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Lecturer in Applied Statistics @Curtin

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Closing date: 10 October 2023; 17:00 AWST
Campus: Curtin University; School of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences (EECMS)
Remuneration: $110,442 – $130,829 (ALB) per annum, plus 17% superannuation
Status: 3-year fixed term
Job Reference: 1099002

A new role for a statistician to teach data science and contribute to research programs in applied/industrial statistics.

The School of Electrical Engineering, Computing, and Mathematical Sciences (EECMS) combines computational expertise in mathematics, statistics, and computing with applications in materials science, quantum physics, signal processing, and astronomy. EECMS contains several major research centres and institutes including the Curtin Institute for Computation, the Curtin Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science, the Curtin Institute for Radio Astronomy, and the Optus-Curtin Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence. These centres lead significant research and development programs with industry and government partners across the mining, energy, agriculture, and defence sectors. EECMS offers an accredited actuarial science course, one of only seven in Australia and the only one in Western Australia, with a strong focus on applied statistics and data analytics.

Your new role

This role is part of the Mathematics and Statistics discipline of EECMS.

As a lecturer in Applied Statistics, you will play a major role in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses in data science, statistics, and actuarial science, as well as supervising student research projects at undergraduate, masters, and PhD levels. You will contribute to developing the data science courses at Curtin and building relationships with partner universities and international campuses. Your teaching will be underpinned by an active demand-driven research program with industry and government that drives real-world impact and inspires students.

This position will contribute to EECMS’s priority areas of mining/resources and defence through applied research in data science and statistics. EECMS already has several large-scale collaborative research and development programs underway in these areas. There is significant potential to expand existing work and develop new opportunities through Curtin University’s Trailblazer program in critical minerals and resources technology (which provides $50 million in federal government funding to support commercialisation and demand-driven research with industry), and the Australian defence force’s recently-announced AUKUS submarine program (which will involve establishing a nuclear submarine base in Western Australia).

As this is a 3-year position you will be required to have permanent work rights in Australia. Relocation assistance and visa sponsorship may be considered.

To learn more about this opportunity, please contact Professor Ryan Loxton, Director, Curtin Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science, r.loxton@curtin.edu.au.

About Us

Curtin University is one of the world’s top 200 universities according to the 2023 QS World University Rankings. We offer a competitive remuneration and benefits package, a friendly and collaborative work environment, generous leave entitlements and superannuation, flexible working arrangements, and salary-packaging. Our vibrant campus includes an art gallery, gym, childcare and medical centre, and endless food options including a supermarket.

For more information about our university, please visit www.curtin.edu.au.

To apply

Please provide a cover letter, your CV and separate document addressing the selection criteria (noted below) to allow us to assess your suitability for this role.

Selection criteria

  • A doctoral qualification in mathematical sciences.
  • A track record of publications in high-quality international journals in the statistics and mathematical science areas, commensurate with experience level and assessed relative to opportunity.
  • Experience developing statistical methods in collaborative research and development and/or consulting projects with industry, assessed relative to opportunity.
  • A strong theoretical background in statistics and computational methods.
  • Ability to successfully teach statistics and supervise research students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
  • Potential to attract research funding through grants and consulting, particularly in the priority areas of defence and resources/mining.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain mathematical and statistical concepts to a non-technical audience.

This position may involve research with defence organisations where the ability to successfully apply for an Australian security clearance would be highly beneficial. The successful candidate may be required to undertake work on, or be provided with, technical information that is restricted by the Department of Defence. In accordance with these restrictions, any applicant born outside Australia or who holds, or has previously held, citizenship or permanent residency of a country other than Australia will be required to declare and indicate the country of birth, citizenships or permanent residencies, and this information may be considered relevant to selection.

Applications close: 5PM Australian Western Standard Time (AWST), Tuesday 10 October 2023.

Applicants should note that prior to appointment, you will need to have a current National Police Records check, undergo character, integrity, and reference checks. Please note that this position may be subject to a WA state government vaccination mandate. If requested, you will be required to provide evidence of your vaccination status prior to employment.

If you have a query in relation to the application process, please contact our careers team on 08 9266 9000 (option 3,1).

