Join the academy and develop your academic CV by undertaking a postdoc fellowship at Wits University.
Three exciting modes
The Centennial Fellowships operate in three different modes:
- Sandwich fellowships with top 100 global universities. Split your postdoc fellowship between Wits and selected international universities.
- Industry fellowships with Johannesburg-based tech firms hosted by a Wits academic and focused on innovation.
- Conventional fellowships working with a Wits host on a multidisciplinary research project.
- Priority Areas
- Sustainable development goals
- Digital transformation
- Better health
- Solving global challenges
- Advancing society, governance, and justice
- Future-proofing our national treasures
- Trans-disciplinary research
- Fellowship Value
- Stipend R300 000 pa (tax free)
- Comprehensive medical aid
- Contribution to relocation costs
- Contribution to research costs
- Access to an excellent academic development programme, with seed funding
- Assessment Criteria
- PhD completed within the last 5 years
- Quality of publications arising from PhD research
- Merit (impact and feasibility) of proposal with a focus on multidisciplinary research
- Support of Wits host
- How to apply
- Find an academic mentor who will be willing to host your postdoc fellowship.
- Work with your host to conceive of a research or innovation project using one of the three modes described above.
- For the ‘sandwich’ fellowship, your Wits host will need to be collaborating with your international host.
- Capture your plan using this application form and email it to Alban.vanRoy@Wits.ac.za.
- There is no closing date. Awards will be made based on the criteria described and on a first come first served basis until all our funds have been committed.
- Taking up a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Wits
Should you take up a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Wits you could expect to:
- Develop research independence under the guidance of an academic mentor (or host);
- Produce research outputs and so strengthen your CV;
- Assist with some postgraduate student supervision.
On the other hand, the University has specific expectations of its Postdoctoral Fellows. Although these expectations will vary from place to place in the University, the common ones include:
- An average peer-reviewed research output[1] of at least two publications per annum during your stay. It is understood that most of the publications will not arise in year one. This implies that year two of your Fellowship should see four or more publications.
- Furthermore, these outputs should be published internationally. Ideally, the research should be published in journals that are found in the ISI index of journals. If there is a particular reason why it is more appropriate to publish the work in local journals, then they should be ‘accredited journals’.
- A contribution to the research ethos of the School or Institute in which you are based. This contribution should come in the form of willing participation in staff meetings, debates about research, research seminars (especially those involving postgraduate students), etc. It is important that you contribute to the academic programme by putting forward your ideas and thinking.
- A contribution to the operation of a research laboratory (where appropriate). This contribution may involve calibrating instruments, advising postgraduate students on operating conditions, giving instrument training, commissioning preventative maintenance, etc.
- On occasions going beyond the normal expectations of a Postdoctoral Fellow (within reason) to make a contribution towards the University and its goal to become an internationally acclaimed research intensive university.
[1] Research output is used in its broadest sense and recognises creative outputs that meet agreed criteria. However, typically the outputs include journal articles, peer-reviewed conference proceedings, chapters in peer-reviewed books and even peer-reviewed books.