Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: Public Opinion in Africa

14 Feb 2022
14 Feb 2022

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: Public Opinion in Africa

The Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa at UCT invites applications for up to two Afrobarometer postdoctoral fellowships for suitably qualified individuals to conduct research on public opinion in Africa.
Conditions of Award: Eligible applicants must have completed their PhDs in the past five years (i.e. in or since 2017), submitted or be about to submit their PhDs. Applicants who are about to submit their PhDs are encouraged to apply but no fellowship can be awarded until the PhD has been submitted. Eligible applicants may not have held any prior permanent or academic posts.

The successful candidate:

  • will have conducted doctoral research using primarily Afrobarometer data on public opinion in Africa, including comparative analysis of at least three countries (excluding South Africa) or Africa-wide analysis;
  • will have experience in improving data quality in Afrobarometer or comparable survey-based data collection;
  • will have demonstrable expertise in using and interpreting advanced regression modelling of public opinion data and experience in teaching social science statistics with respect to public opinion data;
  • will have published at least three papers in recognised peer-reviewed journals (with impact factor >0.5) or as Working Papers in recognised scholarly Working Paper series;
  • will be required to conduct research on public opinion as part of a larger research team;
  • will be required to assist with quality control for Afrobarometer survey data;
  • will be required to attend and participate in workshops, seminars and other activities in the Institute;
  • will be expected to undertake light teaching and/or supervision of students;
  • will research, write and revise papers for publication as Working Papers and for submission to journals and or books;
  • may not hold any other fellowships without the permission of the Director of the Institute, and;
  • may not undertake employment of any nature without the permission of the Director of the Institute.

Value and Tenure: The value of the fellowship will be between R300,000 and R400,000 per annum. The fellowship may be renewed for a second year subject to satisfactory progress and availability of funds. Additional funds may be available for reasonable research expenses outside of South Africa.

Application Procedure: Eligible candidates should provide the following:

  • A letter describing research interests and the candidate’s suitability for the fellowship;
  • a CV that includes details of all degrees, publications and presentations at seminars and conferences;
  • the names of two academic referees who have taught or supervised the candidate at university.

Enquiries and completed application should be sent to idcppa@uct.ac.za. Eligible applicants will be considered by a sub-committee convened by the Director of the Institute.

The closing date for receipt of applications is Monday 21st February 2022.