Research Info - Wits University

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To produce research of the highest quality, ensuring that the Faculty retains and enhances its reputation as one of the leading centres for research and graduate studies in Africa
To encourage and enable all academic staff to be research active
To produce research that contributes to the fundamental understanding of the disciplines in the humanities
To produce research of an applied nature that contributes to the solution to problems in the Southern African region particularly, and the continent more generally
To produce a culture of intellectual interest and engagement and a community of scholars dedicated to the development of knowledge and the rational appraisal of ideas
To help produce the next generation of researchers through the prioritising of graduate studies and the commitment to developing research capacity amongst staff and students.

Dean

Prof. Mucha Musemwa

Co-Assistant Deans

Prof. Nicole De Wet-Billings
Prof. Maria Marchetti-Mercer

Wits School of Arts

Prof. Christo Doherty

School of Human and Community Development

Prof. Katijah Khoza- Shangase

Wits School of Education

Prof. Leketi Makalela

REAL

Prof. Presha Ramsarup - Director

School of Literature, Language and Media

Dr Nicky Falkof

School of Social Sciences

Dr Sasha Frade

SWOP

Prof. Prishani Naidoo - Director

WISER

Prof. Hlonipha Mokoena - Director

History Research

Prof. Noor Nieftagodien - Group Director

Humanities Graduate Centre

Prof. Iginio Gagliardone
Prof. Lorena Nunez Carrasco

Ex Officio Members

Dr Robin Drennan - Director for Research Development

Wits Innovation Centre (WIC) representative

Prof. Christo Doherty

Faculty Creative Outputs Liaison:

Dr Matthew Wilhelm-Solomon

WISER Faculty-wide Interdisciplinary Seminar

WISER and the School of Social Sciences announce the re-establishment of a Faculty-wide Interdisciplinary Seminar. The Wits Interdisciplinary Seminar in the Humanities (WISH) will be hosted at WISER and held in the traditional late Monday afternoon time slot, from 15:00 to 16:30. The seminar will work in careful coordination with the existing disciplinary seminars, workshops and public talks that are currently being hosted in the Institute, the School and the wider Faculty.

The Interdisciplinary Seminar is intended to provide a venue for the careful consideration of research problems that will help to map out existing and possible intellectual directions for Wits Social Science and Humanities researchers. It will work on the basis of discussion of pre-distributed papers that will be delivered and archived on the WISER website. Participants will be encouraged to attend only on the basis of having read the paper. The Seminar will be administered by WISER but it will be overseen and directed by an interdisciplinary committee. WISER and SOSS view the seminar as an opportunity for constructive cross-disciplinary investigation of research problems, and as a venue to foster and accelerate a closer, more critical and more productive, intellectual engagement between individual researchers, and disciplines. But we also view the seminar as a site to foster stronger linkages and engagements between South African and international scholarship and theory, and as a site to strengthen the voice of Wits-based scholars in this global conversation. We anticipate that the forum will provide local scholars with an opportunity for useful and intense criticism, without the destructive gladiatorial conflict that often characterises these events.

To achieve these ends WISER and SOSS would like to encourage disciplines, centres, institutes and other schools from the Faculty to participate in the workings of the Seminar, and also to let us know about similar talks, seminars and workshops. WISER will build an online calendar of research events in the Faculty to supplement the use of email and physical notices, and to foster the coordination of these different forums. Individuals and disciplines that would like to receive notices about the seminar, or who might like to present work there, should send an email to Najibha.Deshmukh@wits.ac.za with the word WISH in the subject line. WISER will use these emails to build a single-purpose email notice list that distributes information about this seminar alone.

Funding

Internal Funding

Internal funds are sourced and secured from within the University's funding infrastructure. Internal funds are generally only available to staff members, with some exceptions.

Staff funding

Vice-Chancellor’s Research Award

The purpose of the award is to stimulate research and research-related scholarly activities by acknowledging and rewarding a quite exceptional worker who has been engaged in research and more general scholarly activity at the University. The award is open to all full-time academic staff of the University, whose age on 31 December will be not less than 38 and not more than 65. It is to the candidate’s advantage to be in possession of a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification, but not essential. No previous winner may apply, but previous unsuccessful applicants may do so. The monetary value of the award is announced annually.

Research funding (with restrictions)

Andersen Capelli
Directed towards research and travel support for staff on sabbatical and is consequently only available to staff whose sabbatical leave has been confirmed.
Friedel Sellschop Award
Earmarked to support the work of very exceptional applicants below the age of 35. It is only available to full-time PhDs or equivalent, not older than 35.

The University particularly wishes to recognise and encourage exceptional young researchers. To this end, a special category of research grant has been made available by the University Research Committee to qualifying researchers. Successful applicants would be supported for up to three years, subject to satisfactory annual performance reports and annual re-application.

Teaching and Learning Research Grant
Grants are usually made for amounts of R10 000 each and five grants are made annually. There is usually a call for proposals during the early part of the year and this is managed by the Secretariat in the Registrar's office. The grant is only available to permanent staff and is directed towards furthering knowledge on teaching and learning in higher education.

Enquiries: Research Office at 011 717 1231

Reports & Requests

Request to Conduct Research

MA Dissertation and PhD students

Students who wish to conduct research within the University must complete this form and submit it to Nicoleen Potgieter's office, 10^th floor Senate House, who will conduct interviews with such students. Students still need to obtain their clearance numbers from the Research office in Solomon Mahlangu House (formerly Senate House).

UG Fourth Year, Honours, MA by coursework and research report students

Consult with their departments as the School’s Ethics committee will make a decision for those students.

External Funding

External funds are sourced and secured from agencies, donors and councils external to the University. Funds are available for a wide range of applicants, including both staff and students.

Mellon Staff Development Grant

Applications are open for the Mellon foundations fund Research and Publications Support for Humanities Staff members who have completed a PhD not more than 5 years before the time of application.

Mellon Staff Development application form

Visiting Scholars

Staff and Students

The Andrew Mellon Foundation: Research and Publication Support for Younger Scholars on Wits staff

Mellon Staff Development application form

National Research Foundation

"The objective of the National Research Foundation (NRF) is to support and promote research through funding, human capacity development and the provision of the necessary research facilities, in order to facilitate the creation of knowledge, innovation and development in all fields of the natural and social sciences, humanities and technology, including indigenous knowledge systems."

http://www.nrf.ac.za/funding/

The NRF presently uses two online systems. Please encourage staff members and postgraduate students to register on the main system , complete their CV’s and keep the information updated. This makes the application process so much simpler at NRF Submission as the CV information is drawn in from the Online system to applications.