Postdoctoral Fellowship in Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics at Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch University in South Africa

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa, is offering a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health. The successful candidate will join the Neonatal and Paediatric Infections Research group, working alongside a multidisciplinary team with expertise in paediatric infectious diseases, neonatology, microbiology, data science, pharmacology, pharmacy, and nursing. The fellowship focuses on applied epidemiology, biostatistics, and public health research, particularly in neonatal and paediatric infections.

Key responsibilities include providing research methodology input, coordinating research, managing and analyzing health data, academic writing, and science communication. The fellow will participate in designing and conducting observational, interventional, and surveillance studies, using epidemiological and biostatistical methods to analyze health data. Responsibilities also include oversight of data preparation, validation, and analysis, supporting the team in preparing research protocols, amendments, and reports, and co-supervising junior researchers. The fellow will actively contribute to scholarly output, including peer-reviewed publications, conference abstracts, policy briefs, and stakeholder presentations, and will be involved in grant-writing and capacity strengthening within the team.

The research theme centers on establishing a collaborative research platform with NeoNET AFRICA partnership member sites, focusing on neonatal sepsis and antimicrobial resistance in African countries. Proposed studies include developing consensus on harmonized neonatal sepsis clinical datasets, retrospective analysis of multi-site neonatal bloodstream infection profiles, and planning and grant-writing for a prospective neonatal sepsis pilot cohort study.

Applicants must have a PhD in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Public Health, or a closely related quantitative health discipline, with experience in applied epidemiology and biostatistics, statistical software proficiency, peer-reviewed publications, research ethics, and governance. Desirable attributes include experience in low- and middle-income country contexts, routine health data or surveillance systems, grant-funded research, and interest in maternal, neonatal, and child health, health systems, implementation science, or public health research.

The fellowship is tax-free, tenable for one year with possible extension to a second year, depending on progress. The application deadline is 19 January 2026, with a start date of 1 March 2026. To apply, send a cover letter, full CV, and contact details of three referees to Prof. Angela Dramowski ([email protected]) with the subject heading: Postdoc2026.