Lecturer (Faculty of Science: Academy of Computer Science and Software Engineering)
Position Summary
Introduction
The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is a vibrant and cosmopolitan institution, guided by its bold UJ Strategy 2035, which emphasises Societal Impact and Sustainability, Global Footprint and Partnerships, and Technology for the Future. Committed to transformative change, UJ’s mission is “To transform and serve humanity through innovation and the collective and collaborative pursuit of knowledge.” The University is guided by the vision of building “An international university of choice, anchored in Africa and the global south, dynamically shaping a sustainable future".
Job description
“Please note that the University is obligated, in terms of recent amendments to the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 2021 (Act 13 of 2021), to assess all prospective employees (including applicants) against the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO). The outcome of such an assessment may have an impact upon possible employment with the University.
The Academy of Computer Science and Software Engineering is an academic department within the Faculty of Science. The Academy offers qualifications in Information Technology, Computer Science, and Informatics, ranging from short learning programs and Higher Certificates to Bachelor’s degrees, Honours degrees, research-based Master’s degrees, and Doctoral degrees.
Within the Academy are two centres, namely the Centre for Cyber Security and the Salient Pattern Artificial Intelligence Research Centre (SPARC). The Academy is a research-active institution, publishing in accredited national and international peer-reviewed journals and conferences, and plays a central role in shaping computing, artificial intelligence, and Cyber Security expertise within South Africa and the broader region.
Job Description:
As a Lecturer within the Academy of Computer Science and Software Engineering, the successful candidate will undertake a range of teaching, research, and administrative duties that support the Academy, Faculty, and University in achieving their strategic goals and key performance indicators. The position requires a scholar with strong leadership potential, research productivity, cybersecurity or AI expertise, and commitment to high-quality teaching.
Responsibilities:
- Overall: Perform academic, research, and associated administrative activities in the department.
- Teaching and Learning: Teach allocated modules according to the timetable and dedicate sufficient time to preparation, academic support, and curriculum development.
- Research: Conduct high-quality, ethically governed research with emphasis on sustained, accredited publications in cybersecurity or related fields.
- Administrative: Carry out all administrative duties related to teaching, assessment, research, examination moderation, and departmental processes.
- Community Engagement: Participate in activities that advance the University’s mission and benefit the broader society, with a focus on specific opportunities in cybersecurity awareness and digital literacy.
- Personal Development: Continuously develop academically and professionally in the cybersecurity domain and related fields.
Minimum requirements
- A Master’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cyber Security, Digital Forensics, AI, Data Science, or a closely related field.
- At least one (1) year of academic experience, showing consistent contributions in teaching, supervision, and research.
- Preference will be given to candidates with specialization in one or more of the following:
- Cyber Security
- Artificial Intelligence
- A proven track record of international, peer-reviewed, accredited research outputs exceeding 2 DHET publication units annually over the past 3 years in AI, cyber security or related areas.
- Demonstrated excellence in both Teaching & Learning and Research, supported by formal institutional evaluation.
- Successful contribution to a Projects Day or similar academic showcase events involving senior software development or cybersecurity projects.
- Demonstrated success in offering undergraduate modules across a wide range of the computing and cybersecurity body of knowledge.
- Proven ability to mentor, guide, and evaluate third-year practical project work to standards acceptable to the British Computer Society (BCS).
- Proven ability to mentor, guide, and evaluate honours-year practical project work to standards acceptable to the British Computer Society (BCS).
- Experience with the BCS accreditation process or equivalent academic certification and quality assurance processes.
- Must pass a practical programming and/or security assessment as determined by the Academy.
Recommendations:
- Membership of professional bodies such as BCS, ISC², ISACA, IEEE, or ACM.
- At least five (5) years of project management or coordination in Computer Science, Informatics, AI and/or Cyber Security.
- A strong media presence or active participation in the popularisation of science, cyber safety advocacy, or public Cyber Security education.
- NRF rating (Y or C category) or clear eligibility for NRF evaluation is highly desirable.
- A proven Postgraduate supervision track record, including:
- At least one (1) Master’s student completed under the main Supervisor.
- Active co-supervision or main supervision of Doctoral students
Competencies and Behavioural Attributes:
- Proven ability to teach undergraduate modules in Computer Science, Informatics, AI and/or Cyber Security, including advanced data structures and security fundamentals using languages taught in the Academy.
- Proven ability to teach Cyber Security or AI and related modules at Honours level, including network security, cryptography, incident response, penetration testing, secure coding, or similar for security, or alternatively, machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, and computational intelligence for AI.
- Excellent command of English. Where English is not the home language, a formal certification of English competence may be required.
- Sufficient lecturing experience with professionally evaluated outcomes.
- Experience using Turnitin or equivalent tools for research assignment integrity checks.
- Experience managing the moderation and auditing of examination scripts at Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels.
- Proven ability to supervise a minimum of five (5) Honours research projects to BCS standards.
- Evidence of consistently high pass rates in undergraduate modules taught.
- Willingness to undergo additional assessments, including live teaching demonstrations, programming evaluations, AI and/or cybersecurity task evaluations.
Your application, comprising of a detailed Curriculum Vitae as well as the names and full contact details (including telephone numbers and e-mail addresses) of at least three traceable and credible referees must be uploaded before or on the closing date of the advertised post. Please also attach the following: a copy of your highest academic qualification, proof of registration with professional bodies you might belong to and if applying for an academic position, a list of accredited research output and/ or a portfolio of your creative output.
If you require technical support / assistance on the UJ e-recruitment website, please contact our service provider PNET on the following contact details: 0861 227337/010 140 3099 or email ujsupport@pnet.co.za.
Candidates may be subjected to appropriate psychometric testing and other selection instruments.
In conjunction to merit on the basis of qualifications, experience and proven achievements the University of Johannesburg is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities and those individuals from the historically disadvantaged groups. As necessitated by operational requirements the University reserves the right not to make an appointment to positions advertised. If you have not received a response from the University within 8 weeks of the closing date, you should assume that your application has been unsuccessful.
Please note that the University is obligated, in terms of recent amendments to the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 2021 (Act 13 of 2021), to assess all prospective employees (including applicants) against the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO). The outcome of such an assessment may have an impact upon possible employment with the University.
