Experience and Internship Opportunities at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

The CSIR annually offers linked Internship-Studentship opportunities through the Southern Ocean Carbon-Climate Observatory (SOCCO), an interdisciplinary programme hosted by Smart Places. These opportunities are in a range of disciplines that address the research needs of earth systems science with a focus on the oceans, which includes research in oceanography, physics, marine biology, chemistry, mathematics, statistics, computer science, and engineering. Interns need to perform over the internship period in order to  qualify for the Masters or doctoral studentship programme, apply for an NRF bursary and gain admission to a university.  These opportunities will be based in Cape Town.

Focus area:

Ocean Biogeochemistry: The impact of microbes on carbon export:  What is the role of particle content, sinking rates and microbial composition and activity in dictating carbon export and transfer efficiency from the surface oceans to the interior.          

Requirements:

• An Masters degree in biogeochemistry, microbiology, oceanography, marine biology or other transferable/relatable degrees;
• Basic  coding experience (e.g. Matlab / Python) will be advantageous; 
• Willingness to spend multiple weeks on research vessel performing independent field work in the Southern Ocean 
• Effective communication skills (oral, written and presentation);
• Be independent and able to work under pressure.

Applicants must attach the following documents:

• Copies of academic results (including the latest academic results or transcript);
• Copies of tertiary qualifications and ID;
• CV (highlighting relevant skills and experience) and cover letter (explaining why this internship and associated scholarship programme is of interest)

go to method of application »

The CSIR has an Internship opportunity in the Mining Testing and Training Impact Area, within the Mining Cluster. The SCSR laboratory is the only approved testing authority in South Africa to perform functional performance testing and monitoring of SCSRs through monitoring programme. SCSRs are personal protective equipment designed to protect the underground miners’ respiratory system against inhalation of hazardous atmosphere during emergency escape. The SCSR laboratory tests a representative sample of SCSRs from the mines to assess their structural integrity and life-saving potential. The position is based in Johannesburg.

Key responsibilities:

Under supervision, the Intern will be required to:

• Conduct leak testing of SCSRs;
• Test set-up and safe operation of lung breathing simulator machines;
• Carry-out calibration of gas analysers and lung breathing simulators;
• Inspect SCSRs before testing;
• perform functional testing of SCSRs;
• Ensure accuracy of test information;
• Record all test results including leaking tests;
• Compile test graphs and test certificates;
• Conduct structural testing of the SCSRs;
• Uphold good laboratory practice and housekeeping in the laboratory;
• Contribute to create and maintain a healthy and safe work environment;
• Assist fellow employees in other areas of the laboratory when required;
• Assist in the relevant administration work;
• Comply with Quality Management System, ISO 9001 standard, SANAS requirements, Department of Mineral Resources and Energy regulations and customer needs;
• Observe and control man-tests;
• Carry-our routine cleaning and basic maintenance of laboratory equipment to minimise down time; and
• Ensure that all measuring equipment is correctly calibrated

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• A National diploma in Mechanical Engineering;
• One year relevant work experience in a mechanical testing laboratory environment will be an added advantage;
• Good understanding of test methods and procedures;
• Attention to detail and the ability to work accurately and well under pressure;
• Good interpersonal skills;
• A strong sense of responsibility;
• Computer literacy and competent in MS Office;
• Good written and oral communication skills;
• Technical aptitude to understand the operation of equipment and test software on the computers; and
• ISO 17025 training and/or experience working in an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory would be an advantage.
• All international qualifications require an evaluation report / certificate issued by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

go to method of application »

About the job:

The CSIR has an Internship opportunity in the Mandela Mining Precinct, which is hosted within the CSIR Business Excellence and Integration portfolio. The purpose of this internship is to provide graduates with an opportunity to gain practical work experience through research and development of competitive technologies and innovative products under the guidance of researchers and engineers within cross-functional teams. This opportunity is based in Johannesburg.

