Professor/Associate Professor (Falf-WBS-WDB Research Chair In General Equality) at University of the Witwatersrand

Background and Purpose

Research Chairs are strategic instruments for strengthening South Africa’s research and innovation system by:

• Enhancing research leadership and excellence.
• Building sustainable research capacity.
• Training high-level postgraduate students; and
• Generating knowledge that contributes to socio-economic development. Despite a strong legislative framework, gender inequality remains pervasive in South Africa, particularly for Black women. The FALF-WBS-WDB Research Chair in Gender Equality addresses this challenge through high-quality, solution-oriented, and policy-relevant research that advances gender equality across sectors through an intersectional approach.
• The Research Chair Holder will, therefore, provide intellectual, strategic, and academic leadership to advance high-impact, policy-relevant research on Gender Equality with a particular emphasis on business, development, development management and management using an intersectional and transformative lens. The role is designed to strengthen South Africa’s research ecosystem by developing a sustainable pipeline of Black women knowledge producers and academic leaders, producing world-class research outputs, and translating research findings into meaningful societal, policy, and developmental impact.

Brief Description        
Objectives of the Research Chair:

• Increase the number of world-class Black female researchers in business, development, development management and management studies: The Research Chair will contribute to diversifying South Africa’s research landscape by mentoring and developing female academic leaders from the Designated Group in Gender Equality scholarship
• Lead strategic and relevant research on gender equality in business, development and development management: Promote research excellence in Gender Equality that responds to sustainable development Goals and aligns with national and international priorities.
• Create research career pathways in business and development management education: Develop academic opportunities for highly-skilled early and mid-career Black female researchers at the Wits Business School, addressing the imbalances in racial, gender, and age representation.
• Increase the number of Black female Master's and Doctoral graduates in business, development and development management disciplines: Support the academic progression of Black women through mentorship, research supervision, and structured career development programs.
• Leverage the partnership with the Women’s Development Business Trust (WDB Trust) to advance Mission-Driven Data & Insights, and practice-informed, socially responsive research: Harness available knowledge, evidence, and data generated through innovative and experimental development initiatives to inform high-impact gender equality research, while ensuring that research contributions meaningfully enrich and strengthen ongoing programmes and contributions towards a more humane and transformed society.

Key Responsibilities:

• The FALF Research Chair in Gender Equality has a broad, multidisciplinary and solution-oriented scope. The successful candidate will be expected to:
• Establish and lead a flagship research programme that advances theoretical, empirical and applied scholarship on gender equality, with relevance to South Africa, the African continent, and comparable global contexts.
• Interrogate structural and systemic drivers of gender inequality, including (but not limited to) leadership and decision-making, economic participation, education and skills development, labour markets, public policy, budgeting and governance, care economies, and gender-based violence.
• Apply an intersectional analytical framework, recognising the interconnected effects of gender, race, nationality, class, disability and other social attributes on lived experience and outcomes.
• Design and implement research capacity-building initiatives that increase the number of world-class Black female researchers in South Africa.
• Mentor and supervise postgraduate students at WBS, including Master's, PhD candidates, and postdoctoral fellows, focusing on producing high-quality Black female graduates.
• Develop pathways for young and mid-career Black female researchers, effectively addressing historical racial, gender, and age imbalances in the academic sector.
• Secure and manage external research funding grants to advance the objectives of the Chair.
• Generate high-quality, internationally competitive research publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles, scholarly books or chapters, and other accredited research contributions, consistent with Research Chair norms.
• Translate research findings into policy-relevant and practice-oriented knowledge, such as policy briefs, technical reports, frameworks, and tools that inform public policy, institutional reform, and programme design.
• Contribute to evidence-based interventions, including engagement with gender-responsive policy making, public financial management, and gender budgeting where appropriate.
• Position the Chair as a national and international hub of excellence, strengthening South Africa’s visibility and leadership in gender equality research.
• Build and sustain strategic partnerships and networks with universities, research councils, government departments, civil society organisations, multilateral agencies, and international research collaborators to enhance South Africa's research competitiveness.
• Leverage the Chair to attract additional external funding from national and international sources to expand research activities and human capital development.
• Contribute to institutional research leadership by supporting the research strategy, postgraduate development, and knowledge exchange within the host university.

Requirements:

• A South African Black woman from Designated Group (African or Coloured).
• African and Coloured South African women academics in the diaspora are eligible, subject to full-time residence in South Africa for the duration of the Chair.
• Hold a PhD in a discipline relevant to gender equality, development, development management and/or business management or related field.
• Appointable at the level of Associate Professor or Professor at the time of application.
• Proven record of research excellence, with a strong national and international publication record in Gender Equality scholarship or related area.
• A proven track record of successful postgraduate (Masters and Doctoral) supervision.
• Demonstrated ability to conceptualise and lead large-scale research projects.
• Demonstrated ability to attract funding for and manage large-scale research initiatives and projects.
• A strong and demonstrable commitment to academic transformation, socio-economic transformation, equity, and intersectional scholarship.

CLOSING DATE: 20 February 2026 (COB)