Academic Positions - Health Device Innovation at Durban University of Technology

Position 1

• Professor: Biosensors, Microfluidics, In-Vitro Diagnostics and Clinical Validation
• Theme 1: Point-of-Care Diagnostics and Essential Clinical Devices
• Reference Number: 30002774
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Reporting Line: Director: DUT Health Devices Innovation Institute
• Theme-specific expertise
• Biosensors, microfluidics, in-vitro diagnostics and clinical validation

Minimum requirements

• A relevant doctoral degree (NQF Level 10) in Biomedical Engineering, Medical Physics, Electrical Engineering, Clinical Laboratory Science, Biomedical Science or a closely related qualification to the theme.
• A strong record of research and/or academic leadership, with demonstrated leadership in the relevant scholarly field.
• A substantial and sustained period of distinguished academic experience in research and/or professional experience in higher education or a research environment, with recognised standing in the field.
• A minimum of ten DHET-accredited research outputs or recognised creative/innovation outputs during the preceding three years, relevant to the field.
• Evidence of substantial record of successful supervision to completion of Master's and Doctoral students.
• A sustained record of high-quality, cited research; competitive grant awards; international recognition; and leadership of substantial interdisciplinary programmes.
• Evidence of excellent teaching, postgraduate mentorship, curriculum contribution and academic citizenship appropriate to appointment at Full Professor level .
• Demonstrated success in securing competitive research funding (grants, contracts or commissioned research).
• Evidence of leading multidisciplinary teams and building national/international research collaborations.

Key responsibilities

Research Leadership

• Lead an internationally credible portfolio of affordable point-of-care and near-patient diagnostic technologies for priority infectious, maternal-child and non-communicable conditions.
• Develop, lead and grow a high-quality, externally funded research programme encompassing biosensors, microfluidics, imaging systems and essential clinical monitoring devices.
• Develop research on analytical performance, clinical validity, real-world performance, calibration, consumables, shelf life and sample pathways.
• Establish co-led clinical-validation programmes with authorised health-service partners and appropriate biostatistical support.
• Lead analytical performance verification, clinical validation, usability and real-world evidence generation for device prototypes.
• Generate peer-reviewed outputs, protectable intellectual property where appropriate, translational evidence and standards or policy contributions.
• Ensure all research proceeds through proportionate ethics, risk, regulatory and clinical evidence pathways in accordance with SAHPRA and applicable standards.
• Postgraduate Supervision and Teaching
• Build competitive multi-partner grants, laboratories/platforms and postgraduate cohorts linking engineering, clinical science, data and implementation.
• Supervise doctoral and master's students across Theme 1 research streams, with a commitment to timely completions.
• Mentor junior researchers, postdoctoral fellows and research associates within the Institute.

Partnership and Funding

• Establish and maintain formal clinical, community and industry partnerships for needs identification, co-design and clinical evaluation.
• Lead or co-lead grant applications, contracted research and philanthropic funding proposals to sustain and grow the research programme.
• Represent the Institute in relevant national and international professional forums, standards bodies and policy engagements.

Governance and Compliance

• Implement the Institute's stage-gate governance framework for all Theme 1 projects, including ethics approvals, design controls, risk registers and documentation standards.
• Report on Theme 1 performance against agreed targets to the Institute Director and relevant governance structures.
• Maintain audit readiness and contribute to quality assurance across the Institute's research portfolio.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• An NRF rating or demonstrated equivalent international standing through publications, citations and scholarly recognition is strongly advantageous.

Position 2

• Senior Lecturer: Essential Monitoring, Maternal-Neonatal Devices and Human Factors
• Theme 1: Point-of-Care Diagnostics and Essential Clinical Devices
• Reference Number: 30002778
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Reporting Line: Director: DUT Health Devices Innovation Institute
• Theme-specific expertise
• Essential monitoring, maternal-neonatal devices and human factors

Minimum requirements

• A relevant doctoral degree (NQF Level 10) in Biomedical Engineering, Medical Physics, Electrical Engineering, Clinical Laboratory Science or a closely related field.
• A developing record of research and/or academic leadership in the relevant scholarly field.
• An appropriate period of relevant academic experience in research and/or professional experience in higher education or a research environment.
• At least three DHET-accredited research outputs or recognised creative/innovation outputs during the preceding three years.
• Evidence of participation in supervision of Master's students.
• Evidence of excellent teaching, innovative assessment or curriculum practice, effective academic advising and a developing independent research programme.
• Evidence of participation in grants writing.
• Evidence of participation in multidisciplinary teams and research collaborations.
• Evidence of participation in grants writing.
• Evidence of participation in multidisciplinary teams and research collaborations.

