Master's Studentship: Electronic Engineering

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is a leading scientific and technology research organisation that researches, develops, localises and diffuses technologies to accelerate socio-economic prosperity in South Africa. The organisation's work contributes to industrial development and supports a capable state.

About The Job

The CSIR has a vacancy for a Master's Studentship:
Electronic Engineering in the Technology for Special Operations (TSO) Impact Area, within the Defence and Security Cluster. The incumbent will perform research and development, including technological innovation in an airborne and landward special operations environment. This position is based in Pretoria.

For more information about the cluster, please visit

• Design and development of embedded system
• Development of control systems
• RF communication
• AI and machine learning solutions
• Robotics and autonomous systems
• Signal and image processing
• And other defence and security related topics

• Prepare a research proposal to be approved by both the CSIR and the university;
• Prepare a written literature overview of the current state-of-the-art relevant to the research topic;
• Perform original research to solve the open research problem(s) that the student identified in his/her proposal;
• Produce sufficient quantity and quality of peer-reviewed publications based on the Masters research topic;
• Compile the Masters dissertation and defending the work successfully; and
• Contribute to extra project activities that may be outside the scope of the master research as per the needs of the research group. The amount of such work shall be limited to 20% of the total time.

• Bachelor's degree in electronic engineering or a related/relevant field;
• Register for a Master's qualification within the South African university (to be agreed upon with the CSIR co-supervisor);
• Must have a good background in embedded systems, artificial intelligence, software development, and/or control systems.
• Working knowledge of related programming languages such as Python, C, and the Linux operating system (and others applicable).
• Ability to work with different types of data sets and good grasp of analytical tools.
• Knowledge and exposure in software development for experimentation and prototyping.
• Good understanding of the scientific method: design of experiments, running experiments, critical analysis of results, and dissemination of knowledge.
• Good communication skills (verbal and written) and ability to interact efficiently with diverse teams of people;

• A cover letter (maximum two pages) including a description of the applicant’s research interests, the problem statement, research statement or question(s), research objectives and expected outputs/outcomes/impact of the research;
• Certified copies of the applicant’s latest academic results or transcript;
• Certified copies of tertiary qualifications;
• Curriculum vitae;
• If applicable, proof of registration from the university or a confirmation letter from the university supervisor that she/he is willing to be involved in the candidate supervision;
• A recommendation letter would be advantageous.

• Learning and development opportunities.
• Competitive and market-related remuneration packages.
• Total guaranteed salary packages which encompass contributions to the pension fund, risk insurance and medical scheme.
• We openly acknowledge and reward our employees' contributions and accomplishments through our esteemed CSIR Excellence Awards.

PLEASE NOTE THAT FEEDBACK WILL BE GIVEN TO SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES ONLY.

For more info, please contact the CSIR Recruitment Centre on  or email us at

The CSIR is an equal opportunity employer. As such, it is committed to the Employment Equity Act and will through the filling of this vacancy, give preference to candidates from designated groups in terms of the Employment Equity Act. By applying for this position at the CSIR, the applicant understands, and agrees that the CSIR may solicit a credit and criminal report from registered credit bureau and/or South African Police Services (in relation to positions that requires trust and honesty and/or entail the handling of cash or finances), and may also verify the applicant’s educational qualification and employment history.

The CSIR reserves the right to remove the advertisement at any time before the stated closing date and it further reserves the right not to appoint if a suitable candidate is not identified.