For more information, please copy and paste the following link into your web browser: http://staff.curtin.edu.au/job-vacancies/?ja-job=1099002

Scholarship in Data Science @Curtin

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Closing date: 25 August 2023
Campus: Curtin University; Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science
Remuneration: $60,000 – $70,000 per annum
Status: 3 years
Title: Dynamics-driven operator splitting methods for data science, machine learning, and engineering problems

In data science, machine learning, and engineering, many problems take the form of finding a solution that minimizes a cost, subject to constraints on allowable solutions. Some examples of costs include expected financial losses, model prediction errors, and energy used. Some examples of constraints include resource limitations, minimum requirements on what is produced, and so forth.

These problems are solved with operator splitting methods, a modern class of non-linear optimisation algorithms that allow the constraint structure and cost structure to be treated as two components of a single unifying function. These algorithms were independently discovered by mathematicians working on physics and imaging problems, and they have been developed and improved with the powerful machinery of convex analysis.

For many important problems, we desire to make these algorithms go faster, either to find solutions within the maximum time allowable (for example: balancing power flow in electricity grids) or to make better data science models computationally tractable for large data sets. Researchers have recently turned to studying the dynamical systems associated with operator splitting methods. This research is allowing us to prove results in nonconvex settings and build new algorithms. Dr. Scott Lindstrom recently introduced a meta-algorithm that uses operator dynamics to suggest alternative algorithm updates. The intent of this meta-algorithm is to solve surrogates for something called a Lyapunov function, which is an object that describes the dynamics. This meta-algorithm has already become state-of-the-art for finding wavelets with structural constraints (an imaging sciences problem).

Scientific Aims

The scientific aim of this project is to identify classes of problems in data science, machine learning, and engineering for which meta-algorithms—such as the one described above—may be deliver superior performance. The approach will be multi-faceted, combining both computational experiment and rigorous proof. The results will be communicated in articles and submitted to peer-reviewed publications.

Upskilling Aims

The upskilling aims for the selected candidate are as follows (in no particular order). The candidate will build expertise in the algorithms that make it possible to solve many modern data science models and engineering problems, understanding both how the algorithms are designed, how geometry informs model selection, and what the outstanding challenges are. At the project’s completion, the candidate will be competent to rigorously conduct both experimental and theoretical mathematics research, and to communicate the results of their discoveries to others in the field.

In the literature review component, you will learn the fundamental theory—convex analysis—of operator splitting and learn how operator splitting algorithms are formulated for solving various classes of problems. Some examples of the types of problems you will study are as follows: (1) least absolute deviations for outlier-resistant linear regression (a data science modelling problem), (2) progressive hedging for maximizing expected earnings (a finance problem), (3) computation of a one-norm centroid (a statistics problem), and (4) phase retrieval (a signal processing problem).

In the experimental component, you will apply Lyapunov surrogate methods to solve those problems. You will build performance profiles, which are visualizations that allow researchers to compare the speeds of different algorithms.

In the theoretical component, you will formally analyse the dynamical systems associated with operator splitting methods when they are applied to these problem classes. Particular emphasis will be placed on the duality of algorithms; duality is a fundamental concept in convex analysis.

You will document and communicate the findings in written articles.

Context

As described in the overview, in the here and now, faster operator splitting methods will allow us to obtain better solutions to important problems in data science and energy. On a ten year horizon, this research advances an emerging new paradigm in problem solving, where artificial intelligence will observe an algorithm’s performance and suggest on-the-fly parameter adjustments and alternative updates for the iterates. Finally, the project builds fundamental knowledge in the mathematical sciences and equips the selected candidate with a skill set of extreme contemporary demand.