Key responsibilities

Research

• Design and evaluate essential monitoring, triage, medication-support or maternal-neonatal devices for constrained care environments.
• Conduct human-factors, usability, workflow, language, training and referral-integration studies with users and clinicians.
• Develop traceable device requirements, verification protocols and research documentation from concept stage.
• Contribute to Theme 1 research in essential monitoring devices or related streams under the leadership of the Theme 1 Professor.
• Participate in the KZN Frontline Diagnostics and Essential Devices Platform, contributing to analytical verification, usability evaluation and clinical evidence generation.
• Maintain compliance with Institute ethics, risk and design-control requirements in all research activities.
• Pursue external research funding through grants, fellowships and contracted research.
• Postgraduate Supervision and Teaching
• Co-supervise and progressively lead master's-level research projects within Theme 1.
• Publish research, supervise postgraduate candidates and contribute to interdisciplinary teaching and methods development.
• Contribute to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in biomedical engineering, diagnostic science or related disciplines in collaboration with DUT faculties.
• Support and mentor postgraduate students and junior researchers within the Institute.

Partnership and Engagement

• Support prototype testing, field studies, grant proposals and innovation or knowledge-transfer activities.
• Participate in clinical and community needs-identification activities and formal co-design workshops with health-service and industry partners.
• Contribute to grant applications, technical reports and deliverables for funded projects within Theme 1.
• Engage with professional bodies and participate in relevant seminars, workshops and community engagement activities.

Administration and Governance

• Contribute to Institute governance activities, including stage-gate documentation, ethics submissions and project reporting.
• Participate in performance review processes and Institute quality-assurance activities as required.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• Experience in biomedical instrumentation, physiological signal acquisition or maternal-neonatal technology is advantageous.
• Evidence of participatory design or clinical usability research is advantageous.

Position 3

• Professor: Biomechanics, Prosthetics/orthotics, Rehabilitation Engineering and Co-Design
• Theme 2: Assistive, Rehabilitation and Connected Care Technologies
• Reference Number: 30002775
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Reporting Line: Director: DUT Health Devices Innovation Institute
• Theme-specific expertise
• Biomechanics, prosthetics/orthotics, rehabilitation engineering and co-design

Minimum requirements

• A relevant doctoral degree (NQF Level 10) in Biomedical Engineering, Rehabilitation Engineering, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Human Factors Engineering, Biomechanics or a closely related field.
• A strong record of research and/or academic leadership, with demonstrated leadership in the relevant scholarly field.
• A substantial and sustained period of distinguished academic experience in research and/or professional experience in higher education or a research environment, with recognised standing in the field.
• A minimum of ten DHET-accredited research outputs or recognised creative/innovation outputs during the preceding three years, relevant to the field.
• Evidence of substantial record of successful supervision to completion of Master's and Doctoral students.
• A sustained record of high-quality, cited research; competitive grant awards; international recognition; and leadership of substantial interdisciplinary programmes or teams in assistive technologies, rehabilitation devices or rehabilitation engineering.
• Evidence of excellent teaching, postgraduate mentorship, curriculum contribution and academic citizenship appropriate to appointment at Full Professor level.
• Evidence of inclusive, human-centred co-design methodology and user-centred device evaluation.
• Demonstrated success in securing competitive research funding (grants, contracts or commissioned research).
• Evidence of leading multidisciplinary teams and building national/international research collaborations.

Key responsibilities

Research Leadership

• Lead research on affordable, customisable and repairable assistive and rehabilitation technologies.
• Develop and lead a high-quality research programme covering prosthetics, orthotics, mobility aids, rehabilitation devices, telerehabilitation, wearable sensors and remote monitoring.
• Establish and direct a living-lab model linking users, caregivers, rehabilitation professionals, engineers, designers and community organisations.
• Champion inclusive, human-centred and participatory co-design throughout the device lifecycle, ensuring technologies are usable, repairable and affordable in local settings.
• Advance evidence on fit, comfort, function, adherence, durability, repairability and total cost of ownership.
• Drive peer-reviewed outputs, inclusive usability protocols, datasets and intellectual property in the area of assistive and rehabilitation technology.
• Postgraduate Supervision and Teaching
• Lead high-value grants, international collaborations, postgraduate supervision and researcher development.
• Supervise doctoral and master's students across Theme 2 research streams with a commitment to timely completions.
• Mentor junior researchers, postdoctoral fellows and research associates within the Institute.

Partnership and Funding

• Translate research into validated technologies, open or commercial pathways, clinical guidance and measurable community benefit.
• Build and manage formal partnerships with rehabilitation services, disability organisations, community health networks, fabrication partners and technology companies.
• Lead or co-lead competitive grant applications, contracted research and commissioned projects to sustain and grow Theme 2.
• Represent the Institute in relevant national and international professional bodies, standards processes and policy forums on assistive technology.

