POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY Software Engineering for Space Systems and Services The French South African Institute of Technology (F’SATI) and the Africa Space Innovation Centre (ASIC), in the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering at CPUT, invite applications for one full-time postdoctoral fellowship commencing in 2026. The fellow will join a transdisciplinary research and development team working across the upstream and downstream space value chain. The work will support projects in nanosatellite systems and subsystems, space weather, ground stations and space-based services, as well as the Postgraduate Programme in Satellite Systems and Applications.
Fellowship details • Duration: 12 months, subject to funding availability and institutional approval. • Stipend: R250,000 for the 12-month period. The stipend is intended to be treated as a tax-exempt bursary, subject to applicable South African tax legislation. • Location: F’SATI/Engineering 2 Building, CPUT Bellville Campus. • Commencement: As soon as possible following institutional approval.
Eligibility • Applicants must have obtained a doctoral degree within the five years preceding the date of appointment, in line with the CPUT policy governing postdoctoral fellowships. • The doctorate should be in software engineering, computer science, computer engineering, electrical or electronic engineering, aerospace engineering, mechatronics, systems engineering or a closely related field. • Applicants must demonstrate relevant research and software-development expertise through their doctoral work, publications or other scholarly and technical outputs. • Strong technical writing, teamwork and communication skills are required. Experience with laboratory demonstration, satellite systems or mission-support environments will be advantageous. • This is a full-time postdoctoral fellowship and does not constitute employment at CPUT. Fellows may not hold concurrent paid full-time employment.
Research focus The fellowship will support research and development in the following areas: • software engineering for space-domain and space-based systems and services; • nanosatellite systems and subsystems, including onboard computers (OBC), attitude determination and control systems (ADCS), electrical power systems (EPS), communications and structures; and • mission and ground-segment applications, including ground stations, space-weather services and related data systems.
Research expectations The successful fellow will be expected to: • conduct high-quality research and development aligned with the fellowship’s focus areas; • design, develop, test, document or evaluate software and technical solutions for relevant space systems and services; • contribute at least two DHET-accredited research output units for CPUT during the fellowship period, calculated in accordance with DHET output-unit principles and taking account of authorship contribution and output type; • participate actively in F’SATI-ASIC research activities and collaborate with the wider project team; and • support postgraduate research development and the Postgraduate Programme in Satellite Systems and Applications, where appropriate.
Cape Peninsula University of Technology | Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity