Research Officer (Systems Immunology)

(25-month contract)

South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) Department of Pathology

The South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) performs cutting edge clinical, epidemiological and immunological research in clinical vaccine development, TB pathogenesis and biomarker discovery in a setting where TB is endemic. We have completed 31 clinical trials of nine novel TB vaccine candidates as well as BCG vaccine, including two pivotal trials that demonstrated efficacy. We are also leading efforts, along with a large international consortium, to discover immune correlates of vaccine protection against TB, including in lung and lymph node tissues.

We are inviting applications for a Research Officer position within our dynamic clinical immunology group to lead an immunology research program that aligns with the research strategy of the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative. The project responsibilities will entail design, execution, quality assurance, analysis, interpretation and reporting of immune responses in human clinical trials of novel TB vaccines or lung and lymph node immune responses and will entail supervision of postgraduate students and/or a research team. The successful candidate will be expected to publish results in peer-reviewed journals, write funding applications, lead new scientific projects and contribute to the vision of “A World without TB”. The position will be located in Cape Town and will require regular visits to our Clinical Field Site in Worcester, 110km from Cape Town. The position will provide opportunities to work in collaboration with local and global leaders in immunology, vaccinology and systems biology. For more information on SATVI, visit www.satvi.uct.ac.za  or contact Prof Thomas Scriba.

Requirements for the job:

• PhD in Immunology or related field
• 3 years of postdoctoral experience
• Expertise in systems immunology, such as single-cell sequencing laboratory and analysis approaches
• Excellent verbal and written communication, presentation skills, teaching skills and fluency in English
• Demonstrated organizational and leadership skills

The following will be advantageous:

• Experience in cellular immunology; single-cell sequencing; flow cytometry; cell sorting
• Knowledge of and experience in scripting/programming languages (R or Python); analysis of transcriptomic / high-dimensional datasets; high performance computing clusters; cloud computing; version controlling (i.e. GitHub)
• Scientific and technical writing
• Evidence of grant or fellowship writing or contributions to raising research funding
• Supervision and mentorship of students and staff

Responsibilities:

• Lead new scientific projects that contribute to the vision of “A World without TB”.   
• Design, execution, quality assurance, analysis, interpretation and reporting of studies of human immune responses in clinical trials of novel TB vaccines or of immune responses in peripheral blood as well as human tissues (e.g. lung and lymph nodes).
• Supervision and teaching of postgraduate students and/or research teams.
• Publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Submission of funding applications.
• Teaching, contributions to university, faculty or institutional committees or activities and external advisory and leadership groups.
• Contributions to social responsiveness activities.

For detailed information on this post, please view the job description, see link (view)

The annual remuneration package for 2026, including benefits, is between is between R728 042 and R974 126.

To apply, click the "apply" button to create a candidate profile and to submit your application.

Please complete/attach the following to your profile before submitting your application:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Motivational letter that speaks to the requirements of the position
• Three referee names which must include their title and name, position details, relationship to you, their e-mail address and telephone number.
• ID/Passport
• High qualification

An application which does not comply with the above requirements will be regarded as incomplete.

Shortlisted candidates may be required to undergo competency and pre-placement-medical assessments. References may be requested by UCT at any stage of the selection process.

Any enquiries around the application process to be addressed to Ms Tracy Moore at tracy.moore@uct.ac.za or 021 650 5405.

Closing date:              1 February 2026

Website:                       www.satvi.uct.ac.za

Reference number:    ID1267

UCT is a designated employer and is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity and redress in achieving its equity targets in accordance with the Employment Equity Plan of the University and its Employment Equity goals and targets. Preference will be given to candidates from the under-represented designated groups. Our Employment Equity Policy is available at https://uct.ac.za/media/9482.

UCT reserves the right not to appoint.