Governance and Compliance

• Implement the Institute's stage-gate framework for Theme 2 projects, including ethics, design controls, risk management and documentation standards.
• Maintain repairability, durability and total-cost-of-ownership benchmarks across Theme 2 device programmes.
• Report on Theme 2 performance and contribute to Institute-wide quality assurance and audit readiness.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• An NRF rating or demonstrated equivalent international standing is strongly advantageous.
• Experience with digital fabrication, device personalisation or real-world rehabilitation trials is advantageous.

Position 4

• Associate Professor: Wearables, Remote Monitoring, Digital Health, AI and Cybersecurity
• Theme 2: Assistive, Rehabilitation and Connected Care Technologies
• Reference Number: 30002776
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Reporting Line: Director: DUT Health Devices Innovation Institute
• Theme-specific expertise
• Wearables, remote monitoring, digital health, AI and cybersecurity

Minimum requirements

• A relevant doctoral degree (NQF Level 10) in Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Electronic Engineering, Data Science, Health Informatics or a closely related field.
• A good record of research and/or academic leadership, with demonstrated engagement in the relevant scholarly field.
• A significant period of sustained academic experience in research and/or professional experience in higher education or a research environment, with demonstrable expertise in wearable sensors, physiological signal processing, remote monitoring, digital health or health AI.
• A minimum of seven DHET-accredited research outputs or recognised creative/innovation outputs during the preceding three years.
• Successful supervision to completion of Master's and Doctoral students.
• Evidence of research quality through appropriate bibliometrics, grant awards, academic leadership, very good teaching and meaningful disciplinary or community engagement.
• Evidence of success in securing competitive research funding (grants, contracts or commissioned research).
• Evidence of leading or contributing to multidisciplinary teams and building national/international research collaborations.
• Evidence of success in securing competitive research funding (grants, contracts or commissioned research).
• Evidence of leading or contributing to multidisciplinary teams and building national/international research collaborations.

Key responsibilities

Research

• Develop and validate wearables and remote-monitoring technologies for chronic disease, recovery, rehabilitation, maternal care or community health.
• Research signal quality, clinically meaningful alerts, algorithm performance, bias, interoperability, secure updates, privacy and responsible decision support.
• Co-design field studies that test acceptability, workflow fit, adherence and continuity of care across facility, community and home settings.
• Attract research funding, publish high-quality peer-reviewed outputs and contribute to intellectual property and translational evidence generation.
• Contribute to institute-wide data governance, cybersecurity and connected-device evaluation frameworks.
• Postgraduate Supervision and Teaching
• Supervise and progressively lead doctoral and master's-level research projects within Theme 2.
• Mentor junior researchers, postdoctoral fellows and research associates within the Institute.

Partnership and Funding

• Build partnerships with clinical, technology, community and industry stakeholders for connected-care research.
• Lead or co-lead competitive grant applications and contracted research to sustain and grow the connected care programme.
• Participate in relevant professional forums and standards processes relating to digital health and medical device interoperability.

Governance and Compliance

• Implement Institute stage-gate governance for connected-care projects, including ethics approvals, privacy impact assessments and design-control documentation.
• Report on research performance and contribute to quality assurance and audit readiness across the Institute.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• Working knowledge of data privacy, cybersecurity and responsible AI in health contexts is advantageous.
• Experience validating algorithms or sensors against appropriate clinical reference standards is advantageous.
• Evidence of multidisciplinary digital-health or connected-device research is advantageous.

Position 5

• Associate Professor: Regulatory Science, Quality Systems, HTA and Implementation
• Theme 3: MedTech Translation, Local Manufacturing and Health-System Adoption
• Reference Number: 30002777
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Reporting Line: Director: DUT Health Devices Innovation Institute
• Theme-specific expertise
• Regulatory science, quality systems, HTA and implementation

Minimum requirements

• A relevant doctoral degree (NQF Level 10) in Regulatory Science, Quality Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Health Technology Assessment, Health Economics, Implementation Science or a closely related field.
• A good record of research and/or academic leadership, with demonstrated engagement in the relevant scholarly field.
• A significant period of sustained academic experience in research and/or professional experience in higher education or a research environment, with demonstrable expertise in medical device regulation, quality management, health-technology assessment or implementation science.
• A minimum of seven DHET-accredited research outputs or recognised creative/innovation outputs during the preceding three years.
• Successful supervision to completion of Master's and Doctoral students.
• Evidence of research quality through appropriate bibliometrics, grant awards, academic leadership, very good teaching and meaningful disciplinary or community engagement.

