FACULTY OF NATURAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
VACANCY NO.: IRC 3355
The University of Botswana (UB), a premier state-owned tertiary institution dedicated to shaping the future through excellence, research, innovation and meaningful societal impact, invites applications from accomplished and suitably qualified professionals for the position of Associate Professor in Hydrology in the Department of Environmental Science.
The Associate Professor (Hydrology and Water Resources) is responsible for advancing the Environmental Science discipline through original research, scholarship and academic leadership. The incumbent plays a critical role in shaping regional scholarship, fostering innovation and guiding collaborative research initiatives. In addition, they contribute significantly to the University’s governance, ensuring academic excellence and strategic development while serving as a leader and mentor within the university community.
Duties: The successful candidate will be expected to: (i) Teach postgraduate and undergraduate-level courses in the physical environment. (ii) Initiate, lead, and sustain robust, externally funded research projects aligned with local, regional, and global water security challenges. (iii) Supervise postgraduate and undergraduate students’ research projects within the department. (iv) Participate in academic, governance, and social engagement in the department or related field. (v) Draw on a broad and innovative range of teaching strategies (including the use of ICT) appropriate to the discipline. (vi) Demonstrate coherence between philosophy and practice. (vii) Review programmes/ courses to ensure they are aligned, relevant and up to date with local, international, global and disciplinary contexts, as well as engagement with students, stakeholders and peers. (viii) Lead original research projects, addressing key questions in the discipline. (ix) Secure external funding to support research and elevate the university's reputation. (x) Cultivate interdisciplinary collaborations, fostering innovation and problem-solving. (xi) Drive grant proposal development to sustain research momentum. (xii) Conduct and publish high level, transdisciplinary research in field of expertise. (xiii) Coordinate programmes and courses within the Faculty. (xiv) Develop entrepreneurial and economic initiatives benefiting the community. (xv) Promote ethical research conduct and high academic standards. (xvi) Contribute and effectively manage resources (e.g. funds, equipment, patents, etc.) to advance the mission of the university. (xvii) Engage in thesis examination activities. (xvii) Mentor graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty for their scholarly development. (xviii) Perform any other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned by the Head of School/Departmental Chairperson.
Qualification Requirements: Applicants should have: (i) A PhD/Doctoral degree in Hydrology, Water Resources Engineering, Hydrogeology, Environmental Science (with a strict specialization/bias toward hydrology and water resources sciences), or a closely related discipline; (ii) A Master’s degree in Hydrology or a related field, and a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, with a 2.1 pass or equivalent.
Experience Requirements: (i) At least 6 years of relevant teaching experience at a university or comparable institution.
Professional registration: Be registered (or be eligible for registration) with BQA and/or a recognised professional body in relevant area of expertise.
Other Requirements (i) A minimum of twelve (12) research products (e.g., articles, book chapters, peer-reviewed conference proceedings, etc.) published by recognized publishers. Eight (8) of these must be articles in refereed/accredited journals in internationally recognized indexing databases. The remaining 4 publications could be journal articles, book chapters, peer-reviewed conference proceedings, etc., published by recognized publishers. An academic book may be equivalent to a maximum of 4 articles in refereed/accredited journals, depending on the quality and standing of the publisher. (ii) Sustained research output: a minimum of 2 peer-reviewed publications (e.g., journal article, book chapter, peer-reviewed conference proceedings, etc.) every three (3) years; (iii) Must be the first author in at least one-third of the required journal publications. (iv) Sustained research activity: ongoing externally supported research (e.g., funded or commissioned); (v) Regular paper/poster presentations at national but also increasingly at international conferences; (vi) Should show evidence of mentorship of early career scholars/graduate students; (vii) Publications should be spread nationally and/or internationally and across journals; (viii) Should show recognizable research impact, including but not limited to citations, the h-index, patents, policy applications, peer reviews, publications that are prescribed texts in other institutions, etc. (required in at least 2 of these); (ix) Should show evidence of research awards and other forms of research recognition, where appropriate (Added advantage); (x) Recognized as being of national but increasingly international research standing (e.g., peer reviewing of new research proposals; reference in research committees; editor/guest editor/reviewer of refereed/accredited national and international publishers; editorial board member of an international publisher in a relevant field; invitations as keynote speaker at national and international conferences (Required in at least 2 of these); (xi) Evidence of governance and social engagement; (xii) Research collaborations with other institutions or organizations (Required); (xiii) Research collaboration with cognate disciplines in the University (Required); (xiv) External examiner for Master's and/or PhD thesis nationally and/or internationally. (xv) Successful supervision of 2 Master's students or co-supervision of 4 Master's students or supervision of 1 PhD student or co-supervision of 2 PhD students/ post-doc research fellow.
The following will be added as advantage: The Curriculum Vitae (CV) should contain a detailed list of publications, clearly specifying titles of publications, ISBNs (for books, book chapters, and conference proceedings), dates of publications, names of publishers, name/s of co-authors, if any, and number of pages. The works should be categorized into books, book chapters, refereed journals, non-refereed works, consultancies, and practical media projects.
Remuneration: The University offers competitive salaries and benefits commensurate with experience and qualifications.
How to Apply: Applicants are to address the stated qualifications in their application letters and provide other information to assist the University in determining their suitability for the position. They should also quote the Vacancy Number of the post applied for, provide current CVs (including telephone and e-mail), certified copies of educational certificates and transcripts, and three work-related references. Complete documentation should be sent to: The Senior Professional: HR Business Partnering, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Private Bag UB 00704, Gaborone, Botswana; Telephone: (267) 355-2917; E-mail: fosvacancies@ub.ac.bw.
Applicants should inform their referees to: (i) Quote the Vacancy Number and position applied for and (ii) submit their references directly to the above address, before the stipulated closing date.
Hand-delivered applications should be submitted to Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences Block 233, Office No. 121 (233/121).
NB: Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted
Closing Date: Open until filled