South African National Antarctic Programme

Preparatory phase in full swing at SAPRI – Positions available

by Ria Olivier | Sep 30, 2022 | Announcement, Jobs, SAPRI

SAPRI – Transforming, Consolidating and Strengthening Polar Sciences

Four new positions are available as part of the SAPRI professional development acceleration program which ties in with the SAPRI transformation drive. These positions are not the integrated facility coordinator positions, but they are growth positions within each IF.  The South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) is a research platform funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and managed by the National Research Foundation (NRF). SAEON is mandated to establish and manage long-term environmental observatories; maintain reliable long-term environmental data sets; promote access to data for research and/or informed decision-making; and contribute to capacity building. These positions are supported by the DSI’s South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) programme.

From SAPRI Proposal: “South Africa is in dire need of transformation and capacity development within the polar science community. A key aspect of the uniqueness of South African Antarctic science is that it is the only African country involved on the Antarctic continent, and therefore has a leadership role to play in promoting African Antarctic science. Whereas SAPRI represents the transformation of an existing system and a new way of doing, the issue of transformation along demographic criteria is pertinent for SAPRI. The SAPRI needs to develop young black and / or female scientists, technicians and engineers. Antarctic research should not only be a workspace for those who study environmental science, but also attainable to those who study engineering, social sciences, creative arts, journalism, law, finance and management. SAPRI will promote the multidisciplinary nature of research possibilities in the Antarctic sphere, expanding our reach, our research footprint and the diversity of our community.”

Research Coordinator – Data, Products and Society

Research Coordinator – Oceans and Atmosphere

Research Coordinator – Polar Lab

Research Coordinator – Terrestrial

Please note SAEON/SAPRI  has some data curator, ocean modelling and Senior IT systems administrator positions open, all of them can be found here.

It is important to note firstly that these are not pure academic/science positions but the aim is to train people in a broader scope of work, although there is a science component; secondly, the candidates do not have to have experience in the Southern Ocean/polar field but they do need to have experience in the relevant field.