Photo Armin Rimoldi/Pexels.
Call for postdoctoral fellowship applications 2025
Application closing date (for Cohort 1 African candidates): 1 June 2025
The African German Centre of Excellence for Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems and Applied Agricultural and Food Data Science (UKUDLA) invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships in the area of sustainable, resilient food systems and data science. Fellowships will be awarded for a period of 24 months. The fellowship is financed by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
UKUDLA objectives
UKUDLA’s primary objective is to advance the expertise of master’s students, PhD candidates, early-career researchers, and university lecturers in agri-food systems and applied data science. It also aims to enhance teaching methodologies and mentorship programmes within these interdisciplinary fields.
For this purpose, postdoctoral fellowships for food systems-related research are being awarded to individuals from the target group described below and are selected through a competitive process.
By training future academic and professional leaders, the programme contributes to the following long-term impacts:
Participating institutions and place of tenure
Successful candidates will enrol for a full-time fellowship at one of the network’s institutions: the University of the Western Cape, the University of Mpumalanga, the University of Pretoria (South Africa); or the Lilongwe University of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (Malawi). For the duration of the fellowship, successful candidates must be based in the city or town where the university at which they are registered is located.
Scholarship benefits
Target group
Application requirements
*The following restriction must be taken into account: In the case of breeding projects, developing genetically modified (including genome-edited) organisms for commercial use as food or animal feed is not eligible for funding.
Submission of application
As a first step, all applicants must submit a completed application form, which can be completed here.
The following attachments must be uploaded as part of the application:
The application form (linked here) also requires a motivational statement (250 words each on your research interest, how the fellowship will impact your career path, what impact it will have on your community or environment and a description of your academic and career journey).
Selection procedure
Applications will undergo an administrative review to ensure all qualifying criteria are met. If an application meets the specified criteria and the research topic is relevant to the theme of sustainable, resilient food systems and data science, it will be reviewed by the selection committee. Applications will be peer-reviewed by two selection committee members using a rating rubric. The research proposal will be weighted according to its importance. A shortlist will be produced, and selected candidates will be invited to participate in an online interview.
The successful candidates will be informed before the end of June 2025, to commence their scholarship in July 2025.
Payment of fellowship funds
The fellowship stipend will be paid directly to the fellowship holder’s account. Further details will be communicated after admission to the fellowship programme in the Letter of Award and Fellowship Agreement.
No additional benefits, other than those listed in this call for applications, such as benefits for family members, can be made.
Expectations of UKDULA postdoctoral fellows
UKUDLA scholarship holders are expected to actively engage in their fellowship, as demonstrated by submitting a well-developed research project proposal and regular progress reports detailing their research. They are also expected to contribute to the academic community by publishing their research findings in peer-reviewed journals. Furthermore, scholarship holders should actively participate in science communication, disseminating their research to broader audiences.
Postdoc scholars will conduct advanced academic research, deepen their expertise, develop new skills, and contribute to knowledge generation and transfer. The postdocs will work independently and lead a thematic research area at UKUDLA, based at one of the core institutions. They are expected to contribute to supervising PhD and MSc students while collaborating with German postdocs and being mentored by senior academics at UKUDLA. During their fellowship, they will design and conduct research using theoretical or practical approaches, analyse data, and contribute to the UKUDLA’s data science hub.
Postdocs will also be expected to organise and contribute to thematic workshops to support the concept of transfer cycles and present results at conferences and seminars. They will also contribute to developing e-learning teaching modules based on their specific expertise.
Duration and continuation of scholarship
Fellowships are awarded for a duration of 24 months. After the project’s first year, your academic and research achievements will be assessed for adequate progress before further funding is disbursed in the second year (details will be provided in the fellowship agreement).
Deadline
The deadline for applications is 1 June 2025.
Email address for queries
Any questions or queries can be directed to arua-sfs@up.ac.za.
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