South African Research Chairs Initiative - Qwaqwa at University of the Free State

Duties and responsibilities:

• Lead collaborative syntheses across existing SAEON, EFTEON Northern Drakensberg, and ARU research and activities, and translate these into trans-disciplinary and systems-thinking outputs with high policy and practice relevance.
• Support and strengthen the SAEON-ARU relationship.
• Supervise / co-supervise postgraduate students within SAEON and the UFS, and
• potentially from a variety of South African and international institutions.
• Contribute to SAEON quarterly reporting, ARU annual reporting, and NRF annual reporting.
• Mentor postdoctoral research fellows and young researchers.
• Raise additional financial support through collaborative grants.
• Contribute to the life and vibrancy of the SAEON Grasslands-Forests-Wetlands Node,
• EFTEON Northern Drakensberg, and the ARU.
• Ensure policy coherence in the design of the research agenda in line with the NRF frameworks, including the Framework to Advance the Societal and Knowledge Impact of Research, with methodologies for capturing and reporting on impact pathways.

Minimum Criteria:

• •Tier 1 SARChI requirements:
  •      A, B or P-rated, or equivalent (for international candidates), recognised internationally as a leader in their field.
  •      Should be appointable at the level of a full Professor, benchmarked nationally.
  •      Should be an outstanding and innovative researcher whose accomplishments have and are making a major impact in their field. 
• Research interest is one or a combination of the following: systems thinking, natural resource / ecological economics / natural capital accounting, social-ecological systems, or similar such fields.
• Demonstrated inter- / multi- / trans-disciplinary activities in natural resource management under Global Change.
• Demonstrated supervision of postgraduate students and mentoring of emerging and young researchers.
• Proven ability to raise international research funds and drive / participate in international research consortia.
• Should reside full time in South Africa at the site of operation of the ARU or SAEON for the duration of the Research Chair award.

Reporting Lines:

• The Chair will be hosted in the ARU, reporting jointly to the Vice-Rector: Research
• (UFS) and the SAEON Managing Director.
• The ARU Director and Manager: Grasslands-Forests-Wetlands Node will provide dayto- day operational support.
• The 50/50 SAEON-UFS Advisory Committee will review progress on an annual basis.