Health and Community Engagement Post-doctoral Position

Working with people to reduce health risks from toxic exposure

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from four South African universities are looking for a highly skilled postdoctoral candidate to join our research project titled “Health impacts on children living near an accidental release of pesticides near Durban, South Africa”. This position focuses on supporting a community engagement platform integrated into the above health research. This engagement platform develops, with affected community members, a learning network around health and human rights. The platform ensures that members of the affected community are included in project knowledge sharing and empowered to take local action to reduce health and other associated risks with past and future toxic exposures. The post-doctoral position is based in the city of Durban and runs from January 2024 to December 2024, with the possibilities of renewal for a second year.

To be illegible to apply for this postdoctoral position candidates are required to:

• Hold a PhD in public health, medical anthropology, development studies, sociology, or related discipline that indicates a high level of expertise in Qualitative research.
• Hold prior experience working on community engagement projects.
• Hold prior experience working on health related research projects.

Candidates will be short-listed using the following criteria:

• Depth and breadth of prior experience working on community engagement projects.
• Depth and breadth of prior experience working on health-related research projects.
• The strength of two reference letters.
• Strength of your academic writing ability.
• Strength of your motivation.

Advantages:

• Fluency in isiZulu.
• Previous health project experience working with children and/or mothers.
• Previous experience of working on environmental health research.
• Previous project management experience.
• Previous experience or training in human rights and/or community activism.
• Valid driver’s license.

Interested candidates should send the following to Dr. Kira Erwin at kirae@dut.ac.za with the subject line Health and Community Engagement Post-doctoral Position
before the 31^st August 2023:

• A covering motivation letter, indicating what you bring to the project and what you plan to do with the postdoc to build your future career.
• Proof of completion of Doctoral Studies.
• A full CV.
• A copy of a published piece of work/ or chapter from your Phd thesis.
• Two reference letters from academics who know your research work.
• Proof of identity, and if needed work/study visa.

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