Opportunities
Browse government tenders, quotations, vacancies and documents across South Africa.
Showing opportunities with a recorded closing date that has not passed. Choose another status to browse historical records.
A master's level research opportunity in astronomy/astrophysics focused on improving spectral calibration of observations from the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA). The project involves using advanced calibration algorithms like CubiCal and SageCal to enhance foreground separation and detect the redshifted 21 cm signal from the early universe.
- Who it is for:
- postgraduate students at Rhodes University pursuing a master's degree in astronomy or astrophysics
- How to act on it:
- Apply through Rhodes University's postgraduate admissions process for a master's programme in astronomy, under supervision by Prof Oleg Smirnov and Prof Gianni Bernardi.
This opportunity allows a master's student to conduct research using MeerKAT data from the MIGHTEE survey to study radio-quiet active galactic nuclei. The project aims to determine whether radio emission in these galaxies comes primarily from star formation or black-hole accretion, and how this affects galaxy evolution.
- Who it is for:
- master's students in astronomy or astrophysics
- How to act on it:
- Supervisors must propose this project through SARAO; students must be registered at Rhodes University and work under the supervision of Prof Oleg Smirnov or Dr Sarah White.
This opportunity allows a postgraduate student to conduct a Master's research project focused on improving the accuracy of modeling interference from mobile radio sources using ray tracing techniques. The research aims to enhance signal propagation predictions around SKA telescopes, thereby reducing radio frequency interference and improving data reliability.
- Who it is for:
- Master's level students in engineering or related fields with strong analytical and software skills
- How to act on it:
- Submit a research proposal through the online application form, including Sections A to D in a single PDF, supervised by Dr Riaan Wolhuter at Stellenbosch University
This opportunity enables a doctoral candidate to pursue advanced research into modeling mobile radio interference using ray tracing methods. The goal is to improve the precision of interference prediction between telescope receivers, supporting better signal integrity in VLBI observations.
- Who it is for:
- PhD students in engineering or physics with expertise in electromagnetic signal propagation and computational modeling
- How to act on it:
- Submit a research proposal through the online application form, including Sections A to D in a single PDF, under supervision by Dr Riaan Wolhuter at Stellenbosch University
This opportunity allows a postgraduate student to pursue a Master's degree in astronomy at Rhodes University, focusing on developing advanced optimization techniques using gradient descent to improve field of view shaping and data compression in radio interferometry. The project is supervised by Dr Marcellin Atemkeng and Prof Oleg Smirnov and involves working with real MeerKAT data and computational tools.
- Who it is for:
- postgraduate students pursuing a master's degree in astronomy or related fields
- How to act on it:
- Apply to register for the research project through Rhodes University under the supervision of Dr Marcellin Atemkeng and Prof Oleg Smirnov
This opportunity is for a PhD student to conduct research on detecting and analysing failures in large aperture array antennas using machine learning techniques. The research will involve studying power spectra from receivers, simulating faults, and applying machine learning to identify failure types. The work will be conducted in collaboration with Stellenbosch University and ASTRON, using real and simulated data from radio telescopes.
- Who it is for:
- PhD students in engineering or related fields with interest in radio astronomy, signal processing, and machine learning
- How to act on it:
- Apply through Stellenbosch University's postgraduate admissions process for a PhD in Engineering, with a focus on the proposed research topic.
A postgraduate research opportunity for a Master's student to analyze MeerKAT observations of three high redshift galaxy clusters (z > 0.4) to study their radio properties and test models of radio halo formation. The project is supervised by Prof Oleg Smirnov and Prof Gianni Bernardi.
- Who it is for:
- Master's students in Astronomy/Astrophysics
- How to act on it:
- Apply to register as a postgraduate student at Rhodes University with the proposed research topic under the supervision of Prof Oleg Smirnov and Prof Gianni Bernardi.
A research opportunity for a Master's student to develop a low-cost system for predicting radio frequency interference (RFI) sources using Gaussian Processes. The project involves building a hardware setup with low-cost RF front-end components and embedded platforms like Raspberry Pi, and implementing software tools for RFI identification and prediction. It connects with outreach efforts in STEM education and supports hobbyist radio astronomy.
- Who it is for:
- Master's students in engineering or related fields interested in radio astronomy and signal processing
- How to act on it:
- Apply to register as a postgraduate student at the University of Cape Town under supervision by Dr Simon Winberg
The Karoo Hoogland Municipality has approved the rezoning of 12 farm properties in the Fraserburg Rd District from Agriculture Zone I to Special Zone (16,993 ha) for the development of the SKA1_MID Facility (SKA Phase 1), and to Open Space Zone III (31,173 ha) to support the declared Meerkat National Park. This allows for the construction of astronomical infrastructure and conservation efforts on these lands.
- Who it is for:
- developers of the SKA1_MID Facility, operators of the Meerkat National Park, landowners of the 12 farms
- How to act on it:
- Submit final site development plans and building plans to the Karoo Hoogland Municipality for approval before construction begins, and register servitudes for access roads, powerlines, and other infrastructure as required.
This opportunity allows a master's student to conduct research on the neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) properties of galaxies within the Norma cluster using the MeerKAT telescope. The project focuses on understanding how the harsh cluster environment affects gas content and star formation in galaxies.
- Who it is for:
- master's students in astronomy or astrophysics at Rhodes University
- How to act on it:
- Apply through the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory’s research proposal process, under supervision by Mpati Ramatsoku and Oleg Smirnov.
This opportunity is for a master's student to conduct research comparing the performance and implementation of Vivaldi and Sinuous antennas for use in radio telescope feed systems. The project involves simulation, prototype fabrication, testing, and analysis over two years, with a focus on bandwidth, ease of manufacturing, and reliability.
- Who it is for:
- masters students in engineering with interest in electromagnetics or microwave theory
- How to act on it:
- Apply through the academic programme at UCT; the applicant must have aptitude for problem solving and creative thinking.
This opportunity allows a postgraduate student to pursue a Master's degree in astronomy at Rhodes University under the supervision of Dr Marcellin Atemkeng and Prof Oleg Smirnov. The research focuses on developing and analyzing gradient descent-based optimization methods to improve field of view shaping and data compression in radio interferometry using baseline-dependent window functions (BDWFs), with applications to MeerKAT and future SKA data.
- Who it is for:
- postgraduate students in astronomy or related fields
- How to act on it:
- Apply through Rhodes University as a registered student with a research proposal aligned to SARAO’s priorities