Junior Scientist

Junior Scientist (E)

South African Medical Research Council

2026/05/27 Cape Town

Job Reference Number: R950A

Department: South African Cochrane Centre

Business Unit:

Industry: Academic

Job Type: Contract

Positions Available: 1

Salary: Market Related Cochrane South Africa is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Junior Scientist (Entry-Level) to support activities under the Clinical Trial Registry Project. This ground-breaking project aims to assist in developing and linking a national clinical trial registry with the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR), a crucial step in promoting research transparency and integrity across Africa.

Cochrane South Africa is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Junior Scientist (Entry-Level) to support activities under the Clinical Trial Registry Project.

This ground-breaking project aims to assist in developing and linking a national clinical trial registry with the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR), a crucial step in promoting research transparency and integrity across Africa.

The post provides a unique opportunity for a junior researcher to contribute to strengthening research infrastructure on the continent.

• Support implementation work of the SECRET project related to setting up the registry (e.g., collecting inputs from stakeholders, assisting in documentation).
• Contribute to the development and revision of SOPs and project workflows.
• Participate in stakeholder engagement activities, including logistics coordination for stakeholder consultative workshops.
• Conduct data collection activities, ensuring adherence to SOPs and ethical standards.
• Assist in preparing reports, and updates to registry websites.
• Assist with the development and pilot testing of tools and templates for implementing the registry.
• Develop first drafts of presentations for workshops and the related training materials.

• Contribute to research reports and publications.
• Perform quality control checks on files and research documentation for accuracy and compliance.
• Transcribe meeting recordings and notes from workshops and consultations.
• Provide stakeholders and key individuals with promotional materials for the SECRET project.
• Support administrative needs such as document filing and meeting coordination.

• Support data collection, curation and documentation related to registry development and stakeholder consultation activities.
• Manage trial data information and conduct analysis to identify research topics.
• Conduct data entry, cleaning, and verification using standard templates and tools.
• Perform basic data analysis using Excel or other entry-level tools (e.g., frequency counts, summaries).

Duration: 12 months

Remuneration: R per annum (CTC)

Core Requirements:

• A 4-year tertiary qualification in Life Sciences, Epidemiology, or related.
• Basic understanding of scientific research methods.
• Able to coordinate aspects of studies/projects under full guidance of supervisor.
• Understand and adhere to the scientific protocols, policies and procedures.
• Limited understanding of analysis, interpretation and reporting of research data.
• At least 1-2 years of experience in research, data collection, or health project implementation.
• Ability to follow scientific protocols, standard operating procedures, and ethical research practices.

Advantageous:

• Honours or Master's coursework advantageous.
• Familiarity with data entry, transcription, or qualitative and/or quantitative data handling.
• Strong organisational and administrative skills with attention to detail.

Closing date:

8 June 2026