Associate Professor (Research) (College of Business & Economics: Department of Transport & Supply Chain Management) 5-Year Fixed Term Contract (Re-advert) at University of Johannesburg

Job description

• The Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies Africa (ITLS (AFRICA) at the Department of Transport and Supply Chain Management at UJ ITLS (Africa) has at its core, the skills, experience, and network as well as a long and sound history of providing research excellence to both the public and private sectors, in topics ranging from policy and government strategy to various customised transport solutions in all modes of transport. ITLS (Africa) is responsible for various research and related activities within the Department of Transport and Supply Chain Management. The Institute is seeking a candidate for a Research Associate Professor position.

Job Description:

• ITLS (Africa) invites applications for the position of Research Associate Professor. We seek a highly competent and accomplished candidate to join our research institute and contribute to cutting-edge research while establishing and managing research niches within Transport Economics and/ or Supply Chain Management. Reporting to the Director of the Research Institute, Research Associate Professor will lead quantitative research analysis, manage data sets, collaborate in the publication of findings, and provide leadership for research methodologies for various studies. The incumbent is expected to demonstrate outstanding leadership in guiding the development of others, major funding initiatives and intellectual leadership beyond his or her specific areas of research. We expect the role to be best suited to a transport economics or supply chain management expert who is leading the design and analysis of data in research projects. This position is funded for 5 years with the possibility of renewal.

Responsibilities:

• Establishing and managing research projects focused on specific niches within the department.
• Managing and coordinating primary data collection, including fieldwork and dataset management
• Managing aspects of data repository management, including data cleaning and verification, and data distribution to researchers and collaborators
• Addressing the data needs of academics and postgraduate students by identifying and applying computational and statistical tools, and advising and training researchers in using these tools.
• Publishing research outcomes in top-tier Transport Economics and/ or Supply Chain Management journals
• Securing and managing external research grants
• Postgraduate supervision and mentorship to students
• Provide leadership in promoting research collaboration, as well as enhancing research quality and publication output;
• Facilitate the Institute to gain and increase visibility and international connections;
• Participating in internal and external programmes activities and interventions
• Serving on internal departmental, school, college and university committees
• Occasional lecturing, if required
• Responsible for other duties as assigned.

Minimum requirements

• A Ph.D. in Transport Economics, Supply Chain Management, or a related discipline
• At least 30 Scopus indexed journal publications, with at least two in Q1 and Q2 journals.
• Experience in the acquisition of competitive third-party funding and corresponding project management experience
• Experience in study design, in particular, survey methodology
• Strong analytical skills in R, STATA, SPSS and other relevant software
• Experience with qualitative software such as Atlas.ti, NVivo or similar
• Proven qualities of research leadership, and a demonstrated ability to establish and manage major research projects.
• Demonstrated ability to bring more visibility, prestige and reputation to the institute and to the University
• Preference will be given to those with experience in the professional discipline and a recognised professional qualification. Interdisciplinary leadership experience would be considered as a major asset.

Competencies and Behavioural Attributes:

• Srong quantitative and/ or qualitative data analysis, written, and oral communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Solutions oriented.
• Collaborative team player

Recommendations:

• Previous exposure to leadership in research entities
• Evidence of successful acquisition and management of grant funding
• Supervision (to completion) of Masters and PhD students