Lecturer/Senior Lecturer: Computer Science

University of Cape Town; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 974,000 - 1,207,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Cape Town invites applications for a Lecturer or Senior Lecturer in data science or AI applied to environmental and climate science. The post-holder will hold academic appointment in the Department of Computer Science and a Research Associateship in the ACDI, contributing to teaching and supervision at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

The role includes developing courses, supervising Master’s/PhD students, and helping to establish a new Masters programme and Doctoral Training

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field.
• Ability to teach Computer Science at undergraduate level.
• Experience applying computational methods, especially AI or data science, to climate and environmental sciences.
• A track record of research publications, commensurate with career stage.
• Commitment to socially engaged research.

Responsibilities

• Develop and teach undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Computer Science and/or AI, including a postgraduate course on AI and machine learning applications in environmental fields;
• Contribute to a new Doctoral Training Programme in Climate and Development;
• Contribute to Departmental and Africa Climate Collaborative administration;
• Pursue a personal research programme that is socially responsive and publish in high quality journals;
• Foster collaboration between the department, ACDI and other UCT groups working on climate and sustainability, including joint projects and proposals.

Skills

Data science

AI

Teaching

Research publications

Education

PhD degree

Job description

The Department of Computer Science and the African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI) jointly seek to appoint a Lecturer or Senior Lecturer in the area of data science or AI applied to environmental and climate science. The successful candidate will hold an academic appointment in the Department of Computer Science and a Research Associateship in the ACDI.

The post-holder will join the Africa Climate Collaborative, a new cross-university programme in climate resilience and sustainability hosted by ACDI in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. The Collaborative brings together researchers across disciplines to address some of the most pressing challenges facing the African continent.This role sits at the intersection of that effort, applying data science and/or AI to climate and environmental problems with direct societal impact. The post-holder will teach and supervise at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the Department of Computer Science, and contribute to a new Masters programme and a Doctoral Training Academy convened by the ACDI.

Requirements of the job at Lecturer level:

• A PhD degree in a relevant field;
• Ability to teach Computer Science at undergraduate level;
• Demonstrated experience in the application of computational methods, especially AI and/or data science, to climate, environmental, and related sciences;
• A track record of research publications, commensurate with career stage; and
• Commitment to socially engaged research.

Additional requirements of the job at Senior Lecturer level:

• At least two years of post-PhD academic or professional experience;
• Significant teaching experience at university level;
• Experience in supervision of Master’s and/or PhD students;
• A track record of research publications, commensurate with career stage; and
• Evidence of active contributions to administration.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and teach undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Computer Science and/or AI, including one postgraduate course on AI and machine learning applications in environmental, climate and related fields;
• Contribute one teaching block to the new Doctoral Training Programme in Climate and Development;
• Contribute to Departmental and Africa Climate Collaborative administration;
• Pursue a personal research programme that is socially responsive and publish this research in high quality journals; and
• Foster collaboration between the Department of Computer Science, the AI Initiative, ACDI and other UCT groups working on climate and sustainability, including contributing to joint research projects and research proposals.

The annual cost of employment for 2026, including benefits, at the Lecturer level is R974 126

The annual cost of employment for 2026, including benefits, at the Senior Lecturer level is R1 207 358

Website:https://acdi.uct.ac.za/

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 https://uct.ac.za/oic/employment-equity

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The University reserves the right to extend the closing date for applications if deemed necessary and reserves the right to make no appointment.