SANBI Fellowship: Marine Postdoctoral (Cape Town, Western Cape) South Africa 2021 - 2022

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

16 April 2021.
Be sure to apply on or before this date - any applications submitted after this date are late and will NOT be accepted.

ABOUT THE COMPANY PROVIDING THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME:

The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) aids ton the sustainable development of South Africa’s ecosystem. They do this by increasing access to biodiversity data, as well a creating new knowledge and information enhancing capacity, conserving biodiversity, as well as providing policy advice in the country's zootanical and botanical gardens

DETAILS ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME:

Location: Kirstenbosch Centre, Newlands, Cape Town, Western Cape
Duration: 1-year, starting in May 2021
Bursary value: R300 000
Number of positions available: 1

The South African National Biochemistry Institute is offering a Marine Postdoctoral Fellowship programme. The candidate will be joining the Biodiversity Research, Assessment and Monitoring Division, providing support to research in the Mission Atlantic Project.

The programme will start in May 2021 and be completed on a full-time basis for 1-year and will consist of collaborative research. This research will be linked to the Mission Atlantic Project's tasks, deliverables, and milestones.

The candidate will support work done under work package 1 (Ocean Integrated Ecosystem Assessment), work package 5 (Assessing state, drivers and tipping points), as well as work package 7 (Risk Assessment and uncertainties.)

The candidate will also support milestones within the Mission Atlantic Project by leading a workshop on tipping points and ecosystem condition assessment.
The programme is hosted by the University of Cape Town, supervised by Dr Lynne Shannon and co-supervised by Prof Kerry Sink from SANBI.

This programme is aimed at a candidate with knowledgeable experience in the NBA to enhance research (on ecosystems, species, pressures, resilience, ecosystem condition, and assessment) to better the NBA

Key performance areas of the programme:

Contributing to knowledge and data with the aim of grounding truth marine ecosystem conditions
Identifying tipping points in the ecosystem
Participating in research by synthesising literature, engaging in publications, using data sources, as well as find scientific evidence make new reconsiderations

The aim and objectives of the programme:

Aiding the candidate in supporting the Mission Atlantic Project and the South African National Biodiversity Assessment
Assessing the resilience and status of the ecosystem
Planning both the present and future three-dimensional distributions of biomes along with their pressures
Identifying vulnerabilities and risks by developing new tools, indicators, and technologies within the marine environment
Ensuring that assessment guidelines, modelling tools, and data are transferred and formulated into ecosystem-based management procedures
Educating ocean resource researchers and managers on how to apply a systematic approach to manage the ecosystem

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS NEEDED TO APPLY:

Before applying, please ensure that you meet ALL of the following minimum entry criteria – failure to satisfy all the requirements will result in your application being disqualified:

Must be a South African Citizen
Must have completed a PhD (submitted or awarded) related to the assessment of Marine Ecosystem Condition and/or Ecosystem Threat Status
Must be independent
Must be productive
Must have completed your PhD in the last 5-years
Must have shown experience in the South African National Biodiversity Assessment (NBA)
Must have knowledge of integrated ecosystem assessment and analyses
Must be competent
Must be highly organised
Must have excellent communication skills
Must have previous knowledge and experience in R-statistical software
Must have experience in conducting ecological data spatial analysis

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME:

Apply by submitting the following documents:

A completed Marine Programme Postdoc Application cover sheet
An updated Curriculum Vitae including your educational background, work experience, relevant research, scholarly activities, 2 letters of reference (once from an academic supervisor), and publications
Copies of your academic marks
A certified copy of the highest qualification you have obtained
Published articles (1 or 2)
A 2-page outline of your vision for the workshop planned under milestone 5.3 and how you envision the outcomes will contribute to the NBA and Mission Atlantic Projects

Email your application to: students@sanbi.org.za
with the words “'SANBI Marine Programme postdoctoral fellowship” in the email subject line

Please note:

The bursary value will be transferred to the University of Cape Town where the candidate will register and paid. Certain running expenses will also be made available for the year
SANBI is NOT obligated to fulfil this position
Short-listed candidates will be notified by the end of April
If you have not received a response within 21 days, consider your application unsuccessful

CONTACT THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME PROVIDER FOR QUERIES:

For any queries related to this fellowship programme, please contact SANBI directly:

Academic Enquiries
Contact person: Prod Kerry Sink
Email address: k.sink@sanbi.org.za

Contact person: Ms Megan van der Bank
Email address: k.sink@sanbi.org.za

Application Process
Contact person: Ms Rene' du Toit
Email address: r.dutoit@sanbi.org.za