Current Vacancies at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

About the job:

The CSIR has a vacancy for Software Developer: Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Emerging Digital Technologies for fourth Industrial Revolution (EDT4IR) Research Centre within the Next Generation Enterprises and Institutions Cluster. The incumbent will be responsible to design, develop and implement AI systems architecture and solutions. This position is based in Pretoria.

Key responsibilities:

• Develop innovative solutions in AI and remain well-versed in new technologies in the evolving AI space;
• Supervise/mentor junior staff in the area(s) of expertise;
• Generate and contribute towards science engineering and technology (SET) activity outputs e.g., reports, guidelines, system requirements, peer-reviewed publications, and technology and software packages;
• Understand and interpret client requirements by contributing to user requirement analysis and/or well-articulated proposals;
• Remain current in field of expertise with respect to new approaches in tools, methods or technologies;
• Participate in external task teams or committees in relevant domains;

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• A Bachelor’s degree in computer science/engineering, electrical/electronic engineering, information technology or related field with at least three years’ experience in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (ML) and software development in Artificial Intelligence Technologies;
• An Honours or Master’s degree will be advantageous;

Experience in the following:

• Applied machine-learning with regression, classification, etc. models for supervised learning;
• Big-data unsupervised learning;
• Data platform engineering;
• Building AI models with a deep learning framework such as TensorFlow, Keras or Theano;
• Bringing theoretical machine-learning approaches illustrated in academia research papers to actual implementations, i.e. implemented and deployed into large-scale production system certain advanced ML and applied ML algorithms;

The following knowledge will be advantageous:

• Cloud-based platforms: AWS, IBM Cloud, Azure;
• Understanding of transforming/implementing software/algorithms for use in real-life systems;

Must be able to:

• Select hardware to run an ML model with the required latency;
• Supervise/mentor/develop junior staff;

• Must have knowledge and/or experience of object-orientated software engineering;
• Demonstrated skills in: analytical thinking, flexibility and adaptability, investigative orientation, planning and organising, problem solving, verbal and written communication, teamwork, self-management (planning, prioritising and time management – includes the ability to work independently), systems level thinking, multi-disciplinary knowledge.
• Strong quantitative skills (mathematics/statistics/computer science);
• All international qualifications require an evaluation report / certificate issued by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

  CLOSING DATE: 25 October 2023

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About the job:

The CSIR has a vacancy for Radio Frequency (RF) Engineer in the Radar and Electronic Warfare Impact Area within the Defence and Security cluster.  The incumbent will be responsible to model, design and develop RF modules, sub-systems and antennas. This position is based in Pretoria.

Key responsibilities:

• Interpret radar system requirements and specifications for design and development;
• Generate detail sub-system and Module item development specifications.
• Detail modelling of RF module- and antenna designs;
• Design, develop and test Radio Frequency Hardware;
• Debug, fault find and perform testing of RF Hardware including detail design validation.
• Comply with project configuration management systems and practice;
• Generate data packs and design documentation;
• Generate and execute appropriate acceptance test procedures.
• Understand and implement full development life cycle;

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• A Bachelor of Engineering degree in electronic engineering with at least three years’ relevant RF experience; OR
• A Master’s degree in RF/Radar engineering field;

Experience in the following is required:

• Antenna design, testing and measurement,
• RF Hardware design and testing (Up/down converters),
• Simulation for design aspects as required,
• Radio Freq, L, S, C, X, Ku, K and Ka-bands,
• Radar and Electronic Warfare design will be advantageous;
• General analogue electronics (e.g. op-amp circuits, power supplies) will be advantageous
• Mechanical and thermal interface concept design of RF and antenna circuits will be advantageous
• Must be able to interface with other engineers for detail design;

The following skills and/or training will be advantageous:

• MATLAB development
• FEKO or similar simulation environments,
• Hardware and software interfacing;
• Systems engineering;
• Understanding of RF and digital sub-systems;
• Understanding of the implementation considerations for hardware and software;
• Proven capability of document preparation;
• Strong analytical thinking skills.

Closing date: 15 October 2023

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About the job:

The CSIR has a vacancy for a Master’s Studentship: Voice Computing in the Voice Computing Research Group within the Next Generation Enterprises and Institutions Cluster. The incumbent will be responsible for undertaking research and development in Voice Computing. This position is based in Pretoria.

