your S&T, leadership and self-improvement skills.

Application Closing Date: Thursday 16 September 2021

For further information please review the job information pack, reference DSTG/03995/21 on www.defence.gov.au