Deadline: 

2018-07-15

A call for University staff members to apply for a PhD Scholarships in Climate risk, Resilience, and Sustainable Development

Please note: Limited to university staff members at UCT, UFH and UNIVEN.

Background

The University Staff Doctorate Programme (USDP) is a programme by the South African Department of Higher Education (DHET) which aims to develop collaborative professional development opportunities for staff in higher education institutions in South Africa and the United States.

As part of the USDP, this project brings together South African and United States universities to help transform South African academic expertise relating to ‘Climate risk, resilience, and sustainable development’.

The partnership includes the University of Cape Town, University of Fort Hare and University of Venda from South Africa, and the University of Arizona and Penn State University from the United States.

The project aims to support 10 high caliber South African university staff (of which 80% will be black and/or women) to obtain PhDs in fields related to climate risk, resilience and sustainable development, and applied to a South African context. These 10 candidates will be selected from UCT, UNIVEN and UFH staff.

The cohort of PhD candidates will be supported via a structured programme, including:

  •  An annual summer school that maps onto the needs of a PhD student and emerging academic.
  •   A semester abroad at a United States partner university (University of Arizona and Penn State University)
  •  Funding (ZAR 70 000) to support tuition and research costs
  •   Interdisciplinary and inter-institutional co-supervision and expert advice

This holistic model ensures that university staff are not only obtaining a qualification within the required four years, but building skills for quality teaching, research impact, collaboration and innovation that ensure academic excellence that contributes to addressing South Africa’s development challenges.

We therefore invite applications from staff members of the University of Cape Town, University of Fort Hare and University of Venda who wish to obtain a PhD in a field relating to ‘Climate risk, resilience, and sustainable development’ within the next four years.

Research theme:

Staff are invited to intersect their discipline with the broad theme of ‘Climate risk, resilience, and sustainable development’. That includes the following research areas, but not limited to:

• Geospatial analysis

• Governance, law and public administration

• Climate Science and Services

• Water resources and security

• Public and environmental health

• Renewable energy and mitigation

• Ecosystems, natural resource management and ecosystem-based adaptation

• Rural livelihoods and resilience

• Food security and agro-economics

• Climate risks and (urban) human settlements

• Disaster risk reduction

• Green economy

Please note supervision in all these areas is not available at each institution. Interested candidates can make contact with our collaborators at the participating Universities to discuss where supervision is available. Candidates interested any other climate related disciplines/themes other than the ones listed above should also contact collaborators to enquire. These contacts are as follows:

For UCT: Dr Sivu Situngu (sivu.situngu@uct.ac.za)

For UFH: Dr Leocadia Zhou (lzhou@ufh.ac.za)

For UNIVEN: Dr Nthaduleni Nethengwe (nthaduleni.nethengwe@univen.ac.za)

 

Candidates who have recently registered their PhDs in 2018 and have not started their fieldwork/research are also encouraged to apply and may be awarded on condition that they re-align their research focus with the climate change themes listed above (if not already aligned).

Eligibility:

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  •   Be a South African citizen or permanent resident in South Africa;
  • Be a permanent staff member at the respective university (academic or support staff);
  • Preferential consideration will be given to Black (African, Coloured and Indian) and female South African applicants.

Academic Criteria:

  •  A Masters (or SAQA Level 9 equivalent) degree;
  • Be a high-achieving academic or professional who already shows advanced teaching/ research/ leadership potential.
  • Experience or interest in interdisciplinary research.

Conditions of award:

The successful applicant will be required to:

  •  Register for study in a relevant department/faculty at his/her preferred partnering university;
  •  Comply with the university’s approved policies, procedures and practices for postgraduates within the respective university;
  • Comply with the university’s approved policies, procedures and practices for staff development;
  • Be willing to be co-supervised by a supervisor from one partner institution;
  •  Attend a Developmental PhD summer school: Once or twice a year for three years, which will be intended at developing the skills necessary to complete a PhD and excel as an emerging academic in the field of climate risk, resilience and sustainable development;
  •  Commit to completing their doctoral degree (PhD) by 2022;
  •  Be willing to sign a Student-Supervisor agreement / social contract committing to participation in the programme; the achievement of specific yearly milestones; and a service obligation of at least one year at the university, after completion of the doctoral degree.

Value and tenure:

  •   Each student staff member will receive ZAR70 000 primarily towards their tuition and research costs, paid to their department;
  •  All SA partners (UCT, UFH, UNIVEN) may offer reduced fees to their own staff registering for a PhD at their institution, as well as study leave (in some cases, paid leave), in line with their staff benefits policies;
  • Student staff members in the programme can spend an expenses-paid semester abroad at either US partners (University of Arizona and Penn State University) with access to audit one semester of courses as a visiting student (subject to permission of instructors at these institutions).

Application requirements:

1. Letter of application, which includes a description of the research topic / area of interest as well names of proposed supervisor and co-supervisor at partner institutions;

2. Letter of support from supervisor supporting the application and indicating availability to supervise;

3. Letter of support from Head of Department / Director supporting participation of the staff member under this programme;

4. A full CV with three references.

Application and Selection Process:

1. Applications are to be sent to the respective contact point at each partner university. These contacts are as follows:

For UCT: Dr Sivu Situngu (sivu.situngu@uct.ac.za)

For UFH: Dr Leocadia Zhou (lzhou@ufh.ac.za)

For UNIVEN: Dr Nthaduleni Nethengwe (nthaduleni.nethengwe@univen.ac.za)

2. Each partner institution will nominate candidates from their institution.

3. Nominated candidates will be reviewed and approved by a project committee comprising academic staff from University of Cape Town, University of Venda, and University of Fort Hare with input from University of Arizona and Penn State University (if required).

Please note that application for this USDP project and registering for a PhD are two separate processes at each of the partnering institutions. Applicants should first apply for the USDP project and if awarded, will then be required to apply for academic admission (if not already registered), with assistance from coordinators at each institution.

Closing date for applications:

Applications received by 15 July 2018 will be guaranteed consideration.

Staff should ideally register by 1 November 2018.

Contact details:

For further information or if you have any general enquiries or concerns, please contact Ms. Leigh Cobban, the Education Portfolio Manager on 021 650 3846 or email her on: leigh.cobban@uct.ac.za

Important to note:

The University of Cape Town, University of Fort Hare and University of Venda reserve the right to make no awards at all, to cancel the award if the conditions are not met, and to effect changes to the conditions of the award.

The University of Cape Town, University of Fort Hare and University of Venda reserves the right to disqualify ineligible, incomplete and/or inappropriate applications.