Applications are invited for the position of Senior Research Fellow in Sustainable Tourism at the Okavango Research Institute (ORI). The Institute is based in Maun, in north-western Botswana, and specializes in natural resources management, sustainable natural resource use and conservation in the iconic Okavango Delta and the Kgalagadi (Kalahari) region. In terms of resources, the Institute has a good library (a branch of the University library in Gaborone), excellent research laboratories, office space and a fleet of research vehicles. The Institute attracts significant international funding and is becoming generally acknowledged as a global research leader in natural resources management. Additional information on ORI including its Strategic Plan can be found on www.ori.ub.bw.
Duties: The successful candidate will conduct research on corporate operations of tourism enterprises with a focus on business and marketing. The research should also cover tourism demand and forecasting (e.g. micro foundations of tourist choice, tourism demand forecasting etc.); tourism supply (e.g. pricing issues within tourism enterprises and markets, pricing principles for natural and cultural attractions). The research should also explore the evolution and development of tourism enterprises in Botswana and Southern African region. The latter includes assessment of citizen involvement in the tourism industry. The applicant is expected to conduct research that influences policy and decision making. Although the duties are primarily research, the Researcher will be expected to develop and teach courses for graduate and undergraduate students at ORI.
Requirements: The candidate should hold; (i) a PhD degree in Tourism Management, Marketing, Business Administration or Economics or related field; (ii) at least six (6) years relevant experience at a university or comparable institution; minimum of 10 pieces of research products (e.g., journal articles, book chapters, peer reviewed conference proceedings, etc.) published by recognised publishers; (iii) Seven (7) of the 10 publications above must be articles in refereed/accredited journals indexed in internationally recognized indexing databases; (iv) the remaining 3 publications could be journal articles, book chapters, peer reviewed conference proceedings etc.; (v) the candidate must be first author in at least half of the required journal publications, depending on the disciplinary expectations; (vi) sustained research output: a minimum of 5 peer reviewed publications (journal articles, book chapters, peer reviewed conference proceedings, etc.) every two years shall constitute sustained research output; (vii) a record of publications (journal articles, book chapters, peer reviewed conference proceedings, etc.)(viii) scholarly presentations at national and/or international conferences; (ix) publications are spread across national and/or international journals; (x) some research impact, including but not limited to citations, the h-index, patents, policy applications, peer reviews, publications that are prescribed texts in other institutions, etc. (required at least one of these); (xi) recognized as being of at least national research standing (e.g. reviewer for refereed/ accredited national and regional publishers; editorial board member of at least a national publisher in a relevant field; and invitation as keynote speaker at national and/or international conferences (required in at least one of these). The overall profile of research should provide evidence of research mentorship of junior scholars; ability to lead collaborative research including multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural teamwork; evidence of service to the university, profession, and community; demonstrate effective academic leadership. The profile should finally demonstrate research awards and other forms of research recognition, and where appropriate; candidate should have been examiner/ moderator/ assessor for undergraduate and/or postgraduate projects nationally.
NB: The curriculum vitae should contain a detailed list of published works, clearly specifying name/s of author and co-authors if any, dates of publications, titles of publications, names of publishers, volume numbers and DOIs (for journal publications) or ISBN numbers (for books, book chapters and conference proceedings), and number of pages. The works should be categorized into books, book chapters, refereed journals, non-refereed works, consultancies, and practical media projects.
Remuneration: The University offers competitive salaries and benefits commensurate with experience and qualifications. For more information on the University, please visit our website; www.ub.bw
Applications are to address the qualifications outlined in the advertisement and provide any other information to assist the university to determine the applicant’s suitability for the position. The applicant should quote the vacancy number of the post applied for; provide current CVs (including telephone, telex and telefax number and e-mail where possible), certified true copies of educational certificates, transcripts and three references, including names and addresses of three referees. Complete documentation should be sent to: Human Resources Officer, Okavango Research Institute, Private Bag 285 Maun, Botswana. Tel.: +267 6817228; Fax.: +267 6861835: E-mail: ori_recruitment@ub.ac.bw/ basiangy@ub.ac.bw. Applicants should inform their referees to (i) quote the Vacancy Number(s) and Position(s) applied for and (ii) submit their references directly to the above address before the stipulated closing date. Please note that applications with incomplete information shall not be considered.
Hand delivered applications should be submitted to the HR Office, Admin Porta cabin.
NB: Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted
Closing Dates: 29 February 2024