Postdoctoral Research Fellowship renewable

Job Title

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (one year, renewable up to three years) (Job )

Organizational Unit

University of the Free State ->
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences ->
Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa

Contract Type

Contract

Occupational Level

Temporary

Location

Bloemfontein Campus - Bloemfontein, FS ZA (Primary)

Closing Date

23/10/2026

The University of the Free State (UFS) invites applications from suitably qualified candidates for a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in the Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (DiMTEC). Candidates with a strong research background in climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, environmental sustainability, resilience, climate-smart development, or related interdisciplinary fields are encouraged to apply.

The fellowship will contribute to interdisciplinary research at DiMTEC, particularly in climate adaptation, resilience, and disaster risk governance. The successful candidate will contribute to a Northern Cape provincial project focused on integrating climate change response and disaster management planning. The project aims to generate evidence-based knowledge to strengthen resilience and adaptation planning. The fellowship is awarded on a competitive basis, taking into account academic achievement, publication record, research potential, methodological expertise, and the relevance of prior research experience to DiMTEC's priorities.

The fellowship is available for one year, renewable for up to three years, subject to satisfactory performance and submission of an annual progress report.

• Conduct interdisciplinary research and advanced quantitative and qualitative analysis relating to climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, resilience, environmental sustainability, and climate-related development challenges.
• Support the Northern Cape project through data management, literature synthesis, research coordination, and analysis of project data.
• Assist in preparing technical reports, policy briefs, stakeholder reports, and research dissemination materials.
• Participate in DiMTEC research seminars, postgraduate research activities, academic writing initiatives, and capacity-building activities.
• Contribute to research proposals, collaborative projects, funding/grant applications, and tender applications aligned with DiMTEC priorities.
• Develop collaborative research networks and contribute to DiMTEC's national and international research visibility.
• Produce at least two DHET-accredited peer-reviewed journal articles per annum, subject to satisfactory performance.
• Register and reside as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of the Free State and participate in relevant DiMTEC academic and research activities.

• Open to South African and foreign nationals for full-time research at the University of the Free State.
• Applicants must hold a PhD in a relevant discipline, awarded within the last five years.
• Relevant fields may include Disaster Management, Environmental Science, Agricultural and Environmental Economics, Climate Change, Sustainability Science, Agricultural Sciences, Development Studies, Geography, Environmental Management, or another closely related interdisciplinary field.
• Applicants should demonstrate strong potential for independent research and scholarly publication.
• Experience in quantitative and/or qualitative research methods, data analysis, policy research, and interdisciplinary research will be advantageous.
• Successful applicants may not hold full-time salaried employment during the fellowship.
• Successful applicants must be able to relocate to the UFS for the duration of the fellowship. This is a residential…