Full time, fixed term opportunity for 18 months
This position is available immediately with reasonable flexibility on the start date
Base Salary Level A, Step 5-8 $109,263 - $121,054 p.a + 17% superannuation
About the opportunity
The School of Project Management at the University of Sydney is a leading hub for interdisciplinary research at the intersection of engineering, systems thinking, and organisational studies. We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate (Level A) to join a new research stream focused on digital twins as adaptive decision infrastructure for complex cyberphysical human systems, enabled by agentic and embodied AI.
Working under the supervision of Dr Neda Mohammadi, the successful candidate will contribute to the development of new concepts, methods, and scalable systems for networked digital twins that support autonomous decision infrastructure for adaptive action with human oversight. This project is part of an ambitious research program to advance how digital twins, agentic AI, and cyberphysical systems can improve collective decision quality across interconnected sociotechnical systems such as cities, critical infrastructure, mobility, energy, emergency response, and resilience. The appointee will conduct original research, publish in top‐tier academic journals, collaborate with academic and industry partners, and contribute to competitive grant applications and research impact activities.
The position offers opportunities for career development, academic mentoring, grant development, and research student supervision, supporting the successful candidate's development in collaboration and research leadership.
Your key responsibilities will be to:
* conduct high‐quality original research on digital twins, agentic and embodied AI, and collective decision making in complex sociotechnical systems
* investigate new concepts and develop methods for digital twins as dynamic decision infrastructure with human oversight
* design and implement scalable cyberphysical human systems for scenario generation, planning, and high‐stakes intervention design
* prepare and submit publications to leading academic journals and conferences
* collaborate with interdisciplinary academic and industry partners, contribute to competitive grant applications and research impact activities, and supervise or mentor research students where appropriate.
About you
The University values courage and creativity; openness and engagement; inclusion and diversity; and respect and integrity. As such, we see the importance of recruiting talent aligned to these values and are looking for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Digital Twin Decision Infrastructure for Critical Sociotechnical Systems who has:
* a PhD awarded or near completion in a relevant discipline such as systems science, engineering, project studies, computer science, information systems, operations research, or computational social science.
* evidence of a developing research profile, including publications record relevant to career stage.
* research expertise in one or more of the following:
o digital twins, cyberphysical systems, human‐centred AI
o causal modelling, uncertainty quantification, explainable AI, or trustworthy AI
o agentic AI, multiagent systems, sequential decision making, and LLM‐based reasoning
o embodied or physical AI, robotics, autonomous systems, or intelligent infrastructure systems
o strong programming and computational research skills
o ability and interest in conducting interdisciplinary research and working effectively across disciplinary and stakeholder boundaries
EEO statement
At the University of Sydney, our shared values are trust, accountability and excellence and we strive to be a place where everyone can thrive. We are committed to creating a University community that thrives through diversity and reflects the wider community that we serve. We deliver on this through our commitment to diversity and inclusion, evidenced by our people and culture programs, as well as key strategies to increase participation and support the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people living with a disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and those who identify as LGBTIQ+. We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds.
We are proud to be recognised as an Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Gold employer. Find out more about our work on diversity and inclusion.
Click to view the Position Description for this role.
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