Environmental Science Rhodes University

27/05/2026

📢📢📢OPPORTUNITY 📢 📢 📢

🌍PhD Opportunity in Freshwater Ecology & Biological Control

NRF-SAIAB is seeking a motivated and suitably qualified PhD candidate to join the JWO-funded AQUA-STR (Aquatic Systems under Transformation and Resilience) project based at the NRF-SAIAB Node in Johannesburg, in association with the Centre for Biological Control.

The project will investigate how climate change and invasive species are reshaping freshwater ecosystems across Southern Africa, with a focus on:
• Trophic dynamics
• Ecosystem functioning
• Biological control and resilience building

Fieldwork opportunities will take place across several African countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Zambia.

📅 Closing date: 15 June 2026

🔗 More details and application information:
https://saiab.ac.za/phd-opportunity-freshwater-ecology-biological-control-southern-africa/

27/05/2026

📢📢📢OPPORTUNITY 📢 📢 📢

he Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu (WSU), the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS), and partners invite applications for the Annual Young Scientists’ Conference 2026, which will take place from 13–15 September 2026 at iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu, Mthatha Campus, Eastern Cape, South Africa: https://aysc.org.za/call-for-applications

The closing date is 21 June 2026.

23/05/2026

Our Department of Environmental Science invites suitably qualified candidates to join the team 🌍.

https://ru.simplify.hr/Vacancy/185876

21/05/2026

DES Tuesday Seminar -Tuesday, 26 May 2026

Title: Cultivating Knowledge Gardens: Designing Transdisciplinary Research and Partnerships Across Contexts (see the full abstract below)

Date: Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Time: 15h00 – 16h00
Venue: DES Seminar Room, Rhodes University
Online: Zoom Link
Zoom Link: ZOOM link

Meeting ID: 333 413 3438
Password: 333444

Abstract:

In this seminar, Nina Frölich presents ongoing work at the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), focusing on the research group Designing Real-World Lab Research. The group explores how transdisciplinary sustainability research can be intentionally designed to engage diverse societal actors, integrate heterogeneous knowledge systems, and foster transformative change in real-world settings. Building on this perspective, the presentation introduces Nina’s PhD project, which investigates how transdisciplinary research can be designed, communicated, and adapted across different cultural and institutional contexts to enhance its impact. The project examines the interplay between contextual conditions, research formats, and communicative practices, with particular attention to challenges of knowledge integration and the amplification of locally situated sustainability initiatives. In a third step, the seminar reflects on international academic partnerships through the metaphor of interconnected “knowledge gardens.” This metaphor conceptualizes institutions and disciplines as distinct yet interrelated spaces shaped by specific norms, values, and practices....

19/05/2026

Soft skills in academia! The toolkit for survival!

Sign up for this interesting & useful webinar !

🎓 Postgraduate life is about so much more than just the research it's navigating the day-to-day challenges that come with it.

Join the NRF-SAEON Graduate Student Network for an incredibly relevant webinar: "Beyond the Thesis: The Soft Skills Every Postgraduate Needs To Survive and Succeed."

Dr. Nqobile Ndhlovu (University of the Witwatersrand) will share practical insights on:
✅ Managing time and productivity
✅ Strengthening problem-solving skills
✅ Building emotional resilience against burnout, rejection, and imposter syndrome

Whether you are an Undergraduate, Honours, Master's, or Doctoral student, this session will equip you with the tools to handle research setbacks and build a long-term professional career without losing yourself to a demanding productivity culture.

📅 Date: 26 May 2026
🕙 Time: 10:00 - 11:00
🔗 Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-PSQgN8fEyRjwnM0KUyuIG7kL9p641_pusZibBcMqKdg-PQ/viewform or scan the QR code in the image below!

18/05/2026

To sprawl or not to sprawl; Open access and institutional ambiguity in South Africa. The Environmental Science (ENV201) undergraduate class had a class debate. A classical clash of ideas in urban sustainability and its safe to say the kids are alright 🌱

The motions were as follows:

Topic 1 - Ended in a tie 🥳🥳

Urban sprawl originating from compact cities enhances long-term urban sustainability more than maintaining strict urban containment in South African cities

Topic 2 - The opposition took it home 🥳

Unintentional open access to communal resources inevitably leads to deterioration due to institutional ambiguity between elected local authorities and traditional leaders in South Africa

12/05/2026

GSN INDIBANO 📢📢📢 OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 📢📢📢! SEND YOUR ABSTRACTS!

MSc and PhD students, mark your calendars 🗓️‼️ for the 18th NRF-SAEON GSN Indibano.

The 18th NRF-SAEON GSN Indibano is officially open for abstract submissions! This year’s theme, "Advancing Ecological Monitoring Through Innovative Technologies," invites you to showcase your research. Don't miss the chance to connect with fellow researchers and contribute to a sustainable future. Even better? Accommodation, meals, and most travel costs are funded by NRF-SAEON for accepted students!

📅 Date: 13–18 September 2026
📍 Location: South Africa
⏰ Submission Deadline: 1 June 2026

Submit your abstract here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdlaMGemfELwxHc5IbNq6lxTV0GPz2IL7LgHhVQozf2MApCnA/viewform or scan QR code

10/05/2026

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PLATFORM!

Protecting biodiversity starts with knowing what you have. 🌿

The National Biodiversity Information System (NBIS), built on ArcGIS, is giving governments worldwide a scalable way to track thousands of species, monitor habitat change, and support conservation decisions at a national scale. Guyana is already leading the way, using NBIS as the foundation of a border-to-border biodiversity monitoring program and committing to protect 30 percent of its land and seas by 2030.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4cxrN6s

10/05/2026

FAKE NEWS ALERT ⚠️ 📢

OFFICIAL STATEMENT: FAKE NEWS ALERT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rhodes University is aware of a digital poster currently circulating on social media platforms claiming that a case of Hantavirus has been confirmed in Makhanda (previously Grahamstown) and at the University.

We wish to categorically state that this information is completely false.

Please rely exclusively on offical Rhodes University communications and Department of Health statements for information regarding public health.

ISSUED BY THE DIVISION OF COMMUNICATIONS & ADVANCEMENT ON BEHALF OF RHODES UNIVERSITY

10/05/2026

SES Technician at SAEON! OPPORTUNITY 📢 📢 📢

The NRF has the following job opportunities available:

- Social Ecological Systems Technician Map – NRF-SAEON, Pietermaritzburg
- Cyclotron Operator – NRF-iThemba LABS, Johannesburg
- Stakeholder Coordinator – NRF-SARAO, Carnarvon
- Electronics Technician – NRF-iThemba LABS, Johannesburg
- Mechatronics Engineer – NRF-SAAO, Cape Town
- Supervisor: Housekeeping – NRF-SARAO, Carnarvon
- Machine Operator – NRF-SAAO, Cape Town
- Logistics Engineer – NRF-SARAO, Cape Town
- SALT Graduate Software Engineer – NRF-SAAO, Cape Town
- Electronics Technician – NRF-SAAO, Sutherland

To learn more/apply, please visit the NRF Recruitment Portal here: https://ess.nrf.ac.za/Account/Recruitment

For assistance with the NRF Recruitment Portal, please send an email to [email protected]