Research areas:

• Text-to-speech (TTS)
• Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)
• Controlled Natural Language Processing (CNLP)
• Human Computer Interaction (HCI)

Key responsibilities:

• Prepare a research proposal to be approved by both the CSIR and the university;
• Prepare a written literature overview of the current state-of-the-art relevant to the research topic;
• Perform original research to solve the open research problem that the student identified in his/her proposal;
• Produce sufficient quantity and quality of peer-reviewed publications based on this research topic;
• Compile the Masters’ thesis and defend the work successfully;
• Contribute to extra activities that may be outside the scope of the masters’ research as per the needs of the research group. The amount of such work shall be limited to 20% of the total time.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• An Honours degree in electronic/computer engineering, computer science, or computational linguistics or a related/relevant field. Students in their final year of studies will be considered and appointed upon acceptance of proof of successfully completing their degree
• All international qualifications require an evaluation report / certificate issued by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA);
• Knowledge in speech synthesis, speech recognition, natural language processing or human computer interaction or any related machine learning background would be advantageous;
• Good programming skills in related software development, preferably Python/C/Java;
• Knowledge of open-source development tools and an understanding of the Linux OS would be advantageous;
• Good communication skills (verbal and written) and ability to interact efficiently with diverse teams of people;
• Strong analytical skills including good mathematical and statistical ability.
• All international qualifications require an evaluation report / certificate issued by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

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About the job:

The CSIR Smart Mobility Cluster has a vacancy for a Research Group Leader: Pavement Design and Construction in the Transport Infrastructure Engineering impact area. The incumbent will be responsible for leading the development and growth of the research group and ensure the highest quality standards in the group’s outputs. This position is based in Pretoria, however the incumbent may be expected to travel from time to time.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide scientific leadership to staff in the Pavement Design and Construction research group by means of an excellent grasp of the field and by ensuring quality scientific outputs and the professional development and transformation of the group’s scientific capacity;
• Promote a culture of scientific excellence in terms of both quality and delivery;
• Drive the strategic vision of the Pavement Design and Construction research group;
• Contribute to the ongoing development and implementation of strategies to grow the research group;
• Assist the Impact Area Manager to construct and implement a business plan for the impact area (including strategy, goals, mission, HR, finances);
• Identify and manage research opportunities in order to secure external contracts;
• Establish, build, manage and maintain mutually beneficial and credible stakeholder relationships;
• Ensure financial sustainability of the research group, through active networking, developing and managing client relationships, understanding the client needs and aligning them with internal needs and capability;
• Conceptualise, lead and deliver on multi-disciplinary and multi-agency projects and programmes in support of pavement design and construction, decision-making and policy development;
• Draft project proposals, identify tasks and activities to facilitate execution, and allocate appropriate resources;
• Prepare reports, guidelines or other documents aimed at disseminating the results and outcomes of projects;
• Manage, motivate and develop the people in the research group and enable their career growth through creation of opportunities;
• Provide guidance to researchers and mentorship to interns and learners;
• Direct, drive and measure the performance of the people in the research group;
• Ensure that the research group is dynamic, and remains innovative, competitive and abreast of trends;
• Raise personal, team and institutional profiles through publishing original research and presenting at national and international conferences and workshops;
• Ensure the quality and delivery of projects and publications in the group by means of technical reviews and quality assurance;
• Ensure impact of the research group’s work.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• A Masters’ degree in civil engineering with at least, ten years’ experience in at least five of the following fields related to road engineering: 
  • materials design and evaluation
  • structural design
  • performance assessment and modelling
  • vehicle-pavement interaction
  • construction and maintenance
  • geotechnical engineering
  • risk and vulnerability assessment
  • forensic investigation
  • procurement/contractual models
  • infrastructure funding alternatives
  • asset management
  • sustainability science 
• a doctorate would be advantageous.
• Must be registered as a Professional Engineer;
• Proven leadership, management skills and financial acumen;
• Track record of successful development and management of revenue streams in the field of pavement design and/or construction;
• Ability to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the business/engineering environment in which the research group operates;
• Recognition as an expert in the road infrastructure domain or in related fields allowing the individual to contribute to integration across disciplines;
• Networking ability and proven networks within all aspects of transport infrastructure design, construction, maintenance and rehabilitation, including the assessment of materials and pavement behaviour, and performance modelling, demonstrated through participation in national or provincial committees, task teams and working groups;
• Proven contract and project management experience on medium to large-scale projects, preferably multi-disciplinary research and development projects;
• Practical knowledge of and experience in a range of research methods;
• Excellent report-writing skills;
• Track record of research outputs published in peer-reviewed journals, books or conference proceedings;
• Effective communication skills (oral, written and presentation), including excellent communication in English;
• Skills in staff motivation and performance management;
• Analytical skills with a problem-solving, solution-seeking orientation;
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team;
• Computer literacy and experience in using standard software packages; programming skills will be an advantage.

