Vacancies

We will constantly post staff, postdoctoral, and student positions here as vacancies become available. Watch the space!

We currently have the following vacant academic and technical support positions:

Available vacancies:

  1. Senior Lecturer
  2. Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity
  3. PhD Fellowship
  4. Senior postdoctoral fellowship
  5. Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity: Observational Solar Physics (3 YEARS)
    Centre for Space Research (CSR)
    North-West University (NWU), Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa

The Centre for Space Research (CSR) at North-West University invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Observational Solar Physics, available from 1 March 2027.

The successful candidate will join the CSR solar physics group, led by Dr Ruhann Steyn, working on high-resolution observations of the solar photosphere and chromosphere. Science themes include sunspot and active-region magnetic field evolution, flare precursors and energy release, photospheric flows, and chromospheric dynamics. The group maintains an active international collaboration with Northumbria University (UK), providing opportunities for joint research and exchange. The group also operates the NWU Solar Telescope Observatory, which conducts regular white-light and Hα observations of the Sun. 

Key Responsibilities:

  • Conduct independent and collaborative research in solar physics.
  • Mine, reduce, and analyse high-resolution solar observations and lead peer-reviewed publications from it. 
  • Build reproducible, well-documented analysis workflows for solar observations.
  • Publish in peer-reviewed journals.
  • Support postgraduate student supervision and CSR activities.
  • Help with operations and data management at the NWU Solar Telescope Observatory, including maintaining observing and data-processing workflows.
  • Engage with national and international collaborators.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • PhD in Solar Physics, Space Science or a related field, obtained within the last five years.
  • A publication record appropriate to career stage, including first-author papers

Required Skills:

  • Proficiency in Python (SciPy, Astropy, SunPy) and/or IDL/SolarSoft (SSWIDL).
  • Experience handling multidimensional data cubes, such as spectral, imaging-spectroscopy, time-series, or spectropolarimetric data.
  • Working knowledge of FITS data and co-registering datasets from different instruments.
  • Working knowledge of magnetic field extrapolation, particularly potential-field source-surface (PFSS) models.
  • Comfortable working on Linux-based computing clusters
  • The ability to work independently.

Advantageous Skills:

  • Experience with ground-based solar data, such as SST or DKIST, including reduction pipelines such as SSTRED
  • Spectropolarimetric inversion codes (e.g. SIR, NICOLE, STiC, Hazel) or Milne-Eddington inversions
  • Non-linear force-free field (NLFFF) extrapolations
  • Feature detection, tracking, or machine-learning methods applied to large solar datasets

Fellowship Value:

  • R 350,000 per annum (tax-free)
  • R 50,000 per annum research expenses
  • R 20,000 once-off relocation allowance
  • Term: 3 years

Application Deadline: 2 November 2026

Application Requirements:

  • Detailed CV including publication list
  • Cover letter outlining research interests and alignment
  • Contact details of at least two referees

Applications and enquiries should be directed to:

Dr Ruhann Steyn
Centre for Space Research (CSR)
North-West University
Ruhann.Steyn@nwu.ac.za