Job Description

Faculty of Education
School of Education Studies
Educator Professional Development Studies in ECD/Foundation Phase
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 2022
Job ID: 4253 The University of the Free State (UFS) invites applications from suitably qualified candidates for a postdoctoral fellowship in the Faculty of Education within the School of Education Studies. Applicants interested in pursuing an academic career on Educator Professional Development especially in the Early Childhood Development and/or Foundation Phase research are strongly encouraged to apply. The fellowship will enable an outstanding doctoral graduate to obtain experience of research, innovation, and community service at a higher education institution under the mentorship of established researchers. The fellowship is awarded on a competitive basis, taking into account the applicants' academic achievements, research outputs and potentials, as well as the relevance of his/her prior experience and expertise. The fellowship is available for a period of one year, renewable for up to three years subject to satisfactory performance. Duties and responsibilities:

• Conduct innovative research in the following areas: Practitioner/Educator Professional Development; Curriculum and Facilitation of Learning in the ECD and Foundation Phase; Assessment and/or Programme Design/Development for the ECD levels.
• Author/co-author at least three (3) publication outputs per year in the form of DHET– accredited scholarly journal articles or books/chapters in books.
• The renewal of the fellowship beyond the first year depends on satisfactory performance and the submission of an annual progress report.
• Do limited teaching in the Programmes for ECD/Foundation Phase where appropriate.
• Provide limited supervision and/or co-supervision at Honour’s, Master’s and/or Doctoral level where appropriate.
• Register and reside as a postdoctoral research fellow at the UFS and participate in relevant activities of the School of Postgraduate Studies and the Directorate of Research.
• The successful candidate will be required to conduct innovative research and obtain evidence- based empirical data on current developments in the ECD/Foundation Phase within the South African context.

Eligibility criteria:

• Open to all South African and foreign nationals for full-time research at the University of the Free State.
• Graduated with a relevant PhD degree, with a focus on Educator Professional Development, ECD and/or Foundation Phase teaching, within the last five years.
• Successful applicants may not hold full-time salaried employment during the fellowship
• Successful applicants must be able to relocate to the UFS for the duration of the fellowship. This is a residential fellowship: the successful applicant is required to spend 80% of her/his postdoctoral period at the UFS Bloemfontein Campus.

Value of the fellowship:

• R 220,000 annual fellowship.
• R 30,000 additional research expenses fund.

Application: To apply, please email the following documentation by 15 February 2022 to: MokheleML@ufs.ac.za

• Motivation letter detailing postdoctoral research agenda including a 1-2 page outline of relevant expertise and experience.
• Full CV including a list of research publications, conference papers and other scholarly outputs.
• Full transcripts of academic record and copy of doctoral degree certificate.
• A copy of at least two manuscripts produced that have the potential to be converted or submitted for publication in accredited journals.
• Copy of ID document (or copy of passport in the case of foreign applicants).
• Contact details of two academic referees who have taught/supervised the candidate.

Closing date: 15 February 2022. Commencement of fellowship: 01 March 2022 or soon thereafter. For enquiries, please contact: Prof Matseliso L Mokhele-Makgalwa: Email: MokheleML@ufs.ac.za General: The University reserves the right not to fill the post. The University subscribes to and applies the principles prescribed by the Employment Equity Act. Preference will be given to candidates from the designated groups, in accordance with the principles of the aforementioned act and the employee profile of the specific department/division. The University processes personal information in line with its obligations under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and any personal information provided to the University will be treated as confidential and processed in accordance with the rights provided to data subjects under POPIA.