Academic Positions - Hydrogen Technology

Position purpose

• The appointee will provide senior intellectual leadership in renewable hydrogen production, with particular strength in electrolysis and integrated operation under African and coastal conditions.

Minimum requirements

• A doctoral degree NQF 10 in Chemical Engineering, Electrochemical Engineering, Materials Science/Engineering, Energy Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Process Systems Engineering, or a qualification closely related to the theme.
• A minimum of ten 10 DHET-accredited research outputs/creative outputs over the preceding three years, relevant to the discipline, with evidence of research quality and impact.
• Evidence of substantial record of successful supervision to completion of Master's and Doctoral students.
• Substantial and sustained period of distinguished academic experience in research and/or professional experience in higher education or a research environment recognised standing in the field.
• A strong record of research and/or academic leadership with demonstrated leadership in green hydrogen production.
• Demonstrated success in securing competitive research funding grants, contracts or commissioned research.
• Evidence of leading multidisciplinary teams and building national/international research collaborations.

Theme-specific expertise

• Applicants must demonstrate a coherent record in several of the following areas, with clear depth in at least one: Electrolysis catalysts, membranes, electrodes, coatings, bipolar plates, seals or scarce-material reduction;
• Dynamic electrolyser operation, degradation, diagnostics, predictive maintenance and renewable intermittency; Water--hydrogen systems using responsible sources, including treatment, wastewater reuse, desalination, recovery and competing-use assessment; Renewable/grid integration, power electronics, controls, balance-of-plant, thermal integration or digital twins; Techno-economic optimisation and lifecycle-carbon assessment for hydrogen production and scale-up.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and sustain an internationally visible research programme in Green Hydrogen Production and Renewable-System Integration.
• Publish high-quality peer-reviewed research and pursue appropriate intellectual-property, technology-transfer and innovation outputs.
• Supervise Master's and Doctoral candidates to completion and mentor postdoctoral fellows and emerging researchers.
• Contribute to postgraduate curriculum development, specialist short courses, teaching and assessment in relevant academic programmes.
• Lead or contribute to competitive grant proposals, commissioned research and multi-partner projects with clear deliverables.
• Build productive collaborations with DUT faculties, national hydrogen institutions, government, industry, communities and international partners.
• Apply safety-by-design, research ethics, responsible data management, lifecycle integrity and applicable codes and standards.
• Contribute to institute planning, laboratories, shared research platforms, seminars, reporting, engagement and administrative responsibilities.
• Translate research into demonstrators, test methods, policy or standards evidence, skills, local-enterprise opportunities and measurable societal impact.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• An NRF rating, or equivalent recognised international research standing.
• Professional registration where relevant to the discipline and scope of work.
• Experience with laboratory or pilot-scale systems, research infrastructure, safety governance and industry-facing demonstrators.
• A record of interdisciplinary, multi-institutional or international collaboration.
• Strong communication, organisational, mentoring and stakeholder-engagement capability.

Position 2

• Professor: Biohydrogen Production
• Theme 2: Biohydrogen Production
• Reference Number: 30002758
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Campus: Durban / Pietermaritzburg, as determined by DUT

Position purpose

• The appointee will provide senior intellectual leadership in Direct Biophotolysis, Indirect Biophotolysis, Dark Fermentation, Photo-Fermentation and Microbial Electrolysis Cells MECs

Minimum requirements

• A doctoral degree NQF 10 in Biotechnology, Fermentation Science, Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, or a qualification closely related to the theme.
• A minimum of ten 10 DHET-accredited research outputs/creative outputs over the preceding three years, relevant to the discipline, with evidence of research quality and impact.
• Evidence of substantial record of successful supervision to completion of Master's and Doctoral students.
• Substantial and sustained period of distinguished academic experience in research and/or professional experience in higher education or a research environment.
• A strong record of research and/or academic leadership with demonstrated leadership in biohydrogen production.
• Demonstrated success in securing competitive research funding grants, contracts or commissioned research.
• Evidence of leading multidisciplinary teams and building national/international research collaborations.

Theme-specific expertise

• Applicants must demonstrate a coherent record in several of the following areas, with clear depth in at least one: Use of green algae or cyanobacteria to split water molecules directly into hydrogen and oxygen;
• Indirect hydrogen evolution after a photosynthetic first step; Breakdown of carbohydrate-rich organic matter or food and agricultural waste in the complete absence of light to generate hydrogen; Consumption of organic acids by photosynthetic bacteria in the presence of visible light to produce hydrogen; Formation of hydrogen gas efficiently after microbial oxidation of organic waste at an anode.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and sustain an internationally visible research programme in biohydrogen production.
• Publish high-quality peer-reviewed research and pursue appropriate intellectual-property, technology-transfer and innovation outputs.
• Supervise Master's and Doctoral candidates to completion and mentor postdoctoral fellows and emerging researchers.
• Contribute to postgraduate curriculum development, specialist short courses, teaching and assessment in relevant academic programmes.
• Lead or contribute to competitive grant proposals, commissioned research and multi-partner projects with clear deliverables.
• Build productive collaborations with DUT faculties, national hydrogen institutions, government, industry, communities and international partners.
• Apply safety-by-design, research ethics, responsible data management, lifecycle integrity and applicable codes and standards.
• Contribute to institute planning, laboratories, shared research platforms, seminars, reporting, engagement and administrative responsibilities.
• Translate research into demonstrators, test methods, policy or standards evidence, skills, local-enterprise opportunities and measurable societal impact.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• An NRF rating, or equivalent recognised international research standing.
• Professional registration where relevant to the discipline and scope of work.
• Experience with laboratory or pilot-scale systems, research infrastructure, safety governance and industry-facing demonstrators.
• A record of interdisciplinary, multi-institutional or international collaboration.
• Strong communication, organisational, mentoring and stakeholder-engagement capability. -

Position 3

• Associate Professor: Hydrogen Storage, Fuel Cells and Distributed Power
• Theme 3: Hydrogen Storage, Fuel Cells and Distributed Power
• Reference Number: 30002759
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Campus: Durban / Pietermaritzburg, as determined by DUT

Position purpose

• The appointee will provide senior intellectual leadership in safe hydrogen storage and conversion technologies and their integration into mobility, port, critical-facility and distributed-power systems.

Minimum requirements