43 Project Researcher jobs in South Africa

About Us

WildComm Research Stations operate within the diverse savannah ecosystems of Limpopo, South Africa. Our team supports ecological research and long-term monitoring projects, providing critical data for conservation and wildlife management in the region.

Location: Private wildlife reserve, home to three of the Big Five

Internship Overview

This internship offers hands-on experience in wildlife research, focusing specifically on carnivore ecology. Interns will contribute to an ongoing study examining predator population trends, activity patterns, habitat use, and interspecies interactions across the reserve. This is a field-based and data-intensive position, suitable for students pursuing studies in ecology, conservation biology, or related disciplines.

Key Objectives

• Understand long-term population trends of key predator species on the reserve
• Investigate daily, lunar, and seasonal activity patterns
• Assess predator movement and habitat use, including interspecies dynamics

Responsibilities

• Support maintenance of a grid of cameras
• Tag and process images
• Identify patterned predators (e.g., Leopard, Civet, Genet) using our databases
• Extract metadata and maintain accurate records for analysis
• Under supervision, conduct regular walking transects along key roads and paths
• Record predator tracks, scat, and other signs using GPS

Requirements

• Comfortable working independently and in a team in field settings, under the guidance of field coordinators
• Moderate level of physical fitness, though most interns find their stamina improves over time (fieldwork is conducted on foot in rugged terrain and in challenging weather)
• Attention to detail and willingness to spend time on data management tasks
• Previous field or camera trap experience is not required

What You’ll Gain

• Fieldwork experience in a diverse and biodiverse savannah reserve
• Training in camera trapping, predator ID, data processing, and ecological monitoring techniques
• Exposure to real-world conservation and research challenges

Duration: Flexible — 2+ months recommended

Conservation Fee

Your contribution helps support critical conservation work.

The conservation fee also includes:

• Full training and research equipment
• On-site accommodation

Transport:

• Students will be fetched in the nearest town, Louis Trichardt, where they will be assisted by a staff member to do their shopping.
• Biweekly town trips for supplies.

Are you a student, postgraduate researcher, academic, or conservationist looking for a supportive, field-based environment to carry out your research? WildComm Research Stations invites researchers from around the world to join our multidisciplinary conservation hub and conduct their own projects within a protected private reserve.

What We Offer

WildComm is situated on a biodiverse private reserve, home to large mammals, birds, and complex savanna ecosystems. We provide a collaborative, research-focused atmosphere with access to on-site research equipment and a team of experienced conservation professionals.

Whether you're conducting undergraduate fieldwork, working on a Master’s thesis, developing a PhD project, or leading a long-term conservation initiative—we welcome your inquiry.

Support Includes

• On-site research equipment
• Field guidance from experienced researchers and ecologists
• Access to long-term data and local wildlife monitoring systems
• Shared accommodation and logistical coordination (including Polokwane airport pick-up/drop-off and biweekly town runs)

I deal Research Themes

• Wildlife health and parasitology
• Behavioural ecology
• Movement ecology and camera trap studies
• Population dynamics and genetics
• Vegetation
• Interdisciplinary conservation topics

Not sure if your project fits? Contact us—we’d love to explore it with you.

Flexible Dates and Duration

We accept researchers year-round. Project lengths are flexible depending on your goals, from short-term exploratory work to multi-year research initiatives.

Conservation Fee

A monthly fee is required to support:

• Conservation research infrastructure and data support
• Field logistics, equipment access, accommodation, and transport
• Protection and maintenance of the reserve ecosystem

JOB TITLE

LOCATION

DEPARTMENT NAME

DIVISION NAME

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

JOB DESCRIPTION

• Design experimental methodology/setups for thermal gradient testing of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) in engine turbine blades under high temperatures and aggressive environments
• Conduct spallation life testing of TBCs under a thermal gradient to assess the effect of factors such as temperature, cycle, and loading conditions on the life of TBCs
• Serve as a technical and programmatic liaison to engineers and scientists at our corporate partners on the development of testing methods and conducting testing of TBCs
• Coordinate with the research team at WPI on experimental investigations and modeling to quantify mechanical and interfacial behavior of TBCs
• Coordinate with the research team at WPI for experimental investigations and modeling of thermo-mechanical fatigue of superalloys used in engine turbine blades
• Train personnel (graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, corporate researchers on testing methods, analysis, and characterization
• Collaborate with WPI faculty from various departments to deliver technical results and progress in the form of technical reports, publications, and presentations

• Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Physics, or related fields
• Practical knowledge of design of experimental setups and standard lab practices
• Experience in experimental mechanics (in particular, mechanical testing, thermal and environmental testing, and basic material characterization (SEM, TEM, EBSD))
• Ability to work independently and in large multi-disciplinary teams
• Excellent oral and written communication skills

• Experience designing, building, and conducting experiments that involve combustion and high temperature
• Experience with data acquisition, instrumentation, and/or signal conditioning
• Experience in the mechanical and thermal testing of coatings/thin films
• Basic knowledge of mechanics of materials (thermo-mechanical fatigue, creep, fracture mechanics), interface adhesion testing, and life predictions
• Basic knowledge of numerical modeling and finite element software

• Cover Letter / Statement of Interest
• Curriculum Vitae
• List of References

FLSA STATUS

WPI is an Equal Opportunity Employerthat actively seeks to increase the diversityof its workplace. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status,or disability. It seeks individuals withdiverse backgrounds and experiences who will contribute to a culture of creativity, collaboration, inclusion, problem solving, innovation, high performance, and change making.It is committed to maintaining a campus environment free of harassment and discrimination.

Thank you for your interest in a career with Worcester Polytechnic Institute. You may review the status of your application on your candidate home account. Please continue to check for new openings and follow our social media links to stay up to date on what is happening at WPI.

WPI strives to provide very competitive and comprehensive benefits ranging from health insurance, retirement, tuition assistance, flexible spending accounts, work-life and much more. If you want a new challenge and want to make a difference, then WPI can help you get there!

WPI is a vibrant, active, and diverse community of world-renowned faculty, extraordinary students, and dedicated staff—all committed to changing the world. At WPI, we have competitive and comprehensive benefits, including health insurance, retirement, tuition assistance, flexible spending accounts, work-life balance and much more.

WPI is committed to creating an inclusive workplace culture where everyone feels valued and respected; a place where every student, faculty and staff member can belong, so that they can study, live, and work comfortably, to reach their full potential, and make meaningful contributions in order to meet departmental and institutional goals. WPI thrives on innovative practice and welcomes diverse perspectives, insight, and people from diverse lived experiences, to enhance the community environment and propel the institution to the next level in a competitive, global marketplace. Please take the time to read our diversity r ecruitment brochure showcasing testimonials from many of our employees who come from diverse backgrounds and contribute to the vibrant and inclusive community at WPI.

At Matter Labs, we believe freedom drives progress and prosperity. We don’t see ourselves as a company, but as a team aligned around a single mission: to advance personal freedom for all (see ZK Credo).

To achieve this goal, we’re building zkSync — a credibly neutral, fully open source technology stack and network on top of Ethereum, which is owned and governed by its community. We use advanced cryptography called zero-knowledge proofs to scale Ethereum infinitely without compromising on security or decentralization. With a world-class team, a community of over 1M supporters across Twitter + Discord, and hundreds of millions $ in funding, we have abundant resources to accomplish the mission.

The Role

We are looking for Research Scientists to join our Research Team. We are looking for accomplished researchers with a PhD in relevant areas of computer science interested in working on various aspects of the complex system that Matter Labs is building, including security, performance, networking, hardware, programming languages, program correctness, and various aspects of applied cryptography related to zero-knowledge proofs.

We expect you to have a track record of research in a relevant area and to be connected to both the academic community and industrial practice. Experience of working on other blockchain projects is a plus but not a requirement.

What You’ll Be Doing

• We expect you to be an expert in your field and to apply your knowledge and expertise to come up with solutions relevant to what Matter Labs is building.
• We expect you to work with both research scientists as well as engineers and engineering managers to get what you produce deployed.
• We expect you to be a member of the academic community and to read and possibly write papers, listen and possibly give presentations, in order to stay abreast of the most recent developments as they happen.

