Data Science

Develop and apply computational and quantitative methods to address sustainability and resilience of African agricultural and food systems under current and future challenges.

The position is based at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town, funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, Germany (BMFTR) within UKUDLA (ukudla.uni-hohenheim.de) African German Centre for Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems and Applied Agricultural and Food Data Science.

Tasks & Responsibilities

Postdoctoral researchers will develop independent projects within one or across several of the following research lines:

Comparative Multi-Omics Agriculture

• Integrate phenotypic, climatic, genomic, transcriptomic and microbiome data to identify molecular and microbial mechanisms underlying crop productivity, stress tolerance and resilience.
• Combine predictive and systems-level modelling with novel geometric approaches for comparative analysis.
• Design proof-of-concept plant–microbiome experiments.
• Validate methods using public and UKUDLA datasets.

Integrated Data Science for improved Agricultural Systems and Food Security

• Integrate agricultural, environmental, socio-economic and value chain data into unified and comparable representations of food systems.
• Identify key drivers of resource use efficiency, food security, livelihoods, sustainability and resilience.
• Combine statistical learning with causal and probabilistic modelling, geospatial analysis and system-level simulation.
• Incorporate climate model projections.
• Develop data-driven optimisation approaches for robust food systems under climatic, economic and resource-related stress.

Food Security and Health

• Investigate how agricultural production, neglected and underutilized crops (NUCs), dietary patterns and traditional food preparation influence human health and nutrition.
• Combine field studies and dietary questionnaires with robust health indicators such as body composition, child growth, blood pressure and disease prevalence.
• Evaluate the health effects of NUC-based diets and traditional processing methods such as fermentation.
• Extend targeted studies through molecular and omics measurements, including blood-based analyses and the gut microbiome, to investigate biological mechanisms linking food, nutrition and health.

Qualifications

• Due to UKUDLA funding regulations, applicants must hold a German citizenship or a permanent residency in Germany.
• Strong quantitative background in data science, bioinformatics or related fields.
• Expertise relevant to at least one research line.
• Experience in analysing complex systems using statistical, predictive, causal, probabilistic, simulation, geospatial or high-performance computing approaches.
• Proficiency in Python and/or R, scripting and reproducible workflows.
• Commitment to FAIR data principles, reproducible research and high-quality documentation.
• Strong interest in publication-oriented research and scientific writing.
• Excellent English skills.
• Ability to work in interdisciplinary, international teams.

We Offer

• Fully funded Postdoctoral Fellowships for 24 months within the African German Centre UKUDLA (up to six months extension upon consultation).
• Tax-free monthly stipend in South Africa of approximately EUR 3,900.
• Travel and flight costs covered.
• Additional research funds can be applied for.
• International, interdisciplinary and publication-oriented research with access to diverse UKUDLA and public datasets.
• Opportunities to cooperate with ongoing UKUDLA research projects, develop independent methods and projects.
• Strong potential for high-impact publications, collaborative research and international grant proposals.

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