The African Centre for Cities (ACC) invites applications for two postdoctoral fellowships to support research associated with the PEAK Urban project.
The successful candidates will become part of a new global cohort of urban researchers as part of the PEAK Urban project. The ideal candidates will have expertise in urban studies debates, a firm grounding in social science methods, a keen interest in conceptualising and understanding urbanism from a Southern perspective, and a demonstrated ability to engage with comparative and multi-scalar research.
Applicants are expected to have completed a doctoral degree in an area of study relevant to the post (History, Geography, Sociology, Anthropology, Urban Planning, Development Studies) within the last five years (or be close to completion) and have an academic publication and presentation record commensurate with their stage in academic career.
The two fellowships will address the following themes:
1. Urban Governance
ACC seeks to engage a scholar who will be able to complement and expand the Centre’s research thematics in Cape Town and other South African cities, and who will be able to examine and conceptualise the relationship between urban, national and international scales of governance. The successful candidate should also have research interest in understanding how different contemporary political and wider urban governance dynamics in Cape Town relate to each other and to past processes.
Click here to download the call for applications document.
2. Infrastructure/Human Settlements
This postdoctoral fellowship will focus on the intersections between the built environment of the city and urban institutions in Cape Town. The postdoctoral researcher will be expected to undertake original and creative research on one or more of the following themes with regard to how institutions shape the materiality of the city:
- Infrastructure (energy, mobility, water, sanitation, waste, etc.)
- Housing/human settlements
- Urban planning/spatial form and structure
The potential areas of work on institutions shaping the city could include: urban governance, urban politics and institution building.
In addition, the postdoctoral fellow will be required to track contemporary trends in Cape Town’s infrastructure and human settlements, for example, basic fiscal data, delivery information, and policy changes. The postdoctoral fellow will also be expected to participate in the work of ACC’s research cluster of urban infrastructure and human settlements.
Click here to download the call for applications document.
General
In both cases, applications must be submitted by midday, 23 February 2018, and will consist of:
- A letter of application stating areas of expertise, research interests and experience
- Proposed focus of research (maximum of two pages)
- A CV including a list of publications
- Copies of academic transcripts
- The names and contact details of at least two academics who have taught, supervised or worked alongside the applicant as referees.
