Unilag Housing Centre

CENTRE FOR HOUSING AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

TWO YEAR POST-DOCTORAL POSITIONS AT THE CENTRE FOR HOUSING AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS

Background

The Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development (chsd.unilag.edu.ng) at the University of Lagos was established in 2013 to provide learning and research support for evidence-based policy and practice for the housing and urbanisation sector in Africa.

The centre is interested in recruiting two Post-Doctoral Researchers (at 50% time) for the research project – “Wits-TUB-UNILAG Urban Lab” – funded by the German academic exchange service (DAAD) in collaboration with the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa and the Habitat Unit at TU Berlin, Germany.

The “Wits-TUB-UNILAG Urban Lab” project focuses on the development of educational formats at African universities for urban researchers and practitioners, particularly in the field of urban management. This includes the joint formulation of reform proposals for curricula and the implementation of reforms by the introduction and restructuring of educational programs. A further central component is the promotion of talented graduates through scholarships for Urban Management Master’s and Sustainable Urbanisation PhD programmes.

The project also addresses the development of practice-relevant knowledge pools that focus on questions of solidarity, justice and resilience in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the context of urbanization processes. This is done in light of specific challenges facing African cities. It addresses complex urban systems, seeking to foreground inequality and informality, and to bring questions of justice to bear on change processes while bringing a decolonial lens to the notion of co-production.

Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Wits-TUB-UNILAG Urban Lab

The project aims to address the specific support needs of young researchers through a postdoctoral fellowship programme which will be fully integrated in all activities of the Wits-TUB-UNILAG Urban Lab, participate in its conceptual development and the curation, organization and facilitation of events and publications, while also undertaking independent research within the themes defined for this phase. To this end, the fellow will spend one month at TUB and/or at another African University, if the circumstances allow it.

The postdoctoral fellows, while expected to work independently and at a high level of professionalism, will benefit from an individual needs-based mentoring scheme, which will support strategic career planning and decision-making.  In addition to the mentoring programme, specific training and capacity building activities will be supported including:

  • Accessing research funding and developing grant applications;
  • Building capacities for PhD and Masters thesis supervision;
  • Developing skills in publishing in order to convert their theses into books or articles for a wider audience, bearing in mind the challenges of North-South and South-South knowledge production;
  • Strengthening pedagogical skills.

Tasks and Deliverables

  • Contribute to the further development of the project’s research agenda.
  • Contribute to the conception and development of scientific publications.
  • Participate in the conception, organization and implementation of academic events in the project context (workshops, summer schools and conferences).
  • Contribute to the development of the Urban Management and Sustainable Urbanisation PhD programmes.
  • Develop and implement supporting activities for doctoral students in the project in cooperation with other postdocs at the two partner universities.
  • Support the PI in the coordination of the project.
  • Undertake other activities as may be required within the framework of the Wits-TUB-UNILAG Urban Lab project and the Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development.

Required Qualification and Experience

  • Ph.D. degree in urban and regional planning, urban studies, built environment disciplines, housing, sociology, urban geography, or related disciplines received no earlier than 2018.
  • Interdisciplinary research and project experience, preferably related to urbanization processes in sub-Saharan Africa and sustainability paradigms in urban development.
  • Demonstrated inter-disciplinary methodological and theoretical knowledge and understanding of urbanization and social dynamics in African cities.
  • Excellent fieldwork and publication experience.
  • Ability to work flexible hours as may be necessary.

The Position and Privileges

The value of the position is 50% of  = N= 3,125,980.00 – =N= 4, 307,290.00 per annum, for an initial period of twelve months which will be extended up to twenty-four months based on satisfactory performance. The position comes with Health Insurance and a modest Research Allowance. It does not include other fringe benefits.

The incumbent will be provided with a desk and appropriate access rights to use the research facilities of the Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development, University of Lagos.

How to Apply

Interested applicants (including University of Lagos academic staff) should submit:

  1. Full Curriculum Vitae (CV) with copies of degree certificates.
  2. A letter of motivation stating areas of expertise, research interests and experience. Include in the letter information on why you are qualified for this position.
  3. 1000-word statement of intent covering research that the candidate envisages conducting and how this would fit into the project theme and activities set out above.
  4. Two recommendation letters, one of which should be from the Ph.D. Supervisor/Co-supervisor
  5. Names, email addresses, and telephone numbers of 3 referees

Please send your application and all relevant documents only by email as single PDF file to the PI – Prof Taibat Lawanson via centreforhousing@unilag.edu.ng.

Any application which does not comply with the above requirements will be regarded as incomplete. Late applications will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview.

Closing date for application:   March 10, 2023 at 11.59pm

Expected starting date:  One candidate will commence on April 1, 2023

                                         One candidate will commence on July 1,  2023