What We Look For In You

• Experience in one (or more) of the following areas: performance (distributed systems, runtimes, networking stack), security, verification and/or machine learning.
• A PhD in computer science or related discipline.
• A track record of research relevant to or deployed in an industrial setting.
• Ability and willingness to produce technical blogs, reports, and papers.
• Deep understanding of software engineering best-practices.
• Ownership mindset and a track record of successfully accomplished projects.
• In-depth knowledge of common algorithms, data structures, and their computational & memory complexities.
• Proven publication history.
• Experience implementing complex prototypes both from scratch and based on existing code bases.
• Ability to produce code that leads to industrial deployment.
• English is your native language or you are completely fluent.

Working at Matter Labs

At Matter Labs, you have the freedom to work how you want, when you want, and from where you want. All positions are 100% remote (with optional travel to team and/or industry events). We operate in lean and nimble teams, with no time tracking and minimum bureaucracy. We move fast. Only results matter. We will provide you with everything you need to learn, grow, and be productive.

Our results-only environment means anyone who believes in our mission can join us, regardless of background, sexual orientation, race, gender, and age. Both our team and community are made up of people from diverse backgrounds. That’s why, out of politeness and respect, we refrain from opinions on politics, religion, or sex at the workplace.

We designed our culture around the tenants of freedom and ownership. This ethos will underpin our positive-sum community as we evolve toward full decentralization.

If this role resonates with you, apply now for prompt feedback.

Important: We are remote-first, operating in the timezones between UTC-5 (Latam and Atlantic Coast) to UTC+7 (South-East Asia). While we’re currently not hiring in the US, we do consider US-based applicants willing to relocate.

JOB TITLE

LOCATION

DEPARTMENT NAME

DIVISION NAME

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

JOB DESCRIPTION

• Design experimental methodology/setups for thermal gradient testing of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) in engine turbine blades under high temperatures and aggressive environments
• Conduct spallation life testing of TBCs under a thermal gradient to assess the effect of factors such as temperature, cycle, and loading conditions on the life of TBCs
• Serve as a technical and programmatic liaison to engineers and scientists at our corporate partners on the development of testing methods and conducting testing of TBCs
• Coordinate with the research team at WPI on experimental investigations and modeling to quantify mechanical and interfacial behavior of TBCs
• Coordinate with the research team at WPI for experimental investigations and modeling of thermo-mechanical fatigue of superalloys used in engine turbine blades
• Train personnel (graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, corporate researchers on testing methods, analysis, and characterization
• Collaborate with WPI faculty from various departments to deliver technical results and progress in the form of technical reports, publications, and presentations

• Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Physics, or related fields
• Practical knowledge of design of experimental setups and standard lab practices
• Experience in experimental mechanics (in particular, mechanical testing, thermal and environmental testing, and basic material characterization (SEM, TEM, EBSD))
• Ability to work independently and in large multi-disciplinary teams
• Excellent oral and written communication skills

• Experience designing, building, and conducting experiments that involve combustion and high temperature
• Experience with data acquisition, instrumentation, and/or signal conditioning
• Experience in the mechanical and thermal testing of coatings/thin films
• Basic knowledge of mechanics of materials (thermo-mechanical fatigue, creep, fracture mechanics), interface adhesion testing, and life predictions
• Basic knowledge of numerical modeling and finite element software

• Cover Letter / Statement of Interest
• Curriculum Vitae
• List of References

FLSA STATUS

WPI is an Equal Opportunity Employerthat actively seeks to increase the diversityof its workplace. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status,or disability. It seeks individuals withdiverse backgrounds and experiences who will contribute to a culture of creativity, collaboration, inclusion, problem solving, innovation, high performance, and change making.It is committed to maintaining a campus environment free of harassment and discrimination.

Thank you for your interest in a career with Worcester Polytechnic Institute. You may review the status of your application on your candidate home account. Please continue to check for new openings and follow our social media links to stay up to date on what is happening at WPI.

