The University of Fort Hare invites suitably qualified researchers to apply for five Postdoctoral Research Fellowship opportunities for the 2026–2028 period.
Fellowship Application Closing Date: 11 September 2026
Fellowship Location: Eastern Cape, South Africa
University of Fort Hare Postdoctoral Research Fellowships 2026–2028
The University of Fort Hare is recruiting Postdoctoral Research Fellows across several academic and research disciplines.
The advertised opportunities are generally offered for:
24 months
and include research areas in:
- Renewable energy and perovskite solar technologies.
- Accounting and Finance.
- Computational Science and wind energy.
- Applied Management, Administration and Ethical Leadership.
- Agronomy and climate-smart crop protection.
Preference is indicated for South African female candidates in several of the advertised fellowships, while eligibility may also extend to applicants of other nationalities subject to applicable visa requirements.
Fellowship Overview
Institution: University of Fort Hare
Programme: Postdoctoral Research Fellowships 2026–2028
Number of Opportunities: 5
Contract Type: Fixed-term
Duration: 24 months
Location: Eastern Cape
Closing Date: 11 September 2026
Available Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
| Fellowship | Reference | Main Field |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Hare Institute of Technology | EC000817 | Perovskite Solar Cells / Renewable Energy |
| Accounting, Economics & Finance | EC000818 | Accounting / Finance |
| Computational Science | EC000819 | Wind Energy / AI / CFD |
| Applied Management, Administration & Ethical Leadership | EC000820 | Agronomy / Just Transitions |
| Agronomy | EC000821 | Crop Science / Biopesticides |
Fort Hare Institute of Technology Postdoctoral Fellowship
Reference: EC000817
Duration: 24 months
Research Focus: Large-area perovskite solar modules for agrivoltaic and community garden applications
The fellowship will focus on characterising and fabricating large-area perovskite solar cells.
Key research activities include:
- Modelling and optimising La₂₋ₓSrₓNiMnO₆ perovskite device performance using SCAPS-1D.
- Synthesising Sr-doped LNMO using spin coating.
- Tuning bandgaps through optimisation of Sr concentration.
- Developing large-area spectrally selective perovskite solar modules.
- Evaluating device performance for agrivoltaic use.
Requirements
Applicants should preferably have a doctorate completed within the last five years in:
- Chemistry.
- Physics.
- Chemical Engineering.
- A related field.
Applicants should also have:
- At least 3 years of relevant research experience.
- A publication track record in DHET-accredited journals.
The expected outputs include:
- Spectrally selective perovskite solar modules.
- Scalable agrivoltaic deployment models.
- At least 4 publications in DHET-accredited journals.
- Co-mentoring of postgraduate students.
How to Apply for Fort Hare Institute of Technology Fellowship
Email application documents to:
Copy:
and:
Use the subject line:
Fabrication of large area Perovskite Solar Modules
Accounting, Economics and Finance Postdoctoral Fellowship
Reference: EC000818
Duration: 24 months
Research Focus: Corporate Cash Holdings in South African Listed Companies
The project will use quantitative and qualitative research methods to investigate cash holding behaviour among companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
The successful fellow must be based in the East London precinct area.
Requirements
Applicants should preferably have a doctorate completed within the last five years in:
- Accounting.
- Finance.
Applicants should also demonstrate:
- Quantitative research experience.
- Qualitative research experience.
- Fieldwork experience.
- Strong academic writing skills.
- Competence in STATA.
- Competence in R.
- Competence in thematic analysis.
How to Apply for Accounting and Finance Fellowship
Email documents to:
Copy:
and:
Use the subject line:
Accounting and Finance
Computational Science Postdoctoral Fellowship
Reference: EC000819
Duration: 24 months
Fellowship Value: R300 000 per annum tax-free
This fellowship focuses on advanced wind energy technologies under the supervision of Prof Patrick Mukumba.
Research areas include:
- Low-wind-speed energy harvesting.
- Ducted wind turbines.
- Concentrator-diffuser augmented wind turbines.
- INVELOX systems.
- Shrouded wind turbines.
- Offshore wind resource assessment.
- Renewable energy mini-grid systems.
- Computational Fluid Dynamics.
- Artificial Intelligence.
- Machine learning.
- Digital modelling and optimisation.
Requirements
Applicants must have completed a doctorate within the last five years in:
- Renewable Energy.
- Mechanical Engineering.
- Mechatronics Engineering.
- Aerospace Engineering.
- Electrical Engineering.
- Applied Physics.
- A closely related field.
Experience in CFD, AI, machine learning and numerical modelling will be an advantage.
The successful candidate must produce:
2.0 research publication units per annum with the host
How to Apply for Computational Science Fellowship
Email documents to:
Copy:
and:
Applied Management, Administration and Ethical Leadership Postdoctoral Fellowship
Reference: EC000820
Duration: 24 months
The fellowship will focus on the project:
Reconfiguring Agro-Industrial Systems for Just Transitions, Net-Zero Pathways, and Inclusive Livelihoods in Eastern Cape
The project will use participatory and transdisciplinary research methods, including living labs and co-production of knowledge.
Requirements
Applicants should preferably have a doctorate completed within the last five years in:
- Agronomy.
- A closely related field.
Applicants should have research skills in:
- Socio-economic surveys.
- Environmental assessments.
- Agro-ecological assessments.
- Pilot intervention design.
- Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning.
- Quantitative data analysis.
- Qualitative data analysis.
- Systems thinking.
- Socio-ecological systems.
- Food-energy-water nexus.
- Food-energy-labour nexus.
- Circular systems.
A strong publication record in accredited journals is also required.
How to Apply for Applied Management Fellowship
Email documents to:
Copy:
and:
Use the subject line:
Agronomy/Crop Science
Agronomy Postdoctoral Fellowship
Reference: EC000821
Duration: 24 months
The Department of Agronomy is recruiting a fellow for research on:
Advancing Sustainable and Climate-Smart Crop Protection through the Development of Kleinia longiflora-Based Biopesticides
The project aims to support sustainable crop protection and climate-smart agriculture.
Requirements
Applicants should preferably have a doctorate completed within the last five years in:
- Agronomy.
- Crop Science.
- Plant Production.
- Plant Protection.
Applicants must also demonstrate:
- At least 3 research articles in DHET-accredited journals.
- Proficiency in statistical software such as:
- GenStat.
- R.
- SAS.
- SPSS.
- Statistica.
How to Apply for Agronomy Fellowship
Click here to apply for University of Fort Hare Postdoctoral Research Fellowship – Agronomy
Email documents to:
Copy:
and:
Use the subject line:
Crop Science
General Application Documents
Depending on the fellowship, applicants are generally required to submit:
- Motivation letter.
- Full CV.
- List of research publications.
- Academic transcripts.
- Doctoral degree certificate.
- Other relevant certificates.
- Copy of ID.
- Passport copy for foreign applicants.
- Contact details of academic referees where required.
Applicants who have completed the requirements for a doctoral degree but have not yet received the certificate may be required to submit written confirmation from the Registrar or equivalent confirming that all doctoral requirements have been met.
General Fellowship Conditions
The supplied advertisements indicate that:
- Successful fellows may not be employed by UFH at the time of taking up the fellowship.
- Fellows may not be employed by another institution or company during the fellowship.
- Applicants may be of any age, gender or nationality, subject to immigration requirements.
- Preference may be given to South African female applicants.
- Continued fellowship support may depend on satisfactory research output.
- Fellows are expected to publish research outputs in accredited journals.
Fellowship Application Closing Date
Applications for all five advertised fellowships close on:
11 September 2026
Applicants are encouraged to submit applications early, as some of the adverts state that applications may be considered in order of arrival.
Important Application Notes
- There are 5 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship opportunities.
- Most are offered for 24 months.
- The Computational Science fellowship is valued at R300 000 per annum tax-free.
- Applicants generally need a doctoral qualification completed within the last five years.
- Some fellowships allow applicants awaiting formal graduation to provide Registrar confirmation.
- Strong research publication records are required.
- Several fellowships indicate preference for South African female candidates.
- Applications close on 11 September 2026.