Academic Positions - Urban Planning And Smart Cities at Durban University of Technology

Position 1

• Professor: Compound Climate-Risk Modelling and Equitable Adaptation Planning in Coastal Urban Settlements
• Theme 1: Urban Planning and Governance: Climate Risk Science and Resilient Settlement Systems
• Reference Number: 30002791
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Campus: Durban / Pietermaritzburg, as determined by DUT

Theme-specific expertise

• The appointee will provide intellectual leadership on climate risk, spatial inequality and settlement transformation. The programme should integrate urban and regional planning, multi-hazard risk assessment, climate adaptation, infrastructure access, participatory governance, and spatial justice, with Durban and comparable African coastal cities serving as living laboratories.

Minimum requirements

• A doctoral degree (NQF Level 10) in urban or regional planning, environmental engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• A strong record of research and/or academic leadership with a distinguished record of research leadership in climate risk, urban and regional planning, settlement transformation, climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, spatial justice, or closely related fields.
• Substantial and sustained period of distinguished academic experience in research and/or professional experience in higher education or a research environment, recognised standing in the field.
• A minimum of ten (10) DHET-accredited research outputs/creative outputs over the preceding three years, relevant to the discipline, with evidence of research quality and impact.
• Evidence of a substantial record of successful supervision to completion of Master's and Doctoral students
• 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

• Provide intellectual and strategic leadership in the development and delivery of a world-class research programme aligned with the Institute's thematic focus.
• Drive research excellence through the production of high-impact publications, innovations and other scholarly outputs.
• Attract substantial external funding and develop sustainable research portfolios and partnerships.
• Lead postgraduate education through supervision, mentorship and research capacity development.
• Foster multidisciplinary collaboration and build strong networks across government, industry, communities and academic institutions.
• Advance the translation of research into policy, practice, innovation and measurable societal impact.
• Ensure effective monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of research, funding, innovation, and engagement outcomes in line with the Institute's and University's performance indicators.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• Proven experience in collaborating with municipalities, disaster-management agencies, communities and international partners to address climate risk, spatial inequality and settlement-resilience challenges.
• Experience in leading multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research programmes addressing complex urban challenges.
• NRF rating or equivalent recognised international research standing.

Position 2

• Professor: Reliability Engineering and Interdependency Modelling of Urban Infrastructure Networks
• Theme 2: Infrastructure Reliability Engineering and Systems Intelligence
• Reference Number: 30002792
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Campus: Durban / Pietermaritzburg, as determined by DUT

Theme-specific expertise

• The appointee will lead research on the reliability, equity, and climate resilience of interdependent urban systems, including water, sanitation, stormwater, roads, energy, and digital infrastructure. The programme must connect engineering evidence to lifecycle investment, municipal governance, service continuity and accountable decision-making.

Minimum requirements

• A relevant doctoral degree (NQF Level 10) in Civil Engineering, Infrastructure Engineering, Urban Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Systems Engineering, Construction Management, Urban and Regional Planning (with a strong infrastructure focus), or a closely related discipline.
• A strong record of research and/or academic leadership with a distinguished record of research leadership in the planning, governance, resilience and management of interdependent urban infrastructure systems, including water, sanitation, transport, energy or digital infrastructure.
• Substantial and sustained period of distinguished academic experience in research and/or professional experience in higher education or a research environment, recognised standing in the field.
• A minimum of ten (10) DHET-accredited research outputs/creative outputs over the preceding three years, relevant to the discipline, with evidence of research quality and impact.
• Evidence of a substantial record of successful supervision to completion of Master's and Doctoral students
• 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

• Provide intellectual and strategic leadership in the development and delivery of a world-class research programme aligned with the Institute's thematic focus.
• Drive research excellence through the production of high-impact publications, innovations and other scholarly outputs.
• Attract substantial external funding and develop sustainable research portfolios and partnerships.
• Lead postgraduate education through supervision, mentorship and research capacity development.
• Foster multidisciplinary collaboration and build strong networks across government, industry, communities and academic institutions.
• Advance the translation of research into policy, practice, innovation and measurable societal impact.
• Ensure effective monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of research, funding, innovation, and engagement outcomes in line with the Institute's and University's performance indicators.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• Proven experience in collaborating with municipalities, utilities, government departments, regulators, industry and other stakeholders to address infrastructure planning, service delivery, governance and resilience challenges.
• Experience in leading multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research programmes addressing complex urban challenges.
• NRF rating or equivalent recognised international research standing.

