The University Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme offers prestigious opportunities for emerging scholars who have obtained their PhD within the last five years. These highly competitive fellowships support exceptional early-career researchers in pursuing innovative research while contributing to our vibrant academic community.

You will find details about the value of the Fellowship, the application process and eligibility criteria in this document.

The application deadline is 7 March 2026

NOTE: Postdoctoral fellowships are intended for applicants who have recently (within the past 5 years) completed their PhD and who do not have a long-term contract or permanent academic role. A postdoctoral fellow cannot hold employment elsewhere, and a postdoctoral fellowship is different to a sabbatical visit. 

Do you qualify to apply for a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of the Witwatersrand?

• Have you obtained your PhD within the past 5 years? 
• If your PhD was obtained outside of South Africa, have you obtained a SAQA certificate?
• Do you have a strong research record?
• Does your area of research, and any equipment you need, align with the expertise and infrastructure of the University of the Witwatersrand 

Taking up a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Wits

1. An average peer-reviewed research output^[1] of at least two publications per annum during your stay. Ideally, the research should be published in journals that are found in the ISI index of journals. If there is a particular reason why it is more appropriate to publish the work in local journals, then they should be ‘accredited journals’.
2. A contribution to the research ethos of the School or Institute in which you are based. This contribution should come in the form of willing participation in staff meetings, debates about research, research seminars (especially those involving postgraduate students), etc. It is important that you contribute to the academic programme by putting forward your ideas and thinking.
3. A contribution to the operation of a research laboratory (where appropriate). This contribution may involve calibrating instruments, advising postgraduate students on operating conditions, giving instrument training, commissioning preventative maintenance, etc.
4. Make a contribution towards the University and its goal to become an internationally acclaimed research-intensive university.
5. Postdoctoral fellows are not appointed to reduce the load of lecturing staff. You may take up sessional lecturing positions within your department, where available, to a maximum of 12 hours a week. These are claim paid roles, and incur income tax. The university is under no obligation to make such positions available. 

[1] Research output is used in its broadest sense and recognises creative outputs that meet agreed criteria. However, typically the outputs include journal articles, peer-reviewed conference proceedings, chapters in peer-reviewed books and even peer-reviewed books.

Explore Postdoctoral Opportunities →

Browse current fellowship openings across the University. New positions added as they become available.