Key responsibilities:

• Conduct literature review of previous research done locally and internationally within the field of geosciences and its applications aligned to the programme.
• Assist and support Programme Managers with underground trials at various mine sites;
• Engage with researchers and stakeholders involved within the programme projects; 
• Conduct research work/tasks related to technologies, as assigned by project leads/programme manager;
• Write reports on processes and results;
• Attend and present on results where required;
• Perform general administrative tasks as required by project leads/programme managers;

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• An Honours degree in BSc Geology/Geophysics;
•  Mineral Resource Management qualification will be an advantage;
• Post graduate qualification will be an added advantage;
• Experience within the mining environment will be an added advantage.

The following skills are required;

• Self-motivated and a team player;
• Analytical, numerical, methodical, innovative and results driven;
• Willingness to learn and work under pressure;
• Administrative skills (minutes taking, filing and research);
• Pro-active and focused;
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Good attention to details;
• Ability to prioritise and have a good sense of urgency and accuracy;
• Must have a valid Drivers Licence;
• Must have clear/no criminal record;
• All international qualifications require an evaluation report / certificate issued by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)

go to method of application »

About the job:

The CSIR has a vacancy for Electronic Engineer in the Landward Sciences Impact Area within the Defence and Security Cluster. The incumbent will be responsible to support the Impact Area by managing and working on projects through their life cycle and to effectively support the client with research and development (R&D) outputs, field experiments, training and operational requirements.  This will include product design, implementation of tests, measurements and evaluation capabilities during the short event activities such as explosives testing. This position is based in Pretoria.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide specialist technical guidance to all team members regarding product development, product design, test procedures, test equipment, conceptual design of experiments as well as design and development of specialised electronic devices;
• Provide mentorship to personnel involved in TME functions;
• Manage test, measurement and evaluation (TME) SET capacity and capability to ensure that appropriate test methodologies are followed, and accurate data is captured;
• Ensure the safe and effective operation of equipment by authorised and trained personnel;
• Train new personnel in the maintenance and operation of specialised equipment;
• Apply diagnostic skills to troubleshoot and repair malfunctioning equipment;
• Design and manufacture specialised devices not readily available commercially for TME operations;
• Interpret and innovate to address requirements/inputs from researchers or applicators to conceptually design new instrumentation;
• Manufacture and test specialised devices for inclusion in research methodologies;
• Participate in the development and declaration of technology demonstrators, the writing of papers and moderation of reports;
• Ensure there is corporate governance in terms of financial, labour, procurement and environmental laws, regulations, and policies (EHS, OHS, Security) Intellectual Property creation, management and transfer in accordance with contracts, regulations and policies.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• A Bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering with at least five years’ experience in analogue electronics including analogue components, their design and integration into bespoke testing electronics and the simulation;
• An Honours degree in electronic engineering will be an added advantage;
• Must have experience in building high-speed low noise differential instrumentation amplifiers;

Demonstrate solid knowledge in the following:  

• Environmental sensors (pressure, light, temperature, etc.) and signal conditioning thereof;
• Peripheral interfacing to microprocessors/ microcontrollers/PC /laptop and data acquisition systems (DAQ);
• Signal processing techniques such as averaging, integration, FFT, filtering, etc;
• Proficiency in the setup, usage and post-processing of specialised electronic test instrumentation such as oscilloscopes, high speed DAQs, medium to high-speed cameras; etc;
• Proficient in fault finding and problem solving in high level electronics;
• Familiar with standard quality processes such as ISO9000 and ISO 17025;
• Ability to write documents i.e. reports, test instructions, user requirements etc;
• Must be computer literate;
• All international qualifications require an evaluation report/certificate issued by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

go to method of application »

About the job:

The CSIR has a vacancy for an Opto-Mechanical Engineer: Systems Development in the Optronic Sensor Systems (OSS) Impact Area within the Defence and Security Cluster. The incumbent will be responsible for researching and developing opto-mechatronic systems and subsystems, providing input into the definition of fine mechanics and optics within the Surveillance Systems and Applications Research Group, and contributing towards leading-edge technology and research. This position is based in Pretoria.