Position 3

• Associate Professor: Nature-Based Engineering and Resilience Modelling for Climate-Adaptive Settlement Systems
• Theme 1: Urban Planning and Governance: Climate Risk Science and Resilient Settlement Systems
• Reference Number: 30002793
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Campus: Durban / Pietermaritzburg, as determined by DUT

Theme-specific expertise

• The appointee will develop applied research on community-centred settlement upgrading and nature-based urban protection. The focus includes flood, landslide, and heat risks; drainage and safe access; wetlands and river corridors; locally maintainable interventions; early warning; co-design; and evaluation of liveability, health, and displacement outcomes.

Minimum requirements

• A relevant doctoral degree (NQF Level 10) in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Water Engineering, Urban Engineering, Ecological Engineering, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Science, or a closely related discipline.
• A good record of research and/or academic leadership with demonstrated leadership in nature-based engineering and resilience modelling for climate-adaptive settlement systems, including climate adaptation, ecosystem-based approaches, sustainable infrastructure, and urban resilience.
• A significant period of sustained academic experience of academic experience in research and/or professional experience in higher education or a research environment.
• A minimum of seven (7) DHET-accredited research outputs/creative outputs over the preceding three years, relevant to the discipline, with evidence of research quality and impact.
• Successful supervision to completion of Master's and Doctoral students
• Evidence of success in securing competitive research funding (grants, contracts or commissioned research).
• Evidence of leading multidisciplinary teams and building national/international research collaborations

Key responsibilities

• Provide academic and research leadership in the development and implementation of a high-quality research programme aligned with the Institute's thematic focus.
• Contribute to research excellence through the production of high-impact publications, innovations and other scholarly outputs.
• Secure competitive external research funding and contribute to the growth of sustainable research partnerships and programmes.
• Supervise and mentor postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows and emerging researchers, contributing to research capacity development.
• Foster multidisciplinary collaboration and build productive partnerships across government, industry, communities and academic institutions.
• Contribute to the translation of research into policy, practice, innovation and measurable societal impact.
• Support the monitoring, evaluation and reporting of research, funding, innovation and engagement activities in accordance with Institute and University performance objectives.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• Proven experience collaborating with municipalities, communities, disaster-management agencies and ecological or engineering practitioners to implement nature-based and settlement-upgrading interventions.
• NRF rating or equivalent recognised international research standing.

Position 4

• Associate Professor: Freight-Network Flow Modelling and Port-City Spatial-Economic Systems
• Theme 3: Port-City Mobility Systems and Freight-Logistics Science
• Reference Number: 30002794
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Campus: Durban / Pietermaritzburg, as determined by DUT

Theme-specific expertise

• The appointee will develop applied research on the port-city as an integrated spatial-economic and network-flow system. The programme should combine land-use and economic-geography modelling of port expansion and buffer zones with network-flow and queueing models of truck staging, terminal access and rail-road-port integration, testing disruption-propagation and supply-chain resilience against measured freight-logistics and accessibility outcomes in the Durban port-city corridor.

Minimum requirements

• A relevant doctoral degree (NQF Level 10) in Transport Engineering, Civil Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Operations Research, Urban and Regional Planning, Economic Geography, Transport Economics, Data Science, or a closely related discipline.
• A good record of research and/or academic leadership with demonstrated leadership in freight logistics, transport systems, port-city systems, network modelling, supply chain resilience, or related fields.
• A significant period of sustained academic experience in research and/or professional experience in higher education or a research environment.
• A minimum of seven (7) DHET-accredited research outputs/creative outputs over the preceding three years, relevant to the discipline, with evidence of research quality and impact.
• Successful supervision to completion of Master's and Doctoral students
• Evidence of success in securing competitive research funding (grants, contracts or commissioned research).
• Evidence of leading multidisciplinary teams and building national/international research collaborations

Key responsibilities

• Provide academic and research leadership in the development and implementation of a high-quality research programme aligned with the Institute's thematic focus.
• Contribute to research excellence through the production of high-impact publications, innovations and other scholarly outputs.
• Secure competitive external research funding and contribute to the growth of sustainable research partnerships and programmes.
• Supervise and mentor postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows and emerging researchers, contributing to research capacity development.
• Foster multidisciplinary collaboration and build productive partnerships across government, industry, communities and academic institutions.
• Contribute to the translation of research into policy, practice, innovation and measurable societal impact.
• Support the monitoring, evaluation and reporting of research, funding, innovation and engagement activities in accordance with Institute and University performance objectives.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• Experience working with port authorities, freight-industry data or supply-chain partners, and evidence of applied models, demonstrators, policy uptake or industry-funded research.
• NRF rating or equivalent recognised international research standing.

Position 5

• Senior Lecturer: Predictive Analytics for Infrastructure Asset Deterioration and Risk-Based Maintenance Prioritisation
• Theme 2: Infrastructure Reliability Engineering and Systems Intelligence
• Reference Number: 30002795
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Campus: Durban / Pietermaritzburg, as determined by DUT

Theme-specific expertise

• The appointee will build applied research in asset condition, predictive maintenance and evidence-based infrastructure prioritisation. The work should combine inspection, remote observation, sensing, geospatial data, and deterioration models with failure consequences, climate exposure, service equity, lifecycle costs, and municipal decision processes.

