Opportunities at, or through, EPRU will be listed here as and when they are available.
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EPRU Postdoctoral Fellowship Call: Fieldwork
Applications must be received by: 2025-06-20
A postdoctoral fellowship in Economics is available immediately at the Environmental Economics Policy Research Unit (EPRU) in the School of Economics at the University of Cape Town.
EPRU’s developmental goal, as part of the Environment for Development (EfD) initiative, is to enhance environmental policy-making in South Africa through rigorous policy training, research and extension to attain sustainable development and poverty reduction. EPRU seeks to enhance the interaction between academics, policy makers and civil servants in the environmental policy arena. EPRU’s immediate goal is to promote quality and innovation in the training, research and advisory services on environmental policy in South Africa. EPRU is recruiting a two-year post-doc to work on the new project “SPIA Country Study, Nigeria”, a three-year long project that aims to identify the uptake and impact of CGIAR-related innovations in Nigeria. The project is funded by the Special Panel for Impact Assessment (SPIA). The postdoc is expected to assist in the implementation of all aspects of the project’s work including stocktaking of CGIAR innovations, fieldwork coordination, and data analysis.
The candidate is expected to have completed all requirements for a PhD in economics, with a focus on agricultural economics, development or environmental economics (at most three years before commencement of the fellowship). In addition, only candidates who have not yet had any permanent professional or academic posts are eligible. The tenure of the fellowship is two years, and the award may be renewable up to a further two years contingent upon performance and obtaining further funding for the project. The value of the fellowship is R434,000 per year with a total value of R868,000 for two years. The fellowship will be paid in four tranches, with two payments of R217,000 per year. The first payment will be made at the inception of the postdoc, followed by further 6-monthly payments subject to satisfactory progress reports from the principal investigator. The University will apply for tax-exemption on behalf of the successful candidate. The fellowship value does not include benefits for travel/relocation costs, and no services are required by the University in return for this award. The successful applicant must be prepared to comply with the University’s approved policies, procedures and practices for the postdoctoral sector.
The research entitled “the Uptake and Impact of CGIAR Innovations in Nigeria” aims to investigate the reach, uptake and impact of CGIAR-promoted agricultural innovations in Nigeria in the past 20 years. The key deliverables of the project are a stocktaking report, nationally representative data, a full project report and a series of academic papers related to agricultural technology adoption and impact. The successful applicant will be involved in most aspects of the project and will be a co-author of the reports and research papers as per the Vancouver authorship guidelines. Moreover, the postdoc is expected to travel to Nigeria frequently to coordinate fieldwork and engage with stakeholders.
The postdoctoral researcher will work directly with the principal investigators, Professors Amin Karimu and Yonas Alem.
Requirements include a strong background in a relevant field of economics and experience in applied economic research methods, econometric analysis (such as panel data econometrics) and impact evaluation methods demonstrated in promising publications and working papers. Experience in fieldwork and stakeholder engagement in Nigeria is a requirement. Special consideration will be given to women applicants.
To apply, please send a letter of application, a maximum of two-page CV (no certificates) and the names and email details of 3 academic referees to Felicity Downes (felicity.downes@uct.ac.za) by June 20, 2025. NB: only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Conditions of award:
- The Fellowship is only available to individuals within three years of their having obtained a doctoral degree, who have not previously held any permanent academic or professional positions.
- This Fellowship is tenable from 1 June 2025 until 31 May 2027. The fellowship will be potentially renewable for a further two years based on evidence of satisfactory academic progress evaluated in May 2027, compliance with the conditions of award, and the availability of funds.
- The value of the Fellowship will be R488,400 per year. This is tax-free. This is paid in four installments over a period of two years.
- No benefits for travel or travel allowances are included in the value of the fellowship.
- The successful candidate may, as part of their professional development, be required to participate in departmental activities such as limited teaching and supervision and duties incidental thereto.
- The successful candidate will be required to register as Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Economics at the University of Cape Town.
- The successful candidate will be required to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) which is the legal contract between the university and the postdoc.
- The successful candidate will be required enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Principal Investigator and adhere to the plans and agreements therein, and comply with the University’s approved policies, procedures and practices for the postdoctoral sector.
