Senior Researcher (Climate Science - Wits Health Consortium)

SUMMARY:
Background:

• Wits Health Consortium (Pty) Limited ("WHC") is a wholly-owned Company of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (South Africa) under its Faculty of Health Sciences
• WHC provides Faculty with a legal framework within which to operate the research and other activities necessary to support its academic objectives
• In addition, WHC offers a range of products and services to Academics

POSITION INFO:
Division: Wits Planetary Health Research Main purpose of the job: To design and lead applied climate science research and analysis in line with the defined requirements and methodology and compile findings into reports for integration into climate change and health research projects Location: Johannesburg or Cape Town based Key performance areas: Lead and write research protocols Develop and design research tools and Standard Operating Procedures Obtain ethical approval from relevant regulatory bodies Support the capacity building of team on research strategies, tools, and methodologies, if required Monitor the progress of research projects Write progress reports to Stakeholders including networks and Funders Conduct data analysis and write up results Respond to funding opportunities to advance the programme research agenda Peer review of journal articles Supervise Students if applicable Participate in discussions regarding the future direction of research strategies and plans for Wits Planetary Health Apply existing products\/tools to climate-health analyses and optimizing climate data to develop advanced climate products Explore novel ML approaches for climate modelling (both downscaling and forecasting) Integrate climate data with health datasets and develop and refine methodologies for locally collected climate variables with health outcome data Contribute to capacity building and training of other WT Consortium staff and Partners to reduce uncertainty in exposure-response estimates Publish scientific publications Disseminate research findings internally and to universities and other Stakeholders such as the community, community advisory groups, government, and media Participate in the conceptualization, design, and implementation of the Research Stakeholder engagement strategy Communicate the research project strategy to internal and external Stakeholders Participate meaningfully in meetings\/workshops that seek to address\/review the Research Stakeholder engagement or the implementation thereof Coordinate and manage engagement with existing and established climate groups, both within the consortium and outside (SAWS, etc.) Required minimum education and training: MSc in a Climate Science or related field Required minimum work experience: Minimum of 4 years' experience in climate sciences, and climate and health research Desirable additional education, work experience and personal abilities: Experience in accessing, manipulating, and analysing large datasets and programming in R or Python is essential Demonstrated peer-reviewed publication record Experience managing research projects, timelines, and team coordination Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with ability to work across disciplines Experience mentoring early-career Researchers Strong organizational and problem-solving abilities Excellent verbal and written skills National and international travel and overtime may be required from time to time PhD in climate sciences or related field will be advantageous TO APPLY: Only if you mee t the minimum job requirements and experience as mentioned above, you may submit a detailed updated CV and a cover letter (maximum one page) that clearly states which vacancy you are applying for Please Apply Online and complete your registration via our website to enable and protect you as a candidate, and to accept the new POPIA terms and conditions This will then create your permanent profile with which you can apply for all jobs as advertised by AJ PERSONNEL However, you may remove your profile from AJ PERSONNEL when you are no longer in the job market Please take note that the applicants who do not adhere to the above criteria will not be considered for the respective position Wits Health Consortium will only respond to shortlisted candidates Candidates who have not been contacted within two weeks of the closing date can consider their applications to be unsuccessful Closing date: 07 August 2026 Note: No CV will be accepted after the closing date Please note: WHC, in accordance with its Employment Equity goals and plan, will give preference to suitable applicants from designated groups as defined in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 and subsequent amendments thereto AJ Personnel is only responsible for advertising and the response handling on behalf of their client Wits Health Consortium AJ Personnel does not have any salary or other information regarding the position