Opportunities

Many of you may remember a lecture we recently hosted given by Dr Daniel Mograbi from Brazil: Exploring self-awareness through neuroscience: studies with clinical groups and psychoactive substances.

The Mograbi Lab, based in Rio, Brazil have a postdoc position available to focus on psychoactive substances and self-awareness.

The fellowship is for one year.

It pays R$5200 monthly (roughly R200 000 for the full year), sufficient to live in Rio as a single student. Although the fellowship does not include travel costs, Dr Mograbi has kindly offered to cover the SA-Brazil-SA airfare with some of his other funding.

The ideal start date would be in March, but they can be flexible in terms of the arrival date, with the possibility of starting work remotely for the first few months.

No previous research experience with psychoactive substances is needed, but ideally someone with a solid methods background and experience in studies with humans. 

Candidates should send a CV and information on previous research work to danielmograbi@puc-rio.br.

Please share widely with anyone that may be interested.

The Takeda Innovators in Science Award with Nature is now open for applications.  

Takeda and Nature have partnered together on this international award programme for early-career researchers who are advancing transformative research in three distinct areas:  

• Oncology 

• Neuroscience 

• Gastrointestinal and Inflammatory Diseases 

Three carefully selected winners will receive an unrestricted prize of US$75,000 each. There will be an additional prize of US$175,000 for one grand prize winner. Nature is responsible for the evaluation and administration of the programme. 

The application can be submitted online before the deadline on 16 September 2025. You can also recommend a colleague to apply. 

Please contact programme manager, Maria Lippant, with questions: maria.lippant@springernature.com 

We are offering a Masters research project in Clinical Neurosciences by dissertation for a suitably qualified candidate, hosted in the African Brain Child Research Initiative (ABC - UCT Division of Neurosurgery and Neuroscience Institute), a multi-disciplinary research group focused on clinically translational research, and all staff and students work across the clinical and research domains. ABC has been the recipient of the 2024 National Research Foundation Science Team of the Year Award and received multiple prestigious Wellcome Trust research grants for their work on tuberculous meningitis (TBM), the most fatal form of tuberculosis disease.

Call for Application:

The proposed project is based on investigating mechanisms of injury and disease in children with TBM, which currently remain poorly understood. ABC offers the unique opportunity to study rare site-of-disease samples which offer important opportunities to generate novel insights that could improve patient management and lead to better outcomes in these children. This study will investigate various potential biomarkers including proteins, metabolites, inflammatory mediators, DNA or RNA. The student is expected to recruit patients, collect study data, collect study samples and process them for biobanking, conduct sample and data analyses, prepare data for dissertation and publication, and contribute to general research-related activities within the ABC group.

Conditions:

The successful incumbent will be required to register for full-time study and must comply with the University’s approved policies, procedures, and practices for the postgraduate sector. Successful candidates may not hold scholarships and salaried/full-time employment concurrently but will be permitted to take up part-time employment (specified maximum hours per week).

Value and tenure:

Funding of R150 000 for this project is available for one MSc student. Applications for further funding as per UCT prescribed funding limits will be supported. Funding carries no fringe benefits and is available for full time study.

Academic criteria:

Students from backgrounds in biomedical sciences are encouraged to apply. Applicants will need to demonstrate competency in the laboratory, as well as relevant and meritorious research or work experience. Applicants should be South African citizens or already hold a valid student visa for South Africa.

Application requirements and selection process:

Please send through a letter of application stating your areas of expertise and research interests as well as a full CV, copies of academic transcripts, and the names of 2 referees. Eligible and complete applications will be considered by a selection committee within the Paediatric Neurosurgery Unit. All positions are available to commence study by latest February 2026 .

Contact details for submission of applications and for enquiries: Please send all applications to Dr Jill Combrinck at j.combrinck@uct.ac.za by closing date 30 September 2025.

We are offering a Masters research project for students interested in global health of neurological disease or clinical neuroscience. Disorders affecting the nervous system impact more than 40% of the global population and represent the greatest overall disease burden in the world. Yet data from Africa remains scarce. This is a Master’s by dissertation for a suitably qualified candidate, hosted in the African Brain Child Research Initiative (ABC - UCT Division of Neurosurgery and Neuroscience Institute), a multi-disciplinary research group focused on clinically translational research, and all staff and students work across the clinical and research domains. ABC is the recipient of the 2024 National Research Foundation Science Team of the Year Award and is considered a world-leader in traumatic brain injury research.