- The registration of a Postdoctoral Fellow may be cancelled at any time due to a material breach of contract and following a hearing, or on disciplinary grounds.
- The Postdoctoral Fellow will be provided with office space and access to UCT’s computing facilities but will be expected to provide their own computer.
- The Postdoctoral Fellow will be responsible for his/her own medical insurance, which is compulsory for international postdoc before registration. He/She will have access to UCT Student Health services.
- A visa must be granted before entry into South Africa.
- The Postdoctoral Fellow will be entitled to 15 days’ vacation leave per full year; this will be prorated in the case of a part-year fellowship.
- Postdoctoral Fellows are not permitted to register for any degree whilst registered as a Postdoctoral Fellow at UCT. However, they may, with the permission of their PI, register for a course if this is deemed important for their research.
- The Postdoctoral Fellow may not have alternative employment during this period and will be required to focus on the necessary research activities.
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EPRU Postdoctoral Fellowship Call: Coordination
Applications must be received by: 2025-06-20
A postdoctoral fellowship in Economics is available immediately at the Environmental Economics Policy Research Unit (EPRU) in the School of Economics at the University of Cape Town.
EPRU’s developmental goal, as part of the Environment for Development (EfD) initiative, is to enhance environmental policy-making in South Africa through rigorous policy training, research and extension to attain sustainable development and poverty reduction. EPRU seeks to enhance the interaction between academics, policy makers and civil servants in the environmental policy arena. EPRU’s immediate goal is to promote quality and innovation in the training, research and advisory services on environmental policy in South Africa. EPRU is recruiting a two-year post-doc to work on the new project “SPIA Country Study, Nigeria”, a three-year long project that aims to identify the uptake and impact of CGIAR-related innovations in Nigeria. The project is funded by the Special Panel for Impact Assessment (SPIA). The postdoc is expected to assist in the coordination of all aspects of the project’s activities and supervising and monitoring junior members of the team, such as PhD students and research assistants.
The candidate is expected to have completed all requirements for a PhD in economics, with a focus on agricultural economics, development or environmental economics (at most five years before commencement of the fellowship). In addition, only candidates who have not yet had any permanent professional or academic posts are eligible. The tenure of the fellowship is two years, and the award may be renewable up to a further two years contingent upon performance and obtaining further funding for the project. The value of the fellowship is R543,000 per year with a total value of R1,086,000 for two years. The fellowship will be paid in four tranches, with two payments of R271,500 per year. The first payment will be made at the inception of the postdoc, followed by further 6-monthly payments subject to satisfactory progress reports from the principal investigator. The University will apply for tax-exemption on behalf of the successful candidate. The fellowship value does not include benefits for travel/relocation costs, and no services are required by the University in return for this award. The successful applicant must be prepared to comply with the University’s approved policies, procedures and practices for the postdoctoral sector.
The research entitled “The Uptake and Impact of CGIAR Innovations in Nigeria” aims to investigate the reach, uptake and impact of CGIAR-promoted agricultural innovations in Nigeria in the past 20 years. The key deliverables of the project are a stocktaking report, nationally representative data, a full project report and a series of academic papers related to agricultural technology adoption and impact. The successful applicant will be involved in most aspects of the project and will be a co- author of the reports and research papers as per the Vancouver authorship guidelines.
The postdoctoral researcher will work directly with the principal investigators, Professors Amin Karimu and Yonas Alem.
Requirements include a strong background in a relevant field of economics and experience in applied economic research methods, econometric analysis (such as panel data econometrics) and impact evaluation methods demonstrated in promising publication and working papers. Experience in project coordination in a multi-cultural context will be an advantage. Special consideration will be given to women applicants.
To apply, please send a letter of application, a maximum of two-page CV (no certificates) and the names and email details of 3 academic referees to Felicity Downes (felicity.downes@uct.ac.za) by June 20, 2025.
NB: only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Conditions of award:
- The Fellowship is only available to individuals within five years of their having obtained a doctoral degree, who have not previously held any permanent academic or professional positions.
