Fully Funded Wits Postdoctoral Fellowship 2025 – Digital Economy & Platform Governance

Omran Aburayya
Jun 3
3 min read

If you're a recent PhD graduate passionate about digital economies, platform governance, and inclusive development, the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa is offering a compelling opportunity. Applications are now open for the 2025 Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Digital Platforms & Markets, part of the Social Dimensions of Digital Economy (SDDE) partnership between Wits and South Africa’s Department of Science, Technology & Innovation (DSTI). This two-year, full-time fellowship is designed to support early-career researchers in exploring critical areas such as platform economics, digital governance, data privacy, and digital trade, with a focus on inclusive development in the Global South.

📝 Fellowship Summary

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Host Institution: University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS)
Study Level: Postdoctoral
Target Group: Recent PhD graduates (within the last 5 years)
Fields of Study: Economics, Development Studies, Law, Information Systems, Sociology, and related disciplines
Value & Coverage: R400,000 per annum (tax-free), plus medical aid and a modest research-cost allocation
Duration: 2 years, renewable annually based on performance
Application Deadline: 30 June 2025
Start Date: Flexible, to be agreed upon with the host institution
Eligible To: Candidates from South Africa and the wider Global South

📚 Fellowship Overview

The Digital Platforms & Markets research stream aims to investigate the dynamics of digital platforms and their impact on various sectors, with an explicit concern for inequality and inclusive development. Fellows will be embedded in the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS) and connected to a national network of SDDE researchers. They will pursue their own project—designed within the themes below—and help deliver the programme’s official outputs, notably a series of Baseline Studies that map current market structure, value flows, and user-behaviour analytics.

🧩 Core Research Themes:

Platform Economics & Value Capture: Exploring network effects, pricing strategies, competition, and algorithmic self-preferencing.
Surveillance Capitalism & Data Governance: Investigating the commodification of personal data, privacy concerns, and inequality.
Gig Work & Labour Standards: Analyzing earnings security, worker organization, and regulatory gaps in gig economies.
Digital Trade & Development: Examining cross-border e-commerce rules, fintech developments, and platform impacts on emerging-market firms.
Platform Accountability & Cybersecurity: Assessing transparency, algorithmic fairness, consumer protection, and risk management.

🎓 Programme Structure:

Independent Research: Fellows will conduct research aligned with the core themes, aiming for publication in top international journals or equivalent policy channels.
Baseline Studies: Contribute to concise reports that map the current state of South Africa’s digital platforms and markets, including market-share analyses and user-behaviour analytics.
Cross-Cutting Outputs: Participate in annual foresight exercises, national conferences, and curriculum module development.
Mentorship: Mentor honours/masters students linked to the programme.

🎁 Fellowship Benefits

Financial Support: R400,000 per annum (tax-free)
Medical Aid: Comprehensive coverage
Research Funding: Modest allocation for research-related expenses
Professional Development: Access to academic and career development programmes
Networking Opportunities: Engagement with a national network of SDDE researchers and participation in policy dialogues and workshops

✅ Eligibility Criteria

Minimum Requirements:

PhD Qualification: Awarded within the past five years in a relevant discipline (e.g., economics, development studies, law, information systems, sociology).
Publication Record: Demonstrated track record of publications in relevant fields.
Research Experience: Experience in at least one of the core research themes.
Language Proficiency: Excellent spoken and written English.

Desirable Qualifications:

Fieldwork or Policy Experience: In South Africa or the wider Global South.
Research Skills: Quantitative skills (e.g., IO econometrics, network analysis) or qualitative expertise (e.g., elite interviews, policy ethnography).
Stakeholder Engagement: Ability to engage with regulators, industry, labour, and civil society.

📝 Application Procedure

📂 Required Documents:

Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Research Proposal (5–15 pages), including:
- Research focus and background
- Outline of proposed research
- Aims, contribution, and relevance to the Digital Platforms & Markets agenda
- Proposed methodology and data (explicit about feasibility)
- Research plan and timeline
Host Letter: Confirmation from a Wits academic willing to mentor the applicant.

📬 Submission Details:

Email: Send a single PDF containing all documents to careers.scis@wits.ac.za
Subject Line: “Post-Doc Fellowship Application: Digital Platforms & Markets”
Application Deadline: 30 June 2025

Contact for Enquiries: