Current Opportunities at The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)

• The fieldworkers will be responsible for recruiting eligible participants and follow up enrolled participants to ensure full retention rate for the study and conduct interviews in identified community settings, health clinics and/or the NCDRU research clinic. Data entering, and general administration will be part of daily tasks.

Responsibilities:

• Ensuring compliance with study protocols
• Working with the community leaders/clinic staff to identify potential study participants
• Recruiting and tracking of study participants
• Conducting screening/recruitment interviews
• Conducting anthropometric measures
• Taking blood pressure measurements
• Administering of questionnaires
• Completing participant information i.e. appointment schedules
• General project administrative tasks including quality assurance, data entry and supply control tasks and daily reports
• Assisting project staff members with other tasks, when needed

Core Requirements:

• At least two years of fieldwork experience.
• A Matric certificate
• Speak fluent Afrikaans or isiXhosa in addition to English
• Good computer skills

Added Advantage:

• Preferably have experience working in a research setting, which includes recruiting participants and other fieldwork activities for clinic-based research projects
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Experience in qualitative data collection
• Driver’s License

Closing Date: 06 June 2023

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• The incumbent will be responsible for managing the fieldwork at an allocated site/s and/or at the NCDRU research clinic, under the supervision of the project management team. The role entails literature (systematic) reviews, executing investigative protocols that tackle deficits in scientific knowledge, then disseminating insights obtained by publishing results. It also entails undertaking research and research co-ordination – coordinating small teams and fieldworker teams - engage with research partners, train, and supervise fieldworkers, conduct the quality control and be responsible for managing, cleaning, and analyzing a complex data set (qualitative and quantitative).

Responsibilities:

Project Work

• Co-ordination and supervising of fieldwork
• Data collection – independently
• Organization and management of data
• Analysis of data
• Research activity report writing

Data Management and analysis

• Transcribing
• Data entry
• Cleaning data
• Coding qualitative data
• Data analysis: increasing complexity

Contribution to publications

• Co-author peer-reviewed paper, proposal (accepted for funding, ethics, or peer-reviewed)
• Conference presentations
• Posters, chapters, technical report research briefs
• Policy briefs

Research Admin

• Filing of information / application of JDE system
• Logistics and planning data collection – bookings, car hire, etc.
• Keeping records of data collection
• Presentation / research dissemination
• Feedback to communities
• Report in project meetings (report on literature reviews / methods / designs / data analysis)
• Journal clubs / Seminars / Workshop / Presentations at national conferences

Core Requirements:

• Four-year Tertiary Qualification or Honours degree in related field (Sciences, Public health)
• Minimum of 3-years research related working experience
• Understanding of Good Clinical Practice or a valid certificate in Good Clinical Practice
• Computer literate and experienced in using electronic devices for data collection (tablet, laptop, smart phones)
• Be fully bilingual, English/Afrikaans or isiXhosa (be able to read, write and communicate fluently)
• In-depth knowledge of data collection, management and analysis
• Familiarization with a statistical software package
• Driver’s license

Added Advantages:

• Masters Degree
• Some published research manuscript(s)
• Lab-related data analysis specialization
• Previous experience working in non-communicable disease (NCD) research setting, also responsible for NCD-related data handling and quality control
• Project management skills or experience
• Demonstrate excellent technical and interpersonal skills
• Be willing to assist project staff in day to day tasks

Closing Date: 07 June 2023

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• The ideal candidate will be responsible for providing high-level and extensive executive secretarial and office administration support to the President & CEO.

Responsibilities will include:

• Manage, schedule and coordinate the President & CEO’s complex executive diary.
• Plan and coordinate the President & CEO’s extensive local and international travel.
• Organize and prepare for meetings, including gathering documentation/information and attend to logistics of meetings.
• Answer and respond to phone calls, effectively communicate messages and information to the President & CEO.
• Prioritize emails and requests and respond timeously.
• Draft, review and send communication on behalf of the President & CEO.
• Maintain various records and update documents.
• Interact with high-profile external stakeholders, Board members, senior management and employees of the SAMRC.
• Other administrative functions or ad hoc tasks as assigned by the President & CEO.
• Project management.

Core Requirements:

• A degree in Business Administration or a 3-year National Diploma or a 3-year post-Matric tertiary qualification in Office/Administrative Management or Project Management.
• At least 8 years of executive secretarial and/or office administrative or project support experience in a high-level support environment or an Executive Office.
• Extensive MS Office knowledge and skills particularly in Word, PowerPoint and Excel, as well as electronic diary scheduling using Outlook.
• Driver’s License

Added Advantage:

• At least 8 years of executive secretarial and/or administrative support experience, of which 5 years must have been supporting a CEO of a medium-sized organization.

Closing Date: 09 June 2023

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Positions have become available for Specialist Scientists in the Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform. The Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform is a dynamic research platform within the Centers and Platform Office of the South African Medical Research Council. The Platform focusses on health research and innovation, aimed at the early detection, prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

• Post 1 - To cover the multifaceted aspects of the post, we require an energetic person with a molecular biology background applicable to research in the fields of diabetes and related metabolic disorders. The incumbent will work with the Epigenetics/Obesity/Diabetes in Pregnancy team to provide laboratory and project management support in various aspects of research, including molecular biology and epigenetics.
• Post 2 - The position requires a self-motivated molecular biologist with expertise in diabetes and its associated cardiovascular complications. The incumbent will form an integral part of Diabetes/Hypertension/Cardiometabolic research team that focuses on understanding mechanisms leading to cardiovascular dysfunction. The successful candidate will be expected to conduct laboratory-based research as well as provide project management support to successfully fulfill the function of the position.

Responsibilities:

• Publishing articles in peer-reviewed journals.
• To apply for research funding from national and international stakeholders.
• To supervise/co-supervise postgraduate students (Masters and PhD).
• Principal investigator (PI) and Co-PI on research projects.
• Review for international peer-reviewed scientific journals.
• Review research grants and abstracts for conferences.
• Give special (invited) talks at national/ international conferences or seminars.
• Oral presentations.
• Effectively manage, train and develop students and staff.
• Assist with the management of the BRIP Platform and involvement in SAMRC administrative/community engagement processes.

Core Requirements:

• PhD in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Physiology or similar relevant qualification with five years of experience post qualification.
• Track record in publishing first and/or senior authored original research articles after obtaining PhD (Minimum of five peer reviewed journal articles - three as first author, excluding reviews - post PhD).
• Proven laboratory, molecular biology, statistical analysis, and project management skills
• Demonstrated history of leading projects and supervision of postgraduate students (PhD and Masters students).
• Demonstrated ability of writing grants and attracting funding.
• Ability to independently plan experimental workflows for multiple experiments.
• Ability to perform data analysis, interpret and draw conclusions from data.
• Ability to provide guidance and collaborate in a team environment.
• Experience in oral presentations.
• Reviewing of research papers and national grants.
• Experience in clinically oriented laboratory research and working with human samples.

Advantageous:

• Experience with next-generation sequencing and bioinformatic analysis
• Experience with multiple-omics-based research and functional genomics
• Experience in cell culture and metabolomics
• Experience in laboratory animal science
• Experience in epigenetics
• NRF rating

Closing Date: 10 June 2023