The African Centre for Cities invites applications for a two-year Junior Research Fellow position to join Young and Online in African Cities: Tech-based Activations for Just and Sustainable Urban Development, an applied and action-oriented research project aiming to tackle inequality through exploring the relationship between youth, technology, work, citizenship, and sustainable and just placemaking.
Applications are invited from suitably qualified and experienced candidates for the full-time position of Junior Research Fellow, to commence duty as soon as possible.
The incumbent must be an energetic, driven, self-starting individual, able to deal with multiple, simultaneous demands in support for the smooth running of the Young and Online project.
Requirements
- Applicants are expected to have completed a doctoral degree in a relevant area of study (e.g. urban studies, digital humanities, youth and/or gender studies)
- Applicants with a relevant Masters degree and significant relevant work experience will also be considered.
- Applicants should have a sound knowledge of qualitative research methods, and excellent writing skills in academic and non-academic registers
- Applicants should welcome the opportunity to work in a team, showing an ability to take initiative, work independently as well as collaboratively
- Applicants should have well-developed and professional interpersonal and communication skills
- As the project has an explicit focus on multi-dimensional inequality including race and gender, ideally the applicant is well versed in anti-racist, intersectional feminist and/or queer approaches to research
- As the project has a pan-African focus, applicants should have a sensible knowledge of cities across at least two different sub-regions of Africa as defined by the United Nations (Southern Africa, East Africa, Middle Africa, West Africa, and Northern Africa) and a track record of relevant research and publication
- The successful applicant may be expected to travel
- Fluency in English is a requirement and fluency in French will be an advantage.
Responsibilities
The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary team and will be expected to:
- Conduct research on youth-oriented and tech-enabled initiatives in select African cities
- Maintain and update a database of information on these initiatives
- Contribute to developing typologies and case studies
- Participate in project activities such as reading groups, writing workshops, and reflection meetings
- Work closely with the project leads at ACC and HCU and local teams, which includes providing some mentorship for Masters students on the project
- Support the project administratively where appropriate
- Contribute to academic and other writing as part of the project outputs
- Participate in wider activities at the African Centre for Cities
The annual cost of employment, including benefits, is between R380,838 and R544,062 (as per UCT renumeration policy).
Non-South African citizens will be required to have a valid working visa.
Application requirements and process
Applicants are required to submit the following documents as a combined PDF, via email, to: Dr Rike Sitas (rike.sitas@uct.ac.za) by no later than 10 March 2023
- UCT Application Form (download at http://forms.uct.ac.za/hr201.doc)
- A letter of application introducing your expertise, research interests, experience, and motivation for this position
- A max two-page concept note that positions your interest in the project and details what you see as the key youth and technology challenges and opportunities for and in African cities
- A CV
- Copies of academic transcripts
- Names and contact details of at least two academics who have taught, supervised, or worked alongside you
Please note that correspondence will be entered into with shortlisted candidates. Unfortunately we cannot consider incomplete applications.
UCT is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity and redress in achieving its equity targets. Our Employment Equity Policy is available at http://www.uct.ac.za/downloads/uct.ac.za/about/policies/eepolicy.pdf.
UCT reserves the right not to appoint.