To apply

For more information, please copy and paste the following link into your web browser: http://staff.curtin.edu.au/Scholarship/?id=6730

Lecturer in Applied Statistics @Curtin

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Closing date: 25 April 2023
Campus: Curtin University; School of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences (EECMS)
Remuneration: $106,194 – $125,797 (ALB) per annum, plus 17% superannuation
Status: Continuing (Permanent) Full-time Opportunity
Reference: 1051506

The School of Electrical Engineering, Computing, and Mathematical Sciences (EECMS) combines computational expertise in mathematics, statistics, and computing with applications in materials science, quantum physics, signal processing, and astronomy. EECMS contains several major research centres and institutes including the Curtin Institute for Computation, the Curtin Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science, the Curtin Institute for Radio Astronomy, and the Optus-Curtin Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence. These centres lead significant research and development programs with industry and government partners across the mining, energy, agriculture, and defence sectors. EECMS offers an accredited actuarial science course, one of only seven in Australia and the only one in Western Australia, with a strong focus on applied statistics and data analytics.

Your new role

This role is part of the Mathematics and Statistics discipline of EECMS.

As a lecturer in Applied Statistics, you will play a major role in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses in data science, statistics, and actuarial science, as well as supervising student research projects at undergraduate, masters, and PhD levels. You will contribute to developing the data science courses at Curtin and building relationships with partner universities and international campuses. Your teaching will be underpinned by an active demand-driven research program with industry and government that drives real-world impact and inspires students.

This position will contribute to EECMS’s priority areas of mining/resources and defence through applied research in data science and statistics. EECMS already has several large-scale collaborative research and development programs underway in these areas. There is significant potential to expand existing work and develop new opportunities through Curtin University’s Trailblazer program in critical minerals and resources technology (which provides $50 million in federal government funding to support commercialisation and demand-driven research with industry), and the Australian defence force’s recently-announced AUKUS submarine program (which will involve establishing a nuclear submarine base in Western Australia).

As this is a continuing (permanent) role, you will be required to have permanent work rights in Australia. Relocation assistance and visa sponsorship may be considered.

To learn more about this opportunity, please contact Professor Ryan Loxton, Director, Curtin Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science, r.loxton@curtin.edu.au.

About Us

Curtin University is one of the world’s top 200 universities according to the 2023 QS World University Rankings. We offer a competitive remuneration and benefits package, a friendly and collaborative work environment, generous leave entitlements and superannuation, flexible working arrangements, and salary-packaging. Our vibrant campus includes an art gallery, gym, childcare and medical centre, and endless food options including a supermarket.

For more information about our university, please visit www.curtin.edu.au.

To apply

Please provide a cover letter, your CV and separate document addressing the selection criteria (noted below) to allow us to assess your suitability for this role.

Selection criteria

  • A doctoral qualification in mathematical sciences.
  • A track record of publications in high-quality international journals in the statistics and mathematical science areas, commensurate with experience level and assessed relative to opportunity.
  • Experience developing statistical methods in collaborative research and development and/or consulting projects with industry, assessed relative to opportunity.
  • A strong theoretical background in statistics and computational methods.
  • Ability to successfully teach statistics and supervise research students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
  • Potential to attract research funding through grants and consulting, particularly in the priority areas of defence and resources/mining.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain mathematical and statistical concepts to a non-technical audience.

This position may involve research with defence organisations where the ability to successfully apply for an Australian security clearance would be highly beneficial. The successful candidate may be required to undertake work on, or be provided with, technical information that is restricted by the Department of Defence. In accordance with these restrictions, any applicant born outside Australia or who holds, or has previously held, citizenship or permanent residency of a country other than Australia will be required to declare and indicate the country of birth, citizenships or permanent residencies, and this information may be considered relevant to selection.

Applications close: 9PM Australian Western Standard Time (AWST), Tuesday 25th April 2023.

Applicants should note that prior to appointment, you will need to have a current National Police Records check, undergo character, integrity, and reference checks. Please note that this position may be subject to a WA state government vaccination mandate. If requested, you will be required to provide evidence of your vaccination status prior to employment.

If you have a query in relation to the application process, please contact our careers team on 08 9266 9000 (option 3,1).