Call for Application:

Injury accounts for more death than HIV, TB and Malaria combined, and the most dangerous injury is trauma to the head. However, to date we have poor data to quantify the mortality of that injury. These data are essential to motivate for national and international policy change including effective prevention and care strategies. The proposed project is based on quantifying head-injury fatality rates in patients with trauma-related death. This will be a multi-center project involving data collection and analysis across African sites, supported by ABC’s extensive research connections continentally and internationally. The student will be expected to liaise with study sites, engage in study meetings, drive data collection, conduct data quality control, conduct data analysis, write up findings for publication as well as dissertation, present findings at academic meetings, and contribute to general research-related activities within the ABC group.

Conditions:

The successful incumbent will be required to register for full-time study and must comply with the University’s approved policies, procedures, and practices for the postgraduate sector. Successful candidates may not hold scholarships and salaried/full-time employment concurrently but will be permitted to take up part-time employment (specified maximum hours per week).

Value and tenure:

Funding of R150 000 for this project is available for one MSc student. Applications for further funding as per UCT prescribed funding limits will be supported. Funding carries no fringe benefits and is available for full time study.

Academic criteria:

Students from backgrounds including global health, epidemiology, data science, or biomedical sciences are encouraged to apply. Applicants will need to demonstrate relevant and meritorious research or work experience. Applicants should be South African citizens or already hold a valid student visa for South Africa.

Application requirements and selection process:

Please send through a letter of application stating your areas of expertise and research interests as well as a full CV, copies of academic transcripts, and the names of 2 referees. Eligible and complete applications will be considered by a selection committee within the Paediatric Neurosurgery Unit.

Closing date and contact details for submission: Please send all applications to Dr Jill Combrinck at j.combrinck@uct.ac.za by closing date 30 September 2025.

Worldwide applications NOW open! Phase 1 of the PiTCH Fellowship Program.

Partners in Teaching (PiTCH) train-the-trainer mentorship program: skills exchange and strengthening microscopy capacity. (Upon completing Phase 1, teaching pairs may be invited to apply for Phase 2, where they will co-deliver their workshop (designed in Phase 1) at the African Partner’s institution. This is subject to the availability of resources and proposal strength.)

Applicants in Africa:

Researchers aiming to apply microscopy in their research & strengthen local capacity through teaching and workshops.

Application guidelines:

training.microscopy.africa/phase1application  

Application form for African partners:

https://forms.gle/cEZyNCn4dDZdFQv78

For enquiries e-mail: contact@microscopy.africa

DEADLINE for ALL applications:

20 September 2025

Notification of outcomes: 

by 30 November 2025

Information Session​

AMI will host an online information session for prospective PiTCH applicants. This information session is open to everyone interested in applying for the PiTCH fellowship as either an African or Global Partner. The session will provide information on the application process as well as the review and selection process, which will be helpful for prospective applicants. Additionally, general information about the objective of the first call will also be shared, helping to contextualise this novel mentorship program for those unfamiliar with PiTCH.

• Date: 7 August 2025
• Time: 12.30pm UTC / GMT [time zone converter]
• Online Zoom meeting [Please register here]

Apply for this full-time (37.5 hours per week),1-year (Appointment for further years dependent on available funding and will require a secondary interview process) T1 fixed-term contract position as a Project Coordinator in the neurodevelopment research group in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at University of Cape Town. The main purpose of this position is to manage the coordination, administrative functions, and smooth operation of the two interlinking studies listed below in the Appendix. This appointment will be held in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health in the Faculty of HealthScience at the University of Cape Town, under the leadership of the principal investigator (PI), Prof. Kirsty Donald.

Start Date: Immediate.

To apply, please e-mail the required documents in a single pdf file to applications.ndev@vula.uct.ac.za

Reference number: ProjCoord25

Please ensure the position title and reference number are indicated in the subject line. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and may be required to undergo an assessment.