Key responsibilities:

• Design opto-mechatronic systems and subsystems, including engineering drawings, component sourcing, and configuration management;
• Generate system and subsystem concepts, planning, costing, and the generation of proposal inputs as required;
• Manage opto-mechatronic subsystem design and development;
• Analyse tolerance effects of assemblies;
• Design and implement precision motion systems;
• Perform general mechanical engineering design, construction, and integration;
• Conduct basic and advanced strength of materials analysis of components;
• Manufacture and source components;
• Assemble, integrate, and test the systems and subsystems.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

A Bachelor’s degree in mechanical / mechatronics engineering with at least three years of experience in the following:

• Precision-mechanical design;
• Electro–mechanical design;
• Integration and analysis or a track record indicating the ability to contribute to precision mechanics;
• Machining workshop and manufacturing;
• Computer-aided design in SOLIDWORKS.   
• A Master’s degree in mechanical / Mechatronics engineering will be an advantage;
• Understanding of and the application of materials fundamentals, fine mechanics, optics opto-mechanics and electro-mechanics and high-quality standards;
• Knowledge and understanding of new techniques and new materials within the field of opto-mechanics and electro–mechanics;
• Able to conduct field testing and contribute towards physical involvement in projects;
• Understanding and application of project and task scope; risk assessment, cost estimation; timelines and demonstrated ability to plan activities;
• Good interpersonal, communication and presentation skills; 
• Writing reports and documentation with Microsoft Office Tools.

go to method of application »

About the job:

The CSIR has a vacancy for a Project Administrator in the Sustainable Ecosystems Impact Area within the Smart Places Cluster. The incumbent will provide effective coordination support on all contracts and administration across four research groups within the Impact Area. These include, Coastal Systems and Earth Observations, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Environmental Management Services, and the Sustainability, Economics and Waste Group. The position is based in Durban or Stellenbosch with the extent of operations spread across these regions, as well as Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape town.

Key responsibilities:

• Monitor and alert teams to relevant funding/ tender calls through multiple sources of information and web based interfaces;
• Ensure sound project initiation through routing of tenders, proposals, and contracts for review, approval and final signature;
• Manage the database and reporting on proposal and contracting status and the pipeline of prospective future work;
• Review of project registration and monthly project financial reports, together with the Financial Adminstrators to flag projects for attention or re-planning and tracking progress to the point of successful completion;
• Assist with procurement, payments and invoicing process, together with the Group Assistant, CSIR Procurement office, CSIR Accounts office and project leaders;
• Manage the Sharepoint document repository for relevant Impact Area files, such as contracts, approval routing documents, Memo requests, and approvals;
• Record keeping and tracking of action items from monthly Impact Area leadership meetings and other adhoc or strategic meetings;
• Track and report monthly research group performance against key performance indicators (including, Outputs, Financial, and Human Capital Key Performance Indicators)
• Thorough understanding of CSIR approval processes, protocols and key contacts within the different support portfolios to guide and direct research staff to the relevant support personal or guide them directly to the relevant information repository or templates;
• Oversight of the Impact Area’s central repository of Safety, Health and Environment (SHEQ) documentation and following up on documentation requiring renewal or updating to the point of completion.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• A National Diploma in administration or project management with at least three years’ experience in successful management of contracts and administration; budget management; and performance monitoring;
• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) or equivalent is advantageous;
• Ability to adopt, adapt and develop methods to record, track, and report on project and group related measures and identify action items;
• Proficient and experienced in using Microsoft office, especially Excel;
• Proficient and experienced in Microsoft Teams, and management of Sharepoint file repositories.
• Experience using Microsoft Projects or similar software;
• Experience with Oracle- Peoplesoft Financial & Supply Chain Management software is advantageous.
• Experience in Adobe Sign software is advantageous
• Strong numerical skills;
• Excellent attention to detail and interpersonal skills
• Self-motivated and experienced in working and supporting remote teams across multiple regions and projects.