JUNIOR RESEARCH FELLOW

(3-year contract)
Artificial Intelligence Research Unit
Department of Computer Science
Faculty of Science

The Artificial Intelligence Research Unit (AIRU) at the University of Cape Town aims to provide research and thought leadership to academia, industry, government, and civil society, so that they can leverage AI to improve people’s lives. We are seeking a Junior Research Fellow to join the AIRU team’s research programme in Human-Centred AI. The position is primarily funded by a University Research Committee (URC) Junior Research Fellow (JRF) award.

Requirements for the position:

• A PhD specializing in Artificial Intelligence or a related area.
• A research track record including a demonstrated ability for independent research and publications in high-quality conference proceedings and/or journals.

Advantageous:

• 2 years’ experience as a postdoctoral research fellow in Artificial Intelligence or a related area.
• Research experience in Knowledge Representation and Reasoning.
• Research experience in Adaptive and Cognitive systems.

Responsibilities include:

• Undertake and participate in AIRU research projects in Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, Adaptive and
  Cognitive Systems and Human-Centred AI under the guidance of Prof Tommie Meyer and A/Prof Deshen Moodley.
• Conduct independent research; prepare and communicate peer-reviewed conference and journal papers; and supervise and mentor postgraduate students in the AIRU.
• Research administration, such as writing funding proposals, and research project coordination and management.

The Fellow is expected to work in collaboration with the AIRU team and its broader network to research and develop novel AI techniques, AI driven systems and AI applications to deal with South Africa’s and Africa’s social and development challenges.
The tenure of the position is 3 years, renewal each year being dependent on satisfactory progress. The commencement date should be in 2023.
The annual cost of employment, including benefits, is R 658 000 per annum for 3 years.

To apply, please e-mail the documents below, preferably in a single pdf file, to Ms Natasha Khan at recruitment06@uct.ac.za.

• UCT Application Form (download at http://forms.uct.ac.za/hr201.do)
• A research proposal of no more than 2 pages.
• Your full curriculum vitae, including a description of research experience and list of publications, and any supervision
  experience.
• Certified copies of all academic transcripts and degree certificates.

An application that does not comply with the above requirements will be regarded as incomplete. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Information on faculty structure and academic departments can be found on the UCT website at http://www.uct.ac.za.
Further information on the research elements of the post is available from Prof Tommie Meyer (tmeyer@cair.org.za) or A/Prof Deshen Moodley (deshen@cs.uct.ac.za).

Reference: E230343
Closing date: 30 November 2023
“UCT is a designated employer and is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity, and redress in achieving its equity
targets in accordance with the Employment Equity Plan of the University and its Employment Equity goals and targets.
Preference will be given to candidates from the under-represented designated groups. Our Employment Equity Policy is
available at www.uct.ac.za/downloads/uct.ac.za/about/policies/eepolicy.pdf . “
UCT reserves the right not to appoint.

All the best with your applications