Joan Wrench Kirstenbosch Scholarship Fund – Internship

The Joan Wrench Kirstenbosch Scholarship Fund was established in 2018 to recognise academic achievement of young professionals and to provide financial support to pursue practical training or postgraduate studies in relevant biodiversity fields.

The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) is pleased to announce a call for applications for internships in any of the following fields at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Newlands, Cape Town:

• Environmental Education
• Nature Conservation
• Plant conservation research (cycads)
• Horticulture (trees and forestry understory)
• Ex-situ Conservation, Threatened Species and Restoration
• Restoration Ecology or Citizen Science monitoring
• Plant physiology/ Horticultural sciences
• Vegetation Ecology
• Herpetology, Molecular Ecology
• GIS, Environmental Management / Ecology
• Biotechnology/Biosafety
• GIS
• Biodiversity Information
• Plant Taxonomy

Requirements:

Candidates must be enthusiastic and have a keen interest in the conservation of biodiversity. No prior working experience is required but a strong academic record at university will be an advantage. A driving license with at least one year’s driving experience will be an added advantage. These internships are only available to South African citizens and will be awarded in line with national equity targets. See below minimum qualifications for placement options:

Environmental Education	BSc in Biological Sciences / Environmental Sciences
Nature Conservation	BTech (or Advanced Diploma) Nature Conservation
Plant conservation research (cycads)	BTech (or Advanced Diploma) Horticulture
Horticulture (trees and forestry understory)	BTech (or Advanced Diploma) Horticulture
Ex-situ Conservation, Threatened Species and Restoration	BSc Botany or BTech (or Advanced Diploma) Horticulture or BSc Honours Botany
Restoration Ecology or Citizen Science monitoring	BSc Honours Biological Sciences (Botany/Ecology
Plant physiology/ Horticultural sciences	BTech (or Advanced Diploma) Horticulture
Vegetation Ecology	MSc Ecology
Herpetology, Molecular Ecology	BSc or MSc Zoology / Genetics
GIS, Environmental Management / Ecology	MSc Environmental Science / Ecology
Biotechnology/Biosafety	BSc Honours Botany / Zoology / Biotechnology
GIS	BSc Honours Ecology / Environmental Science / Biology / Zoology / Botany
Biodiversity Information	BSc Honours Environmental Science / Computer Science (with Data Science)
Plant Taxonomy	BSc or Honours Botany

Conditions:

• Applicants must be South African citizens
• Applicants must not be enrolled for higher degrees for the 2020 academic year
• Applicants can only apply for one of the positions

Internship monthly stipend values:

• Bachelors completed (or equivalent to NQF 7): R7 260
• Honours completed (or equivalent to NQF 8): R8 580
• Masters completed (or equivalent to NQF 9): R9 900

Application procedure:

Each application is to be accompanied by a standard application cover sheet.

Applications are to include a letter of interest; full CV; certified copies of academic record/transcript and highest qualification; as well as ID and driver’s license and a letter of academic reference. Send all documents to students@sanbi.org.za with “Joan Wrench Kirstenbosch Scholarship Fund internships” in the subject line.

Contact details:

Dr Ferozah Conrad (f.conrad@sanbi.org.za)

Ms René du Toit (r.dutoit@sanbi.org.za)

SANBI reserves the right not to fill these internships.

If no response has been received within 30 days of the closing date, candidates may assume that their applications were unsuccessful.