Closing date: 11 October 2023

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About the job:

The CSIR has a vacancy for a Chief Researcher: Road Infrastructure Engineering within the Transport Infrastructure Engineering Impact Area of the Smart Mobility Cluster. The Impact Area plays a leading role in road construction materials, pavement design, road rehabilitation design and analysis methods, monitoring long-term performance of roads and road material characterisation and assessment. This position is based in Pretoria.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide technical and strategic leadership and mentorship to staff in the Impact Area by ensuring quality scientific outputs and the professional development and transformation of the group’s scientific capacity;
• Promote a culture of scientific, engineering and technological excellence in terms of both quality and delivery, and provide research, development and innovation leadership in transport/road infrastructure engineering;
• Manage large interdisciplinary projects in transport/road infrastructure engineering through robust, integrated planning;
• Conceptualise, structure, manage and implement large and impactful research projects nationally, regionally and internationally;
• Provide thought leadership in transport/road infrastructure engineering;
• Contribute to policy research in support of South Africa’s national priorities;
• Have networking ability both nationally and internationally, and interact with stakeholders within fields of expertise to develop long-term relationships both within and outside the CSIR in the field of transport/road infrastructure engineering;
• Formulate of national & international R&D strategies in collaboration with global partners;
• Coordinate engagements with strategic stakeholders that result in business leads for the CSIR;
• Attract sufficient funds, locally and internationally, for large teams of researchers & support staff;
• Manage CSIR Smart Mobility business and relationship strategy and communicate this to relevant stakeholders;
• Raise personal, team and institutional profiles through publishing original research and presenting work at national and international conferences and workshops;
• Plan and manage projects to develop and advance new/existing process technology from laboratory scale through pilot and commercial scale implementation;
• Lead and deliver the technical deliverables that are necessary in the design, optimisation and/or commercialisation of transport/road-related processes and products;
• Lead and execute project technical deliverables and milestones to ensure successful delivery of such processes and products.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• A doctoral degree in civil engineering or related science or engineering field with at least fifteen years leadership experience in at least six of the following fields related to road transport infrastructure engineering/science:

A Masters qualification may be acceptable for highly experienced candidates on a journey to completing a PhD degree.

• Asset management
• Construction and maintenance
• Engineering geology
• Engineering forensic investigation
• Geotechnical engineering
• Infrastructure economics
• Materials design and evaluation
• Materials sciences/engineering
• Performance assessment and modelling
• Procurement/contractual models
• Product development
• Risk and vulnerability assessment
• Structural design
• Sustainability sciences (circular economy)
• Vehicle-pavement interaction
• Experience with involvement of collaborations between researchers in industry and academia;
• Having a rating with the National Research Foundation will be advantageous;
• Track record in successful patenting will be advantageous;
• Outstanding technical record over a ten-to-fifteen-year period, including high impact publications and technical reports;
• A track record in attracting and securing funding to support large teams of researchers/practitioners and support staff;
• Registration with a relevant professional body;
• Excellent understanding of the transport/road sector in South Africa in particular, but also regional and international transport/road sectors;
• Ability to identify newer technologies that would benefit South Africa, and lead the localisation thereof;
• Ability to innovate and generate new knowledge;
• Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills;
• Ability to continuously disseminate research, development and innovation outputs;
• Must have excellent communication, presentation and writing skills;
• Must have the ability to work accurately, efficiently and independently as well as in a team;
• Ability to work in a methodical manner is essential;
• Ability to carry out strategic stakeholder interactions at all levels;
• Ability to effectively present ideas, concepts, plan and procedures; and
• Demonstrated track record of the ability to work accurately, independently and efficiently.
• Must be computer literate, as well as have the ability to understand and use domain specialised software.  

Closing date: 11 October 2023