For further info: emma.eastman@uct.ac.za

Apply for one of several full-time (37.5 hours per week), 1-year (Appointment for further years dependent on available funding and will require a secondary interview process) T1 fixed-term contract positions as a Research Assistant in the neurodevelopment research group in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at University of Cape Town. The main purpose of this position is to assist in the collection of data related to one of the studies listed in the Appendix below. The role involves working closely with the research team, healthcare professionals, and study participants to ensure accurate and timely collection of data while adhering to ethical guidelines and protocols. This appointment will be held in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health in the Faculty of Health Science at the University of Cape Town, under the leadership of the principal investigator (PI), Prof. Kirsty Donald.

Start Date: Immediate.

To apply, please e-mail the required documents in a single pdf file to applications.ndev@vula.uct.ac.za

Reference number: ResAssist25

Please ensure the position title and reference number are indicated in the subject line. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and may be required to undergo an assessment.

For further info: emma.eastman@uct.ac.za

Apply for this full-time (37.5 hours per week), 1-year (Appointment for further years dependent on available funding and will require a secondary interview process) T1 fixed-term contract position as an Executive Assistant in the neurodevelopment research group in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at University of Cape Town.

The purpose of this position is to provide administrative support to Prof Donald, Head of Developmental Paediatrics, Deputy Director of Neuroscience Institute and Principal Investigator of the neurodevelopmental research group. The successful incumbent will be responsible for supporting Prof Donald and our senior leadership team of the neurodevelopmental research group. The ideal candidate will be a master of time management, communication, and discretion, capable of handling a wide range of administrative and executive support tasks in a fast-paced environment. This appointment will be held in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health in the Faculty of Health Science at the University of Cape Town, under the leadership of the principal investigator (PI), Prof. Kirsty Donald.

Start Date: Immediate.

To apply, please e-mail the required documents in a single pdf file to applications.ndev@vula.uct.ac.za

Reference number: ExecAssist25 

Please ensure the position title and reference number are indicated in the subject line. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and may be required to undergo an assessment.

For further info: emma.eastman@uct.ac.za

The Africa region of the World Bank Group (WBG) is pleased to announce the opening of the application period for the 2026 WBG Africa Fellowship Program for Ph.D. candidates and recent Ph.D. graduates who are Sub-Saharan Africa nationals. Women are especially encouraged to apply. Through the fellowship, we aim to build the capacity of the next generation of African change makers in development research, policymaking and promote the goals of reducing poverty in the region.  

To be considered you must be a Ph.D. candidate or recent graduate (within three years of Ph.D. completion) from Sub-Saharan Africa. See full eligibility criteria below.

If accepted, you will:

spend six months getting hands-on experience at WBG headquarters in Washington D.C. or a country office. The fellowship requires an in-person availability for the period January-June 2026.

work on research, economic policy, technical assistance, and lending operations that contribute to the WBG’s goal of eliminating poverty and increasing shared prosperity. 

ABOUT THE WBG AFRICA FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
The program targets young talented African nationals who are completing or have recently completed their Ph.D. in an area relevant to the World Bank’s work. The fellowship program has been very successful since its inception, building a strong pipeline of young African talent interested in a career in development, in international institutions, African governments, think tanks, and academia.

The program offers selected fellows a six-month assignment at WBG offices in Washington D.C. or in country offices to gain hands-on experience in WBG operations. This includes knowledge generation and dissemination, design of global and country policies, and the building of institutions to achieve inclusive growth in developing countries. While benefitting from research and innovation in multiple sectors, fellows will also work on research, economic policy, technical assistance, and lending operations that contribute to the World Bank’s goal of eliminating poverty and increasing shared prosperity. 

FULL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Be a recent Ph.D. graduate (within three years of completion) or be enrolled in the last year of the Ph.D. program.

• Have an excellent command of English, both written and verbal. 

• Possess strong quantitative and analytical skills. 

• Be at least 32 or under by January 2026.

SELECTION PROCESS

Phase I: A short-list of candidates will be selected and made available for hire to the different units of the WBG depending on the applicants’ field of specialization and interest. Applicants will be notified about the status of their application or whether they have been shortlisted or not.

Phase II:

The final list of fellows will be selected in consultation with the various units of the WBG. When the selection is complete, all shortlisted candidates will be informed of their selection status. Selected candidates will then be notified and, upon acceptance, be hired as short-term consultants for six months starting January 2026.

Fellows are eligible to receive consultant fees and round-trip economy-class air travel to Washington, D.C. or a WBG country office.   

Click here to apply for the WBG Africa Fellowship Program

Application Deadline: August 25, 2025