There is an opening for a one-year Post-Doctoral Position at the Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development, University of Lagos.
Background
The Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development (chsd.unilag.edu.ng) at the
University of Lagos was established in 2013 to provide learning and research support for evidence-based policy and practice for the housing and urbanisation sector in Africa.
The centre is interested in recruiting one (1) Post-Doctoral Researcher (at 50% time) for the research project – “Wits-TUB-UNILAG Urban Lab” – funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) – in collaboration with the University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg, South Africa and the Habitat Unit at TU Berlin, Germany.
The “Wits-TUB-UNILAG Urban Lab” project focuses on the development of educational formats at African universities for urban researchers and practitioners, particularly in the field of urban management. This includes the joint formulation of reform proposals for
curricula and the implementation of reforms by the introduction and restructuring of educational programmes. A further central component is the promotion of talented graduates
through scholarships for Urban Management Master’s and Sustainable Urbanisation PhD programmes.
The project also addresses the development of practice-relevant knowledge pools that focus on questions of solidarity, justice and resilience in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the context of urbanization processes. This is done in
light of specific challenges facing African cities. It addresses complex urban systems, seeking to foreground inequality and informality, and to bring questions of justice to bear on change processes while bringing a decolonial lens to the notion of co-production.
Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Wits-TUB-UNILAG Urban Lab
The project aims to address the specific support needs of young researchers through a postdoctoral fellowship programme which will be fully integrated in all activities of the
WitsTUB-UNILAG Urban Lab, participate in its conceptual development and the curation, organization and facilitation of event and publications, while also undertaking independent research within the themes defined for this phase. To this end, the fellow will spend one month at TUB and/or at another African university, if the circumstances allow it.
The postdoctoral fellow, while expected to work independently and at a high level of
professionalism, will benefit from an individual needs-based mentoring scheme, which will support strategic career planning and decision-making. In addition to the mentoring programme, specific training and capacity building activities will be supported including:
- Accessing research funding and developing grant applications.
- Building capacities for PhD and Masters thesis supervision.
- Developing skills in publishing in order to convert their theses into books or articles
for a wider audience, bearing in mind the challenges of North-South and South-
South knowledge production. - Strengthening pedagogical skills.
Tasks and Deliverables
· Contribute to the further development of the project’s research agenda.
· Contribute to the conception and development of scientific publications.
· Participate in the conception, organization and implementation of academic events in the project context (workshops, summer schools and conferences).
· Contribute to the development of the Urban Management and Sustainable
Urbanisation PhD programmes.
· Develop and implement supporting activities for doctoral students in the project in cooperation with other postdocs at the two partner universities.
· Support the PI in the coordination of the project.
· Undertake other activities as may be required within the framework of the Wits-
TUB-UNILAG Urban Lab project and the Centre for Housing and Sustainable
Development.
Required Qualification and Experience
- Early career researcher with an academic position at the University of Lagos.
- Ph.D. degree in urban and regional planning, urban studies, built environment
disciplines, housing, sociology, urban geography, or related disciplines received
no earlier than 2018. - Interdisciplinary research and project experience, preferably related to
urbanization processes in sub-Saharan Africa and sustainability paradigms in
urban development. - Demonstrated inter-disciplinary methodological and theoretical knowledge and understanding of urbanization and social dynamics in African cities.
- Excellent fieldwork and publication experience.
- Ability to work flexible hours as may be necessary.
The Position and Privileges
The value of the position is 50% of = N= 3,125,980.00 – =N= 4, 307,290.00 per annum for a period of twelve months. The position comes with Health Insurance and a modest Research Allowance. It does not include other fringe benefits.
The incumbent will be provided with a desk and appropriate access rights to use the research facilities of the Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development, University of Lagos.
How to Apply
Interested applicants who must be employed as University of Lagos academic staff should submit:
a. Full Curriculum Vitae (CV) with copies of degree certificates.
b. A letter of motivation stating areas of expertise, research interests and experience.
Include in the letter information on why you are qualified for this position.
c. 1000-word statement of intent covering research that the candidate envisages
conducting and how this would fit into the project theme and activities set out
above.
d. Two recommendation letters, one of which should be from the Ph.D.
Supervisor/Co-supervisor
e. Names, email addresses, and telephone numbers of 3 referees
Please send your application and all relevant documents only by email as single PDF
file to the Principal Investigator (PI), Prof Taibat Lawanson, via centreforhousing@unilag.edu.ng.
Any application which does not comply with the above requirements will be regarded as incomplete. Late applications will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview
Closing Date for Application: August 31, 2024 at 11.59pm
Expected Starting Date: January 01, 2025
