Academic Positions - Urban Planning And Smart Cities

Position 1

• Professor: Compound Climate-Risk Modelling and Equitable Adaptation Planning in Coastal Urban Settlements
• Theme 1: Urban Planning and Governance: Climate Risk Science and Resilient Settlement Systems
• Reference Number: 30002791
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Campus: Durban / Pietermaritzburg, as determined by DUT

Theme-specific expertise

• The appointee will provide intellectual leadership on climate risk, spatial inequality and settlement transformation. The programme should integrate urban and regional planning, multi-hazard risk assessment, climate adaptation, infrastructure access, participatory governance, and spatial justice, with Durban and comparable African coastal cities serving as living laboratories.

Minimum requirements

• A doctoral degree NQF Level 10 in urban or regional planning, environmental engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• A strong record of research and/or academic leadership with a distinguished record of research leadership in climate risk, urban and regional planning, settlement transformation, climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, spatial justice, or closely related fields.
• 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 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 a substantial record of successful supervision to completion of Master's and Doctoral students
• Demonstrated success in securing competitive research funding grants, contracts or commissioned research.
• Evidence of leading multidisciplinary teams and building national/international research collaborations.

Key responsibilities

• Provide intellectual and strategic leadership in the development and delivery of a world-class research programme aligned with the Institute's thematic focus.
• Drive research excellence through the production of high-impact publications, innovations and other scholarly outputs.
• Attract substantial external funding and develop sustainable research portfolios and partnerships.
• Lead postgraduate education through supervision, mentorship and research capacity development.
• Foster multidisciplinary collaboration and build strong networks across government, industry, communities and academic institutions.
• Advance the translation of research into policy, practice, innovation and measurable societal impact.
• Ensure effective monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of research, funding, innovation, and engagement outcomes in line with the Institute's and University's performance indicators.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• Proven experience in collaborating with municipalities, disaster-management agencies, communities and international partners to address climate risk, spatial inequality and settlement-resilience challenges.
• Experience in leading multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research programmes addressing complex urban challenges.
• NRF rating or equivalent recognised international research standing.

Position 2

• Professor: Reliability Engineering and Interdependency Modelling of Urban Infrastructure Networks
• Theme 2: Infrastructure Reliability Engineering and Systems Intelligence
• Reference Number: 30002792
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Campus: Durban / Pietermaritzburg, as determined by DUT

Theme-specific expertise

• The appointee will lead research on the reliability, equity, and climate resilience of interdependent urban systems, including water, sanitation, stormwater, roads, energy, and digital infrastructure. The programme must connect engineering evidence to lifecycle investment, municipal governance, service continuity and accountable decision-making.

Minimum requirements

• A relevant doctoral degree NQF Level 10 in Civil Engineering, Infrastructure Engineering, Urban Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Systems Engineering, Construction Management, Urban and Regional Planning with a strong infrastructure focus, or a closely related discipline.
• A strong record of research and/or academic leadership with a distinguished record of research leadership in the planning, governance, resilience and management of interdependent urban infrastructure systems, including water, sanitation, transport, energy or digital infrastructure.
• 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 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 a substantial record of successful supervision to completion of Master's and Doctoral students
• Demonstrated success in securing competitive research funding grants, contracts or commissioned research.
• Evidence of leading multidisciplinary teams and building national/international research collaborations.

Key responsibilities

• Provide intellectual and strategic leadership in the development and delivery of a world-class research programme aligned with the Institute's thematic focus.
• Drive research excellence through the production of high-impact publications, innovations and other scholarly outputs.
• Attract substantial external funding and develop sustainable research portfolios and partnerships.
• Lead postgraduate education through supervision, mentorship and research capacity development.
• Foster multidisciplinary collaboration and build strong networks across government, industry, communities and academic institutions.
• Advance the translation of research into policy, practice, innovation and measurable societal impact.
• Ensure effective monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of research, funding, innovation, and engagement outcomes in line with the Institute's and University's performance indicators.

Ideal / additional recommendations

• Proven experience in collaborating with municipalities, utilities, government departments, regulators, industry and other stakeholders to address infrastructure planning, service delivery, governance and resilience challenges.
• Experience in leading multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research programmes addressing complex urban challenges.
• NRF rating or equivalent recognised international research standing.

Position 3

• Associate Professor: Nature-Based Engineering and Resilience Modelling for Climate-Adaptive Settlement Systems
• Theme 1: Urban Planning and Governance: Climate Risk Science and Resilient Settlement Systems
• Reference Number: 30002793
• Status of Position: Permanent
• Campus: Durban / Pietermaritzburg, as determined by DUT

Theme-specific expertise

• The appointee will develop applied research on community-centred settlement upgrading and nature-based urban protection. The focus includes flood, landslide, and heat risks; drainage and safe access; wetlands and river corridors; locally maintainable interventions; early warning; co-design; and evaluation of liveability, health, and displacement outcomes.

Minimum requirements

• A relevant doctoral degree NQF Level 10 in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Water Engineering, Urban Engineering, Ecological Engineering, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Science, or a closely related discipline.
• A good record of research and/or academic leadership with demonstrated leadership in nature-based engineering and resilience modelling for climate-adaptive settlement systems, including climate adaptation, ecosystem-based approaches, sustainable infrastructure, and urban resilience.
• A significant period of sustained academic experience of academic experience in research and/or professional experience in higher education or