Associate Professor Statistics Faculty of Science

Nelson Mandela University reserves the right not to make an appointment. In considering candidates for appointment into the advertised posts, preference will be accorded to persons from a designated group in accordance with the approved Nelson Mandela University Employment Equity Plan.

CORE PURPOSE OF JOB

The objective of the Department of Statistics at Nelson Mandela University is to produce graduates who, by facilitating the advancement of statistical knowledge and using their statistical training, will contribute positively to the development of South Africa and society.

The core purpose of this post is to facilitate and coordinate the learning process of undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Statistics Department, to drive and lead core research activities and a team of researchers, to contribute to community engagement, and to demonstrate leadership in administrative commitments of the department.

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS

• To teach and coordinate modules to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• To develop, modernise and share course material to ensure that relevance and quality are maintained.
• To successfully supervise at all levels of postgraduate studies, particularly at the doctoral level.
• To publish research in national and international journals accredited for subsidy by the DHET.
• To secure research funding and grants for student bursaries and project operational costs from external stakeholders.
• To represent and support the department on inter-faculty and inter-institutional committees.
• To timeously complete administrative and/or ad hoc tasks as assigned by the Head of the Department.
• To take leadership roles within the department and if required, be willing to serve as Head of the Department.
• To serve and represent the department and institution within the broader educational and statistical community.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the theory, application and computational analytics of Statistics.
• Possess the academic ability and personality to teach at all levels of the academic program.
• Demonstrated experience at facilitating learning at different undergraduate levels as well as specialisation at postgraduate level.
• Suitably experienced to teach and coordinate large numbers of students in a multi-class, multi-campus framework.
• Excellent experience using classical and modern multimedia teaching methods with the ability to reflect and modernise teaching practices.
• Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills for teaching, report writing and when serving as a department representative.
• Possess the ability to manage administrative commitments timeously and ensure attention to detail.
• Flexible approach to work responsibilities, understanding that tasks change over time.
• Possess the ability to support and supervise statistics postgraduate students and regularly publish research findings.
• Proven record of attracting research funding or evidence that potential funding is likely within the next three-year cycle.
• NRF rated or evidence that an application is likely to be successful within the next three to five years.
• Possess the personality to work independently and cohesively in a team, either as leader or team member.
• Experience participating with the broader statistical community and engaging with external organisations.
• Have the flexibility and means to commute between campuses as required.

Requirements

• A PhD degree (NQF level 10) in Mathematical Statistics or Statistics.
• At least three (3) years lecturing and teaching experience at an institute of higher education at the senior lecturer level, with demonstrated experience in the teaching of statistical theory and statistical methods at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
• Successful supervision of senior postgraduate students with experience as an external postgraduate examiner at a national level.
• Have a proven track record of regular DHET publications, a minimum of three (3) subsidy generating research publications in the last five (5) years.
• Have a proven track record of national and/or international presentations at conferences, a minimum of three (3) oral presentations in the last five (5) years.
• Proven experience in the using and teaching of statistical packages to implement statistical and data science techniques.

The Following Skills Are Strongly Recommended

• Experience in securing external funding for postgraduate students and running of research projects.
• Research outputs meeting an NRF rating level.
• National and/or International research collaboration.

Note: Candidates invited to an interview will be expected to demonstrate their ability to lecture by presenting a 10-minute lecture on a topic which will be communicated to them prior to the interview. Candidates may be expected to demonstrate their statistical software skills to support their application.

Each Application Must Include

• a letter of motivation indicating the candidate’s suitability for the post;
• a current curriculum vitae (only include DHET accredited research outputs) with the names and full contact details of at least three referees;
• certified copies of qualifications;
• a teaching portfolio or teaching philosophy.