WPI strives to provide very competitive and comprehensive benefits ranging from health insurance, retirement, tuition assistance, flexible spending accounts, work-life and much more. If you want a new challenge and want to make a difference, then WPI can help you get there!

WPI is a vibrant, active, and diverse community of world-renowned faculty, extraordinary students, and dedicated staff—all committed to changing the world. At WPI, we have competitive and comprehensive benefits, including health insurance, retirement, tuition assistance, flexible spending accounts, work-life balance and much more.

WPI is committed to creating an inclusive workplace culture where everyone feels valued and respected; a place where every student, faculty and staff member can belong, so that they can study, live, and work comfortably, to reach their full potential, and make meaningful contributions in order to meet departmental and institutional goals. WPI thrives on innovative practice and welcomes diverse perspectives, insight, and people from diverse lived experiences, to enhance the community environment and propel the institution to the next level in a competitive, global marketplace. Please take the time to read our diversity r ecruitment brochure showcasing testimonials from many of our employees who come from diverse backgrounds and contribute to the vibrant and inclusive community at WPI.

At Matter Labs, we believe freedom drives progress and prosperity. We don’t see ourselves as a company, but as a team aligned around a single mission: to advance personal freedom for all (see ZK Credo).

To achieve this goal, we’re building zkSync — a credibly neutral, fully open source technology stack and network on top of Ethereum, which is owned and governed by its community. We use advanced cryptography called zero-knowledge proofs to scale Ethereum infinitely without compromising on security or decentralization. With a world-class team, a community of over 1M supporters across Twitter + Discord, and hundreds of millions $ in funding, we have abundant resources to accomplish the mission.

The Role

We are looking for Research Scientists to join our Research Team. We are looking for accomplished researchers with a PhD in relevant areas of computer science interested in working on various aspects of the complex system that Matter Labs is building, including security, performance, networking, hardware, programming languages, program correctness, and various aspects of applied cryptography related to zero-knowledge proofs.

We expect you to have a track record of research in a relevant area and to be connected to both the academic community and industrial practice. Experience of working on other blockchain projects is a plus but not a requirement.

What You’ll Be Doing

• We expect you to be an expert in your field and to apply your knowledge and expertise to come up with solutions relevant to what Matter Labs is building.
• We expect you to work with both research scientists as well as engineers and engineering managers to get what you produce deployed.
• We expect you to be a member of the academic community and to read and possibly write papers, listen and possibly give presentations, in order to stay abreast of the most recent developments as they happen.

What We Look For In You

• Experience in one (or more) of the following areas: performance (distributed systems, runtimes, networking stack), security, verification and/or machine learning.
• A PhD in computer science or related discipline.
• A track record of research relevant to or deployed in an industrial setting.
• Ability and willingness to produce technical blogs, reports, and papers.
• Deep understanding of software engineering best-practices.
• Ownership mindset and a track record of successfully accomplished projects.
• In-depth knowledge of common algorithms, data structures, and their computational & memory complexities.
• Proven publication history.
• Experience implementing complex prototypes both from scratch and based on existing code bases.
• Ability to produce code that leads to industrial deployment.
• English is your native language or you are completely fluent.

Working at Matter Labs

At Matter Labs, you have the freedom to work how you want, when you want, and from where you want. All positions are 100% remote (with optional travel to team and/or industry events). We operate in lean and nimble teams, with no time tracking and minimum bureaucracy. We move fast. Only results matter. We will provide you with everything you need to learn, grow, and be productive.

Our results-only environment means anyone who believes in our mission can join us, regardless of background, sexual orientation, race, gender, and age. Both our team and community are made up of people from diverse backgrounds. That’s why, out of politeness and respect, we refrain from opinions on politics, religion, or sex at the workplace.

We designed our culture around the tenants of freedom and ownership. This ethos will underpin our positive-sum community as we evolve toward full decentralization.

If this role resonates with you, apply now for prompt feedback.

Important: We are remote-first, operating in the timezones between UTC-5 (Latam and Atlantic Coast) to UTC+7 (South-East Asia). While we’re currently not hiring in the US, we do consider US-based applicants willing to relocate.