Postdoctoral Research Fellowship - Politics and Cultural Studies at University of Limpopo

Type:

• Postdoctoral research fellowship within the research niche area of Politics and cultural studies. The fellowships is a two-year fixed contract subject to satisfactory annual performance. The tax-free stipend is R300 000 per annum.

Minimum requirements

Applicants must have:

• A PhD (NQF Level 10) in Anthropology, Sociology, Development Studies, Human Ecology, African Studies, Governance and Development, or a closely related field, preferably completed within the past five (5) years.
• Evidence of research productivity, including peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, edited scholarly outputs, and/or manuscripts under review in areas related to the Fellowship.
• Demonstrated research interest in at least two of the following aspects of culture, indigenous health care, politics, food and water security, climate change perceptions and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, intangible cultural heritage and indigenous and local knowledge systems.
• Competence in qualitative, participatory, ethnographic, interdisciplinary, and/or community-engaged research methods.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, good computer and data management skills, and the ability to work both independently and in interdisciplinary research teams.
• Ability to produce publishable research outputs and to contribute to postgraduate mentorship, seminars, workshops, and research culture activities.

Added advantage

• Experience conducting fieldwork with rural communities, indigenous knowledge holders, farmers, traditional health practitioners, local authorities, civil society actors, climate-affected communities, or biodiversity and natural-resource stakeholders.
• A publication record or active manuscripts on aspects of culture, including indigenous health care, politics, food and water security, climate change perceptions and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, intangible cultural heritage and indigenous and local knowledge systems.
• Experience in Limpopo Province, South Africa, and/or comparable Southern African field sites.
• Experience in grant proposal writing, externally funded research projects, academic editing, special issues, edited books, conference organisation, or international collaboration.
• Experience supporting postgraduate students in research topic development, academic writing, publication planning, qualitative methods training, teaching, supervision or co-supervision.
• Ability to contribute to policy briefs, community reports, biodiversity literacy materials, field guides, atlases, public-facing research outputs and stakeholder workshops.

Duties and Responsibilities

The successful Fellow will:

• Develop and implement an independent postdoctoral research plan aligned with Prof Rankoana's niche area and the University's research priorities.
• Conduct high-quality, interdisciplinary research on aspects of culture, including indigenous health care, politics, food and water security, climate change perceptions and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, intangible cultural heritage and indigenous and local knowledge systems.
• Produce peer-reviewed publications in DHET-accredited and reputable international journals, as well as scholarly books and/or edited collections.
• Participate in empirical fieldwork and community-engaged research in Limpopo Province, South Africa, and/or comparable Southern African settings.
• Document and analyse indigenous and local knowledge, intangible cultural heritage, medicinal plant use, cultural resources, local conservation practices, climate change perceptions, politics, food and water security concerns, health vulnerabilities and community adaptation strategies.
• Contribute to research ethics applications, data collection and management, qualitative analysis, reporting and responsible knowledge sharing.
• Support grant proposal development, research fundraising and national, regional and international collaborations.
• Assist with postgraduate supervision, mentorship, writing retreats, methods workshops, publication planning and seminars that promote a strong research culture.
• Contribute to knowledge translation outputs, including policy briefs, community reports, biodiversity literacy materials, field guides, atlases, public lectures and conference presentations.
• Represent the research niche area at academic forums, conferences and stakeholder engagements, where appropriate.

Expected outputs:

During the fellowship, the successful candidate will be expected to produce:

• At least 4 accredited journal publications over the two-year fellowship.
• Several conference presentations at national and international scientific meetings.
• At least one competitive external research grant application.
• Research reports for stakeholders.
• Contributions to postgraduate student supervision and capacity development.
• Collaborative publications with the host supervisor and research team.
• Participation in multidisciplinary research projects within the Faculty and University.