WITS University Postgraduate School vacancies

WITS University Postgraduate School vacancies

Postgraduate Vacancies

School of Molecular and Cell Biology
Embryology and Developmental Biology Laboratory
MASTERS, DOCTORAL AND POSTDOCTORAL POSITIONS IN AVIAN EMBRYOLOGY
One of the ethical issues facing the poultry industry is the necessity to mass-cull male chicks of egg-laying chicken breeds upon hatching. About 4.93 billion layer hens are farmed worldwide, which means that around the same number of male chicks are killed annually. In addition to being unethical, this practice is also financially wasteful. Public awareness of these practices created pressure on the poultry industry to find more ethical and humane alternatives to mass-culling of male chicks. Engineering a chicken breed that is entirely female would resolve this problem.
However, at present our understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind sex determination in birds is too limited to design successful strategy for engineering all-female chicken breeds. The projects offered in my laboratory will explore several fascinating yet poorly understood aspects of sex determination in birds, such as:
The relative roles of genetic factors vs hormones in bird gonadal and somatic sex determination
The identification of possible W-linked female gonadal determinants
Requirements:
A relevant degree (e.g. molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, chemistry). The candidates are expected to have excellent molecular biology laboratory skills and work ethics. As part of the interview process, the candidate’s writing skills and laboratory skills will be tested.
Funding:
NRF grantholder-linked funding available for Masters and PhD projects. Postdoctoral fellows are expected to apply for funding (Claude Leone, NRF, AXA). Assistance with the funding application will be provided.
Contact:
Interested candidates must submit their CV, letter of motivation, full academic record and contact details of three references to natalya.nikitina@wits.ac.za
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
 Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2026)
 A postdoctoral research fellowship is available related to an exciting research project related to Plant Biotechnology/ Plant Molecular Biology.  I require a postdoctoral fellow who has general experience in microbiology; functional genomics; plant pathology; bioinformatics and plant molecular biology (specifically having worked with plant viruses would be a bonus but not entirely necessary) for two years, with renewal after one year based on performance and progress. The position is open from 1st July 2026.

Keywords:

Plant Biotechnology; Johannesburg (South Africa); Postdoctoral fellow.

Minimum requirements:

  1. PhD obtained within the last 5 years
  2. Some basic bioinformatics
  3. Plant Biology and pathology
  4. General molecular biology techniques, in particular plant molecular biology

Additional requirements:

Experience with the following would be advantageous:
Experience/knowledge in plant pathogens, most particularly viruses

Duties and Expectations:

  1. Undertake focused and high quality research;
  2. Undertake other activities related to the academic programme and the professional development of the individual;
  3. Attend conferences;
  4. Publish papers;
  5. Contribute to the running of the Plant Biotechnology Programme in general;
  6. Contribute to supervision of PhD or Masters students.

Contact:

Send your CV; certified copy of PhD certificate and identity document/visa/passport directly to the potential host, Professor Chrissie Rey, School of Molecular and Cell Biology.
Email: chrissie.rey@wits.ac.za

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