Postdoctoral fellowships

2027 Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity

The University of Pretoria’s Centre for the Future of Work (CFoW) invites emerging researchers to apply for postdoctoral fellowships under the 2027 UP Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme.

Fellowship value: R250,000 per annumUp to two years, renewal subject to progress and funding
CFoW application deadline: 23 October 202616:00 (South African time)
Nominations: Two candidatesPut forward to the UP Co-Funding process, which closes 30 October 2026

Apply for the fellowship

At the Centre for the Future of Work, we believe in shaping tomorrow today. Join a dynamic, future-thinking community where groundbreaking research, innovative teaching and professional development converge, and contribute to work that is reshaping how Africa understands work, workers, skills and changing workplaces.

Who can apply

A PhD awarded within the past five years, or PhD requirements completed / final year of study, with official institutional confirmation
40 years of age or younger at the time of application
A proposed research project aligned with CFoW’s work on the future of work, workers, skills, labour markets and changing workplaces

What to submit

CV, including publications
Certified academic record and certified ID or passportCertification must be within three months of application
PhD certificate, or an official institutional letter confirming completion of requirements or final-year status
Research proposalRecommended maximum of five pages: background, objectives, methodology, timeline, expected outputs and required resources
One academic reference letter
Updated ORCID iD link
Personal and contact details, PhD institution and award date, proposed project title and research field

How the process works

Apply to CFoW
Complete the form below and upload your documents. You will receive a reference number on screen as confirmation that your application has been received.
Closes 23 October 2026, 16:00
CFoW review and nomination
The CFoW team reviews all applications and selects two candidates for nomination to the official UP Co-Funding Postdoctoral Fellowship process.
Formal UP application
Nominated candidates receive the relevant UP host details and the supporting documentation required for the formal application.
UP process closes 30 October 2026

Fellowships are subject to the applicable University of Pretoria conditions, including employment requirements. Questions about this opportunity can be sent to fow@up.ac.za.

Application form

Fields marked with a dot are required. Accepted file types: PDF, Word, JPG or PNG, up to 10 MB each.

About you

Your personal and contact details.

Title• Select a title.

First name(s)•Enter your first name.

Surname•Enter your surname.

Email address•Enter a valid email address.

Phone number•Enter a phone number.

Date of birth•Applicants must be 40 or younger at the time of application.Enter your date of birth. Applicants must be 40 or younger.

Nationality•Enter your nationality.

Country of residence•Enter your country of residence.

Your PhD

Where and when your doctorate was (or will be) awarded.

PhD status• Select your PhD status.

Awarding institution•Enter the institution.

Award date (or expected)•Enter the award or expected award month.

PhD discipline / field•Enter your field of study.

ORCID iD link•Make sure your ORCID record is up to date before submitting.Enter your ORCID link (starts with https://orcid.org/).

Proposed research

The full proposal is uploaded below; this is the short version for our records.

Proposed project title•Enter a project title.

Research field•Enter the research field.

Closest CFoW research cluster• Select the closest cluster.

Summary of the proposed research•Up to 1,500 characters: what you want to study, why it matters for the future of work, and how it fits CFoW.Enter a short summary.

Documents

Upload one file per item. PDF is preferred for everything except certified copies, which may be scanned images.

CV, including publications•PDF or WordChoose fileNo file chosenUpload your CV.

Certified academic record•Certified within the past three monthsChoose fileNo file chosenUpload your certified academic record.

Certified ID or passport•Certified within the past three monthsChoose fileNo file chosenUpload your certified ID or passport.

PhD certificate or institutional letter•Letter must confirm completion or final-year statusChoose fileNo file chosenUpload your PhD certificate or letter.

Research proposal•Recommended maximum of five pagesChoose fileNo file chosenUpload your research proposal.

Academic reference letter•One letter, signedChoose fileNo file chosenUpload your reference letter.

Declaration

I confirm that the information and documents in this application are true and complete, and I understand that fellowships are subject to the applicable University of Pretoria conditions, including employment requirements. I consent to the Centre for the Future of Work processing my personal information for the purpose of this fellowship application, in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act.

Both declarations must be ticked.

Your documents are submitted securely to the CFoW team.
Having trouble? Email everything to fow@up.ac.za instead.

Careers

2027 Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity

Who can apply

What to submit

How the process works

Apply to CFoW

CFoW review and nomination

Formal UP application