Key responsibilities

Research

• Lead research on device classification, intended use, design controls, risk management, technical documentation and regulatory-readiness pathways.
• Develop health-technology assessments addressing clinical benefit, cost-effectiveness, budget impact, ethics, equity and comparative value.
• Study procurement, workflow integration, training, change management, maintenance, adoption, scale-up and post-market learning.
• Develop reusable readiness assessments, stage-gate templates and evidence frameworks for Institute programmes.
• Publish high-quality peer-reviewed outputs, attract research funding and supervise postgraduate research.
• Postgraduate Supervision and Teaching
• Supervise and progressively lead doctoral and master's-level research projects within Theme 3.
• Contribute to postgraduate teaching in regulatory science, health economics, implementation science or quality engineering within DUT faculties.
• Mentor junior researchers and postdoctoral fellows within the Institute.

Partnership and Funding

• Engage regulators, health services, standards bodies, industry and policy actors to support translation and adoption research without compromising independent decision-making.
• Lead or co-lead competitive grant applications, contracted research and commissioned projects focused on MedTech translation and localisation.
• Represent the Institute in national regulatory dialogue, standards development and health-system policy forums.

Governance and Compliance

• Implement Institute stage-gate governance for Theme 3 projects, including design-control documentation, risk management and regulatory strategy.
• Maintain technology-readiness and regulatory-readiness assessment tools for use across all Institute programmes.
• Contribute to Institute-wide governance, quality assurance and audit readiness.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• Working knowledge of South African and/or international medical device regulatory frameworks (SAHPRA, ISO 13485, ISO 14971 or equivalent) is advantageous.
• Demonstrated HTA, health-economics or implementation-research capability is advantageous.
• Experience supporting a device through regulatory, procurement or health-system adoption processes is advantageous.

Position 6

• Senior Lecturer: Design for Manufacture, Local Production and Lifecycle Engineering
• Theme 3: MedTech Translation, Local Manufacturing and Health-System Adoption
• Reference Number: 30002779
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Reporting Line: Director: DUT Health Devices Innovation Institute
• Theme-specific expertise
• Design for manufacture, local production and lifecycle engineering

Minimum requirements

• A relevant doctoral degree (NQF Level 10) in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science, Electronics Engineering, Biomedical Engineering or a closely related field.
• A developing record of research and/or academic leadership in the relevant scholarly field.
• An appropriate period of relevant academic experience in research and/or professional experience in higher education or a research environment.
• At least three DHET-accredited research outputs or recognised creative/innovation outputs during the preceding three years.
• Evidence of participation in supervision of Master's students.
• Evidence of excellent teaching, innovative assessment or curriculum practice, effective academic advising and a developing independent research programme.
• Working knowledge of design-for-manufacture principles, quality-controlled manufacturing or regulated product development.

Key responsibilities

Research

• Conduct design-for-manufacture and design-for-assembly research for medical and assistive devices.
• Map and evaluate local materials, tooling, electronics, testing, calibration, packaging, sterilisation, supplier and service capabilities.
• Develop evidence on reliability, maintainability, calibration, repair, software/firmware updates, waste and circularity.
• Support stage-gated demonstrator programmes from prototype verification to manufacturing transfer and field support.
• Participate in the KZN MedTech Translation and Adoption Accelerator, supporting supplier mapping, stage-gated demonstrator programmes and manufacturing transfer.
• Pursue external funding through grants, industry contracts and collaborative research opportunities.
• Postgraduate Supervision and Teaching
• Co-supervise and progressively lead master's-level research projects within Theme 3.
• Publish research, supervise postgraduate candidates, contribute to teaching, build industry partnerships and support grant and innovation proposals.
• Support and mentor postgraduate students and junior researchers within the Institute.

Partnership and Engagement

• Engage with manufacturing companies, SMEs, technology stations, procurement agencies and health-system partners to support translation and local production research.
• Contribute to grant applications, commissioned research proposals and project deliverables within Theme 3.
• Participate in professional forums, policy engagements and community-of-practice activities relevant to MedTech manufacturing.

Administration and Governance

• Contribute to Institute stage-gate documentation, design-control records, ethics submissions and project reporting.
• Participate in performance review processes, technology-readiness assessment activities and Institute quality-assurance systems as required.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• Experience in regulated product development or quality-controlled manufacturing is advantageous.
• Knowledge of supplier qualification, verification testing, reliability or production economics is advantageous.
• Application Information applies to all six positions:

Application requirements

• A fully completed prescribed DUT application-for-employment form obtainable from www.dut.ac.za under QUICK LINKS — Careers.
• A detailed curriculum vitae explicitly addressing the relevant field, rank requirements and thematic focus.
• A covering letter.
• Copies of all relevant academic records and certificates.
• A copy of an identity document and Matric certificate.
• Current contact information for referees.

Closing Date 02 October 2026