Postdoctoral Research Fellowship - Medicinal Plants

Type:

• Postdoctoral research fellowship linked to the research niche area of medicinal plants. The fellowship is a two-year fixed contract subject to satisfactory annual performance. The tax-free stipend is R300 000 per annum.

Requirements:

• A PhD degree (NQF Level 10) in Microbiology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, or a related field, completed within the last five (5) years.
• Demonstrated experience in medicinal plant research and natural product isolation.
• Hands-on experience with chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques (HPLC, LC-MS/MS, GC-MS, NMR).
• Evidence of research productivity, including peer-reviewed publications in
• reputable journals, i.e., DHET-accredited.
• Excellent scientific writing and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary environment.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Isolation and purification of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants
• Phytochemical profiling using LC-MS/MS, GC-MS, HPLC, and NMR
• Structure elucidation of natural products
• Bioassay-guided fractionation
• Antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity evaluation
• Metabolomics analyses
• Scientific manuscript preparation and grant writing
• Supervision and mentoring of postgraduate students

Expected outputs

• During the fellowship, the successful candidate will be expected to produce:
• At least 4 accredited journal publications over the two-year fellowship.
• Several conference presentations at national and international scientific meetings.
• At least one competitive external research grant application.
• Research reports for stakeholders.
• Contributions to postgraduate student supervision and capacity development.
• Collaborative publications with the host supervisor and research team.
• Participation in multidisciplinary research projects within the Faculty and University.