Deadline: 10 June 2022.
WITS-TUB-UNILAG URBAN LAB POST- DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP 2022 FOR AFRICANS – R 230 000 Quarterly
The project aims to address the specific support needs of young researchers through a postdoctoral fellowship programme, which will be fully integrated into all activities of the Wits-TUB-UNILAG Urban Lab, participate in its conceptual development and the curation, organization and facilitation of events and publications, while the incumbent will also undertake independent research within the themes defined for this phase. The postdoctoral fellow, while expected to work independently and at a high level of professionalism, will benefit from an individual needs-based mentoring scheme, which will support strategic career planning and decision-making. In addition to the mentoring programme, specific training and capacity building activities will be supported, including (in addition to PhD activities, which will also be open to postdoctoral fellows):
- Accessing research funding and developing grant applications.
- Building capacities for PhD and master’s thesis supervision.
- Developing skills in publishing in order to convert their theses into books or articles for a wider audience, bearing in mind the
challenges of North-South and South-South knowledge production. - Strengthening pedagogical skills.
The postdoctoral fellow will actively contribute to the PhD training, organising at least one webinar per year and will organise and contributing to other capacity building activities for the PhDs. These might include colloquia, critical thinking sessions,
applied methods sessions, writing workshops, self-organised tandem and/ or group-based reading, writing and discussion activities and exchange visits between the three partner institutions.
The postdoc fellow will be offered time and resources (e.g., copyediting and fees for publishing open access, to the extent that
funding is available) to publish their research in internationally visible journals. The fellow will spend one month at TUB in 2023
and one month at another African university in the first half of 2024. The continuous exchange with colleagues at the two
partner universities, the active participation in project activities such as project workshops and access to funding for conference
participation (in 2023) will enable the incumbent to expand his/her professional networks.
Selection criteria
The successful candidate will be self-motivated, able to research and write independently yet comfortable working in a team
consisting of project principal investigators, coordinators, other postdocs, administrators and a network of academics spanning
several universities. The successful candidate will therefore have demonstrated the capability of playing an important role in the
Wits-TUB-UNILAG Urban Lab including mentorship to the PhD student cohort in the project while open to being mentored on
various aspects of academic work during this period.
The following additional criteria apply:
- A concluded PhD no more than 5 years prior to 1 July 2022.
- South African citizens or permanent residents, or citizens/permanent residents of other African countries.
- Candidates whose PhD is under examination may apply, with a supervisor letter.
Governance of the postdoc
The postdoc will be co-governed by the Wits-TUB-UNILAG Urban Lab in the School of Architecture and Planning at Wits University and the centralized postdoctoral programme of the same University. Note that postdoctoral fellowship stipends at Wits University are untaxed, but do not include any benefits that come with formal salaries. A postdoc policy document from Wits University can be obtained from the contact person listed at the bottom of this advert.
Value of the postdoc fellowship
- A stipend of R 230 000 untaxed per year, paid quarterly.
- Medical aid support to the value of R 15.000.
- Once-off relocation support of up to R 10.000.
- Yearly allowance of R 7.000 (additional funds for mobilities and publishing are available).
How To Apply – WITS-TUB-UNILAG URBAN LAB POST- DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP 2022 FOR AFRICANS
To apply, please submit the following:
- Detailed CV
- Degree certificates
- Degree transcripts (courses taken and marks obtained).
- One or a maximum of two recommendation letters.
- Three contactable references (preferably to include at least one PhD supervisor/co-supervisor).
- A 1 000-word statement of intent covering research that the candidate envisages conducting and how this would fit into the project themes and activities set out above, and publications from previous research (e.g., recent PhD) that the candidate intends working on in this period.
Kindly submit all the above documents to Ms Taki Sithagu ([email protected]) on or before the closing date.