For more information, please copy and paste the following link into your web browser: http://staff.curtin.edu.au/job-vacancies/?ja-job=679665

Research Associate/Fellow in Optimisation and Operations Research @Curtin

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Closing date: 27 March 2023
Campus: Curtin University, Perth; Curtin Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science
Remuneration: $91,431 – $103,101 (ALA6–ALB1) per annum, plus 17% superannuation
Status: Fixed-term full-time research position (4 years)
Reference: 1031287

The Curtin Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science conducts high-quality inter-disciplinary research focused on data-driven optimisation for real-world applications. The Centre was established in January 2022 and it currently includes 16 full-time staff whose expertise spans operations research, process control, computational modelling, and data science. The Centre works with industry and government partners to develop cutting-edge optimisation technology for solving complex planning and decision problems in the mining, agriculture, energy, and defence sectors. Current areas of focus include maintenance planning and scheduling, rostering optimisation, detecting misinformation in online social networks, and optimising chemical production processes.

Your new role

An exciting opportunity exists for a postdoctoral researcher to join our Centre on a 4-year appointment, with the possibility of extension. You will be provided with career development and mentoring opportunities as part of a young, dynamic group in optimisation. Come join us and help build an exciting future for the new Curtin Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science.

In this role you will:

• Conduct high-quality research in optimisation and operations research with other members of the centre.
• Take the lead in publishing joint articles in top international journals.
• Participate in collaborative projects with industry and government partners.
• Supervise honours and PhD students and teach at undergraduate or graduate level.

To learn more about this opportunity, please contact Professor Ryan Loxton, Director, Curtin Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science, r.loxton@curtin.edu.au.

To apply

Please provide a cover letter, your CV and separate document addressing the selection criteria (noted below) to allow us to assess your suitability for this role.

Please visit link below to apply for the role: http://staff.curtin.edu.au/job-vacancies/?ja-job=662309

Selection criteria

• A doctoral qualification in applied mathematics, industrial engineering, or related area
• A track record of publications in high-quality international journals in operations research
• A strong theoretical background in integer programming and discrete optimisation
• Excellent computing skills and experience working with relevant programming languages and platforms – for example, Python, Java, Julia, CPLEX, and Gurobi
• Interest in applied research, consulting, and research commercialisation

If you have a query in relation to the application process, please contact our careers team on curtincareers@curtin.edu.au.

To view a copy of the Academic Role Statement, please copy and paste the following link into your web browser: https://cloudstor.aarnet.edu.au/plus/s/eaUMg3m0nPDAtrI

Research Associate/Fellow in Optimisation and Operations Research @Curtin

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Closing date: 13 January 2023
Campus: Curtin University, Perth; Curtin Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science
Remuneration: Level A/B $91,431 – $125,937 p.a. +17% superannuation
Status: Fixed-term full-time research position (4 years)

We are seeking a new postdoctoral researcher who is interested in using mathematical and operations research techniques to transform the way companies and governments make decisions. The selected candidate will work on demand-driven research projects with industry, conduct high-quality research in mathematical optimisation and operations research, and help drive research funding opportunities. The position will suit specialists in operations research and mathematical optimisation, as well as computational mathematicians who are interested in pursuing a demand-driven research pathway.

The Curtin Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science is part of the School of Electrical Engineering, Computing, and Mathematical Sciences, which brings together Curtin University’s expertise in data science, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies. Other major collaborative ventures in the school include the Optus-Curtin Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence, the ARC Industrial Training Centre for Transforming Maintenance through Data Science, the Cisco Centre for Networks, and the Curtin Institute for Computation.

Contact details

If you have any further queries regarding the role, please contact Professor Ryan Loxton, Director, Curtin Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science, r.loxton@curtin.edu.au.

If you have a query in relation to the application process, please contact our careers team on curtincareers@curtin.edu.au.

For more information, please click this link.

Events

Workshop on Optimisation, Metric Bounds, Approximation and Transversality (WOMBAT 2022)

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The next Workshop on Optimisation, Metric Bounds, Approximation and Transversality (WOMBAT 2022) will be held 13–15 December 2022 in Perth, Western Australia, in tandem with an industry-focused day on 16 December. This joint event will be hosted at Curtin University by Curtin Centre for Optimisation and Decision Science. The event is expected to take place as an entirely in-person event.

There is no registration fee, however note the following deadlines.

28 October: abstracts submitted before this date will be given priority. This is also the deadline for the student support scheme applications.
12 November: The final deadline to submit a talk.
26 November: The deadline to register if you are attending only and not giving a talk.

Please visit the conference page for more information.