NRF Postdoctoral Grants 2026/2027
We would welcome postdoctoral researches who wish to be hosted at SAAO, and who obtain NRF grants to fund their research.
To be eligible, you must:
- have obtained a PhD in astronomy or a related field no earlier than February 2021, and
- complete your PhD no later than 31 December 2026
Please see the call document ( Postdoctoral -Framework-2026 ) for more information.
Postdoctoral Fellows at SAAO will work under the mentorship of a staff astronomer and will be free to collaborate with other researchers at SAAO or elsewhere. You are welcome to contact one or more potential mentors from the list below, to discuss your research plans.
To obtain NRF funding , you need to apply via the NRF Connect system https://nrfconnect.nrf.ac.za by 15 April 2026
For general enquiries, please contact Dr. Retha Pretorius retha@saao.ac.za
Lee Townsend
lee@saao.ac.za I am a SALT astronomer and instrument scientist for RSS, SALT’s prime focus spectrograph. My research interests include X-ray binaries, accretion, highly magnetised neutron stars, massive stellar evolution, the Magellanic Clouds and, more broadly, astrophysical transients and multi-wavelength follow-up.
Retha Pretorius
retha@saao.ac.za My research interests are in interacting binaries, astrophysical transients, accretion and jet physics, as well as binary star evolution and populations.
Encarni Romero Colmenero
erc@salt.ac.za I am Head of SALT Astronomy Operations at the SAAO. My main research interest is in the field of reverberation mapping of AGN and would love to have a postdoc working with me in this area. I am also a member of the LCO IDRM Key Project and of KAMP.
Nicolas Erasmus
nerasmus@saao.ac.za I’m an Instrumentation Scientist and Astronomer at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), where my research focuses on Solar System Science, specifically main-belt and near-Earth asteroids (NEAs). My research specialty involves automated rapid-follow-up characterisation of newly discovered and potentially hazardous NEAs. I am also involved in astronomical instrumentation development and commissioning for various telescopes and instruments operated by the SAAO in Sutherland.
Paul Groot
p.groot@astro.ru.nl I work on fast transients, gravitational wave sources and ultracompact binaries using wide-field surveys, among others with the MeerLICHT, BlackGEM, Lesedi and SALT telescopes. I also have a keen interest in astronomical instrumentation.
Itumeleng Monageng
itu@saao.ac.za, My research interests are in multiwavelength studies of X-ray binaries, accretion physics, massive binary stellar evolution, astrophysical transients and time-domain astronomy.
David Buckley
dibnob@saao.ac.za My research interests are focused on accreting compact binaries, involving white dwarfs, neutron stars or black holes, which mainly involve optical observations, particularly with SALT. Some of this research also involves multi-wavelength observations (gamma ray, X-ray & radio) through wider collaborations. I am Principal Investigator for the SALT followup programme on transients and am also one of the South African PI Affiliates for the Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), focusing on transient detection and followup.
Steve Potter
sbp@saao.ac.za I’m the PI of the intelligent observatory programme. My research interests are in transient and time domain optical astronomy with particular expertise in polarimetry.
Ros Skelton
ros@saao.ac.za I am a SALT astronomer and head of research at SAAO. My research interests are in galaxy evolution, particularly the effects of environment on the gas content and mass growth of galaxies, which our group explores with multi wavelength data from SALT, MeerKAT and other telescopes. I am part of the 4MOST Hemisphere Survey and would like to offer a postdoc position on 4HS-related projects.
Zara Randriamanakoto
zara@saao.ac.za My research interests revolve around multiwavelength observations of strongly star-forming regions and massive star clusters in interacting and collisional ring galaxies. I also use wide-field radio continuum surveys to study the AGN duty cycle and bent structure of radio AGN.
Charles Mpho Takalana
charles@astro4dev.org At the International Astronomical Union – Office of Astronomy for Development (IAU-OAD), we work to advance the use of astronomy, including its practitioners, skills, and infrastructures, as a tool for sustainable development. Our activities include coordinating the OAD’s global Call for Proposals, which provides grants and technical support for astronomy-for-development projects in more than 100 countries, as well as developing and supporting the OAD Flagship Programmes that explore areas such as astrotourism, mental health, and astronomy for skills. Our work also includes research and programme development on the impact of astronomy for development, building international partnerships and communities of practice that apply astronomy, data science, and STEM skills to address societal challenges.
Moses Mogotsi
moses@saao.ac.za I am a SALT astronomer and UCT adjunct lecturer, and lead a vibrant extragalactic group working on multi-wavelength resolved studies of nearby star forming galaxies to study the baryon cycle, star formation and the evolution of galaxies in different environments. The work includes studying the star formation, ionized gas properties, HI dynamics and outflows of isolated galaxies, starbursts, U/LIRGs, interacting galaxies and galaxy groups. Most of our work utilizes SALT’s longslit and IFU capability and HI and L-band observations from MeerKAT. We also use ALMA and MUSE, and are planning further JWST involvement. We are also involved in near-infrared studies of AGN using the new PRIME telescope. I am a member of 4MOST 4HS, SUNBIRD, MAGNET, MHONGOOSE, MIGHTEE-HI, MeerChoirs, MeerRings and a new extra large local universe survey on MeerKAT: LLUS. Prospective postdocs will get the opportunity to contribute to any of these existing surveys and other projects within the team, and do their own research. Postdocs with an interest in contributing or getting involved SALT and SAAO facilities and instrumentation are also welcome.