Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: Policy Studies in Education renewable

The University of the Free State (UFS) invites applications from suitably qualified candidates for a postdoctoral fellowship in the Faculty of Education within the department of Education Management, Policy and Comparative Education. Applicants interested in pursuing an academic career in Education Management and Leadership research are strongly encouraged to apply. The fellowship will enable an outstanding doctoral graduate to obtain experience of research, innovation, and community service at a higher education institution under the mentorship of established researchers.

The fellowship is awarded on a competitive basis, considering the applicants' academic achievements, research outputs and potential, as well as the relevance of his/her prior experience and expertise. The fellowship is available for a period of one year, renewable for up to three years subject to satisfactory performance.

• Conduct innovative research and obtain evidence- based empirical data on current developments in Policy Studies in Education.
• Author/co-author at least three (3) publication outputs per year in the form of DHET– accredited scholarly journal articles or books/chapters in books.
• Initiate research projects and seek funding for them.
• Do limited teaching in the Programmes where appropriate.
• Provide limited supervision and/or co-supervision at Honour’s, master’s and/or Doctoral level where appropriate.
• Register and reside as a postdoctoral research fellow at the UFS and participate in relevant activities of the Faculty of Education, the School of Postgraduate Studies and the Directorate of Research Development.

• A PhD on NQF Level 10 with a focus on Policy Studies in Education or Education Management and Leadership.
• Open to all South African and foreign nationals for full-time research at the University of the Free State.
• The fellowship will terminate once your PhD degree reaches the fifth (5th) year of graduation.
• Successful applicants may not hold full-time salaried employment during the fellowship
• Successful applicants must be able to relocate to UFS for the duration of the fellowship.
• This is a residential fellowship: the successful applicant is required to spend 80% of her/his postdoctoral period at the UFS Qwaqwa Campus

01 November 2026

28 September 2026

• R 30,000 additional research expenses fund.

For enquiries, please feel free to contact Prof. Tsotetsi at tsotetsict.za