UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA

OKAVANGO RESEARCH INSTITUTE (MAUN)

PROFESSOR IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTRACT POSITION)

VACANCY NO: ORI04/2023

Applications are invited for the position of Professor in Rural Development at the Okavango Research Institute (ORI). The Institute is based in Maun, in north-western Botswana, and specializes in natural resources management, sustainable natural resource use and conservation in the iconic Okavango Delta and the Kgalagadi (Kalahari) region. The Institute has a good library (a branch of the University library in Gaborone) and excellent research laboratories. The Institute attracts significant international funding and is becoming generally acknowledged as a global research leader in natural resources management. Additional information on ORI including its Strategic Plan can be found on www.ori.ub.bw

Duties: The successful candidate will be expected to; (i) undertake research on the dynamics of rural poverty and sustainable rural livelihoods in the Okavango Delta Ramsar/ UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area and the Kgalagadi (Kalahari) region; Research questions may be derived, inter alia, from the following themes: livelihood resources and strategies, role of institutions and organizations in poverty alleviation and food security, resource use conflicts, environmental sustainability, rural development policy, and impacts of economic policy, prices, population, and migration on livelihoods security (ii) develop proposals for rural development centred research in collaboration with other Units of the Institute; (iii) supervise graduate students and participate in taught programmes offered at the Institute; (iv) actively engage in networking and maintain national and international academic links; (iv) write papers in international peer reviewed journals; (v) regularly attend national and international conferences. Although the duties are primarily research-focussed, the successful candidate will be required to perform all other duties as assigned by the Director/Deputy Director.

Requirements: The candidate should have (i) a PhD or equivalent qualification in Rural Sociology, Economics or Human Geography or related filled with at least nine (9) years of experience at the rank of Professor; (ii) a minimum of forty-one (41) research products (e.g. articles, book chapters, peer reviewed conference proceedings etc.) published by recognized publishers; (iii) thirty-seven (37) of the forty-one (41) publications above must be articles in refereed/ accredited journals indexed in internationally recognized indexing databases; (iv) the remaining four (4) publications could be journal articles, book chapters, peer reviewed conference proceedings, etc. published by recognized publishers. An academic book may be equivalent to a maximum of four (4) articles in refereed/accredited journals, depending on the quality and standing of the publisher; (v) sustained research output indicating a minimum of nine (9) peer reviewed publications (e.g. journal articles, book chapter, peer reviewed conference proceedings, etc.) every two (2) years; (vi) scholarly presentations at national and/ or international conferences; (vii) be first author in at least one-quarter of the required journal publications, depending on disciplinary expectations. There  should  also  be evidence  of  mentorship  of  early  career  scholars/graduate  students; (viii) evidence that publications are spread nationally and/or internationally and across journals; (ix) recognizable research impact, including but not limited to citations, the h-index, patents, policy applications, peer reviews, publications that are prescribed texts in other institutions etc. (required in at least three (3) of the these); (x) recognized as being of at least national research standing (e.g. reviewer for refereed/ accredited national and regional publishers; editorial board member of at least a national publisher in a relevant field; invitation as keynote speaker at national and/ or international conferences (required in at least three (3) of these); (xi) evidence of governance and social engagement; (xii) evidence of research collaborations with other institutions or organisations; (xiii) evidence of research collaboration with cognate disciplines within the University; (xiv) been an external examiner for Masters and/or PhD theses nationally and/or internationally. The following will be added advantages; (i) sustained research activity: on-going internally and/ or externally supported research (e.g. funded/commissioned); (ii) research awards and other forms of research recognition, where appropriate and (iii) examiner/moderator/assessor for undergraduate and/or postgraduate projects nationally and/or internationally.

NB: The curriculum vitae should contain a detailed list of published works, clearly specifying name/s of author and co-authors if any, dates of publications, titles of publications, names of publishers, volume numbers and DOIs (for journal publications) or ISBN numbers (for books, book chapters and conference proceedings), and number of pages. The works should be categorized into books, book chapters, refereed journals, non-refereed works, consultancies, and practical media projects.

Remuneration: The University of Botswana offers competitive salaries and benefits commensurate with experience and qualifications. For more information on the university, please visit our website; www.ub.bw

How to Apply: Letters of applications are to address the qualifications outlined in the advertisement and provide any other information to assist the university to determine the applicant’s suitability for the position.  The applicant should quote the vacancy number of the post applied for; provide current CVs (including telephone, telex and telefax number and e-mail where possible), certified true copies of educational certificates, transcripts and three reference letters. Applicants should send their application to: Human Resources Officer, Okavango Research Institute, Private Bag 285 Maun, Botswana. Tel.: +2676817228; Fax.: +2676861835: E-mail: ori_recruitment@ub.ac.bw / basiangy@ub.ac.bw

Hand delivered applications should be submitted to the HR Office, Admin Porta cabin.

Applicants should inform their referees to (i) quote the Vacancy Number(s) and Position(s) applied for and (ii) submit their references directly to the below address.

Please note that applications with incomplete information shall not be processed.

NB: Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

 

Closing Date: 12 January 2024