The appointment is based on a grant from the European Union (delegation of the EU in South Africa) for the Centre of Excellence for Pharmacovigilance in Southern Africa (CoE), known as CEPSA, which is jointly managed by the UWC School of Public Health and UWC School of Pharmacy and the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp.

Based at UWC in Cape Town, South Africa, CEPSA will lead impactful initiatives to strengthen pharmacovigilance across Southern Africa and the broader African continent, building national and regional capacities for effective pharmacovigilance (PV) to support local pharmaceutical research and development and manufacturing within stringent regulatory systems.

CEPSA will focus on several key areas, including training and capacity strengthening, conducting operational research, enhancing information and communication systems, and fostering robust networks to support cross-institutional learning. These efforts aim to build a strong foundation for advancing pharmacovigilance and regional collaboration.

The purpose of the CoE Postdoctoral Fellowship is to contribute to:

• career development in health systems research, with a specific emphasis on pharmacovigilance and pharmaceutical public health;
• building the field of pharmacovigilance with partners in South Africa, regionally, and internationally;
• enhancement of the capacity of the CoE, the UWC School of Public Health and the UWC School of Pharmacy.

Eligible applicants are required to have:

• completed a PhD in Public Health, Pharmacy or a related field in the last five years, with a focus on pharmacovigilance or pharmaceutical public For applicants who did not obtain their qualification in South Africa, a valid SAQA certificate should be in hand at the time of application.
• citizenship of a sub-Saharan African country or be an expatriate Preference will be given to South African citizens or permanent residents.

University of the Western Cape, Robert Sobukwe Road, Bellville 7535, Republic of South Africa

• experience and expertise in qualitative and quantitative research skills, literature reviews, research prioritisation within the area of pharmacovigilance or pharmaceutical public health
• experience working as part of a
• strong academic record with evidence of research experience and peer-reviewed

Advantageous skills 

• Project management
• Experience organising and facilitating online and face to face workshops and
• Experience with social media or other communication
• Background in

The Postdoctoral Fellow will be expected to contribute to the research, capacity development and information and communication activities linked to the CoE, and will participate in relevant School of Public Health Research meetings. Any teaching and supervision workload will be in accordance with relevant university and funder policies.

The position will be for an initial one year, with the possibility of renewal, depending on satisfactory performance and funding availability.

Application procedure 

Eligible candidates should provide the following:

• A cover letter motivating for the candidate’s suitability for the postdoctoral fellowship available
• A one-page summary outlining their research interest
• A CV including all conference attendance, publications, other scholarly research outputs and teaching experience
• Evidence of publication record and writing skills (which can be copies of or a link to a relevant peer-reviewed publication)
• An academic transcript
• Copy of SAQA certificate
• Names and contact details of at least 3 referees who have supervised or worked with the candidate and can speak to their experience and skills

Completed applications should be forwarded to Mrs Nolitha Komeni (nkomeni@uwc.ac.za ). Please Use subject heading: Application for CoE Postdoctoral Fellowship

Completed applications must be submitted by no later than 5pm on 9 March 2026.

The University reserves the right not to make an appointment.