Minimum requirements

• A doctoral degree (NQF Level 10) in Civil Engineering, Infrastructure Engineering, Asset Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering, Geomatics, Data Science, Computer Science, Operations Research, Infrastructure Management, or a closely related discipline.
• A record of research and/or academic leadership with demonstrated expertise in infrastructure asset management, predictive analytics, condition assessment, infrastructure deterioration modelling, reliability engineering, or risk-based maintenance planning.
• An appropriate period of relevant academic experience in research and/or professional experience in higher education or a research environment.
• A minimum of three (3) DHET-accredited research outputs/creative outputs over the preceding three years, relevant to the discipline.
• Evidence of participation in the supervision of Master's students and a developing track record in postgraduate supervision.
• Evidence of participation in research grant applications, funded projects, or commissioned research.
• Evidence of participation in multidisciplinary research teams and collaborations involving municipalities, government, industry, or academic partners. > Additional recommendations
• Experience working with municipal or utility asset registers, infrastructure-monitoring systems or decision-support platforms, and evidence of applied tools, innovation outputs or industry/municipal-funded research.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and deliver a research programme aligned with the Institute's thematic focus.
• Produce high-quality research and innovation outputs and pursue competitive research funding.
• Supervise postgraduate students and contribute to research capacity development.
• Build collaborative partnerships with government, industry, communities and academic institutions.
• Contribute to the translation of research into policy, practice, innovation and societal impact.
• Participate in multidisciplinary and cross-theme research initiatives.
• Report on research, postgraduate, funding, innovation and engagement outcomes against agreed targets.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• Experience working with municipal or utility asset registers, infrastructure-monitoring systems or decision-support platforms, and evidence of applied tools, innovation outputs or industry/municipal-funded research.

Position 6

• Senior Lecturer: Accessibility Modelling and Equity Analytics in Public and Paratransit Mobility Systems
• Theme 3: Port-City Mobility Systems and Freight-Logistics Science
• Reference Number: 30002796
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Campus: Durban / Pietermaritzburg, as determined by DUT

Theme-specific expertise

• The appointee will develop research on equitable passenger mobility, public and paratransit integration, universal access and mobility poverty. The programme should analyse the time, income, safety and accessibility costs of travel and test practical improvements in interchange design, operations, campus-to-city mobility and low-carbon movement.

Minimum requirements

• A doctoral degree (NQF Level 10) in Transport Planning, Transport Engineering, Civil Engineering, Urban and Regional Planning, Geography, Urban Studies, Development Studies, Operations Research, Data Science, Economics, or a closely related discipline.
• A developing record of research and/or academic leadership with expertise in passenger mobility, public transport systems, paratransit systems, accessibility analysis, transport equity, mobility poverty, or related fields.
• An appropriate period of relevant academic experience in research and/or professional experience in higher education or a research environment.
• A minimum of three (3) DHET-accredited research outputs/creative outputs over the preceding three years, relevant to the discipline.
• Evidence of participation in the supervision of Master's students and a developing track record in postgraduate supervision.
• Evidence of participation in research grant applications, funded projects, or commissioned research.
• Evidence of participation in multidisciplinary research teams and collaborations involving municipalities, government, industry, or academic partners. > Additional recommendations
• Experience working with municipalities, public transport authorities or transport-equity data, and evidence of applied tools, policy influence or industry/community-funded research.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and deliver a research programme aligned with the Institute's thematic focus.
• Produce high-quality research and innovation outputs and pursue competitive research funding.
• Supervise postgraduate students and contribute to research capacity development.
• Build collaborative partnerships with government, industry, communities and academic institutions.
• Contribute to the translation of research into policy, practice, innovation and societal impact.
• Participate in multidisciplinary and cross-theme research initiatives.
• Report on research, postgraduate, funding, innovation and engagement outcomes against agreed targets.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• Experience working with municipalities, public transport authorities or transport-equity data, and evidence of applied tools, policy influence or industry/community-funded research.

Application Information applies to all six positions:

Application requirements

• A fully completed prescribed DUT application-for-employment form, obtainable from the DUT website under Quick Links Careers.
• A detailed curriculum vitae explicitly addressing the minimum and speciality requirements of the selected post.
• A covering letter identifying one position title and reference number. Candidates applying for more than one position should submit a separate application for each.
• Copies of relevant academic records, qualifications and identity document, as required by the official application process.
• Current contact information for referees.
• A publication list for the preceding three years, evidence of completed postgraduate supervision, a bibliometric profile, a grant record and a concise research plan aligned to the advertised theme.

Closing Date 02 October 2026