Post-Doctoral Fellow in Data Management, Migration, & Spatial Analysis

About

2-Year Fixed Term with the possibility of extension dependent on funding

University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

Start date 1 September (negotiable)

Are you passionate about the intersection of human mobility and the rapid evolution of African cities and societies? The Mobility Governance Lab – a joint initiative of Wits and Oxford Universities – seeks a data-driven scholar to join our multidisciplinary team for a two-year appointment focused on mapping and modelling the socio-political and economic dynamics of migration and urbanization across the African continent.

This position offers a unique opportunity to leverage cutting-edge spatial analytics to address some of the most pressing developmental and political questions of our time. You will work with bespoke and large-scale datasets to uncover patterns in how people move, interact, and build futures within and beyond Africa. The position will be central in developing a data observatory producing African centred, empirically based narratives to produce novel accounts of the continent’s changing human landscape.

Key Responsibilities:

• Advanced Spatial Modelling: Develop and implement GIS-based models to track internal and cross-border migration flows
• Data Integration: Harmonize diverse data sources to analyse migration, demographic shifts, institutional engagements, and material realities
• Scholarly Output: Work alone and in teams to author high-impact papers and present findings across multiple forums
• Policy Engagement: Translate complex data into insights for planners, policymakers, and activists working to promote reasoned and humane responses to human mobility
• Post-Graduate Mentoring: working with Masters and Doctoral students to develop their skills and confidence to engage in quantitative research

Candidate Profile

We are looking for a candidate who bridges the gap between technical expertise and social science inquiry.

Essential Qualifications:

• A completed doctoral degree in Geography, Urban Planning, Data Science, Economics, or a related quantitative field with an interdisciplinary orientation. Applicants with PhD theses currently under examination will be considered but degree must be completed before taking up the position
• Expertise in spatial analysis software (e.g., ArcGIS, QGIS) and programming languages (Python or R)
• Demonstrated experience handling large, ‘messy’ datasets within the African context
• A strong publication record (relative to career stage)

Desirable Skills:

• Experience with Remote Sensing (Earth Observation) data
• Knowledge of French, Portuguese, or major African languages
• Interdisciplinary engagement and collaboration with non-quantitative researchers

How to Apply

Submit the following documents to loren.landau@wits.ac.za:

• Cover Letter outlining your research fit and experience with spatial data;
• Curriculum Vitae (CV) including a full list of publications;
• Research Statement (max 2 pages) describing your approach to studying African urbanization;
• Contact information for three academic references;
• Applications deadline is 18 May. Late applications will not be considered.

Only candidates being invited for interviews will be contacted.