- This Fellowship is tenable from 1 June 2025 to 31 May 2027. The fellowship will be potentially renewable for a further two years based on evidence of satisfactory academic progress evaluated in May 2027, compliance with the conditions of award, and the availability of funds.
- The value of the Fellowship will be R543,000 per year. This is tax-free. This is paid in four installments over a period of two years.
- No benefits for travel or travel allowances are included in the value of the fellowship.
- The successful candidate may, as part of their professional development, be required to participate in departmental activities such as limited teaching and supervision and duties incidental thereto.
- The successful candidate will be required to register as Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Economics at the University of Cape Town.
- The successful candidate will be required to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) which is the legal contract between the university and the postdoc.
- The successful candidate will be required enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Principal Investigator and adhere to the plans and agreements therein, and comply with the University’s approved policies, procedures and practices for the postdoctoral sector.
- The registration of a Postdoctoral Fellow may be cancelled at any time due to a material breach of contract and following a hearing, or on disciplinary grounds.
- The Postdoctoral Fellow will be provided with office space and access to UCT’s computing facilities but will be expected to provide their own computer.
- The Postdoctoral Fellow will be responsible for his/her own medical insurance, which is compulsory for international postdoc before registration. He/She will have access to UCT Student Health services.
- A visa must be granted before entry into South Africa.
- The Postdoctoral Fellow will be entitled to 15 days’ vacation leave per full year; this will be prorated in the case of a part-year fellowship.
- Postdoctoral Fellows are not permitted to register for any degree whilst registered as a Postdoctoral Fellow at UCT. However, they may, with the permission of their PI, register for a course if this is deemed important for their research.
- The Postdoctoral Fellow may not have alternative employment during this period and will be required to focus on the necessary research activities.
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SPIA-Nigeria Country Study: Call for Proposals
Applications must be received by: 2025-07-10
As part of its capacity-building mission, the SPIA-Nigeria country study team is pleased to announce a call for proposals to support MSc, PhD, and early-career researchers who conduct empirical research on Nigeria's agricultural sector. The SPIA-Nigeria country study is a three-year research program, spanning January 2025 – December 2027, aiming to investigate the reach, adoption, and impact of CGIAR-promoted innovations in Nigeria over the past 20 years (2005- 2025). CGIAR, the Consortium for International Agricultural Research, is an international partnership focused on research for food security and the sustainable transformation of food, land, and water systems. The Special Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA) generously funds the study. The country study is jointly implemented by EfD-South Africa, based at the University of Cape Town, and EfD-Nigeria, based at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Professors Yonas Alem and Amin Karimu lead the program as PIs.
As part of its capacity-building objective, the team proposes small grants to support master's students (USD 1,500), PhD students (USD 3,000), and early-career fellows (USD 8,000) in their research based on large-scale data sets from Nigeria. While applicants can be based anywhere in the world, the proposed research should primarily focus on Nigeria
The team will announce the grant winners by the end of July, and the grant recipients are expected to submit a first draft of the paper by December 15, 2025. Grant winners will also be required to present the paper in a policy-oriented academic workshop organized by the research team.
The proposed study must use large-scale farm household dataset(s) from Nigeria, possibly in combination with other data sources, and focus on the uptake and possible impact of modern agricultural technologies, particularly those promoted by CGIAR institutions.
Examples of eligible themes are:
- Diffusion of innovations: to document adoption pathways using two or more survey rounds, focusing on individual innovations or comparisons across innovations.
- Adoption: to understand among whom and where the adoption of different innovations occurs to generate evidence relevant to targeting, scaling policies, etc.
- Synergies and trade-offs between innovations: to understand linkages between the adoption of different innovations and their benefits.
- Analysis of farm/household level decision-making and outcomes as they relate to various agricultural innovations.
- Relationship between agricultural innovations and community/regional level developments, including, e.g., questions on structural transformation.
- Varietal-level data: if you have access to DNA fingerprinting, the varietal identification dataset of different crops at the national level. You can use this unique dataset to exploit and shed new light on several questions.
- Analysis of measurement error: to provide evidence on best practices across a range of commonly used methods for measuring agricultural innovations.
To see more information about the desired proposals, as well as the link to submit them, please download the full call for proposals here