The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) was first established in 2004 in accordance with the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act under the South African Department of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries.
SANBI’s main aim is to conduct research and decimation of information pertaining to biodiversity as well as contribute to the country’s management of biodiversity resources. SANBI is also responsible for partaking in ecosystem rehabilitation and restoration.
This ensures that the country’s National Botanical and Zoological gardens enhance the country’s biodiversity for educational and entertainment purposes.
ABOUT THE SANBI JOAN WRENCH SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME – FIELDS COVERED
SANBI is inviting postgraduate students to apply for the Joan Wrench Scholarship, for the 2024 academic year.
The Joan Wrench Scholarship programme is open to students pursuing Honours, Masters, and Doctoral (or its equivalent NQF levels) studies, in the following projects/ fields which are relevant to SANBI’s mandate and identified as a priority:
- Postgraduate diploma: Horticulture
- Honours degree: Plant Systematics, Taxonomy
- Masters degree: Plant pathology/ Biological Invasions/ Plant Systematics, Taxonomy/ Ecology, Climate Change, Urban ecology/ Restoration Ecology/ Conservation, Ecology / Freshwater ecology
- Doctoral or Masters degrees: Plant systematics, taxonomy/ Ecology, pollination biology/ Climate change and land degradation/ Freshwater ecology
- Doctoral degree: Plant systematics, taxonomy/ Freshwater Ecology
For more information on the above fields, view the SANBI Joan Wrench Scholarship Projects (.docx)
ABOUT THE SANBI JOAN WRENCH SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME – COVERAGE VALUE
The Joan Wrench Scholarship, first established in 2024, aims to recognise successful academic achievement in the youth as well as provide them with the financial means to embark on practical training/ postgraduate studies within biodiversity fields.
The scholarship is aimed at candidates who would like to make a difference and will be awarded in line with the national equity targets.
The following are the scholarship values per programme. The funding will cover both living expenses and university fees whilst the project running expenses will be covered separately.
- Honours programme: R96 000 for 1 year only.
- Masters programme: R144 000 per year for 2 years.
- Doctoral programme: R180 000 per year for 3 years.
All students must independently apply for university programmes, thereafter, the scholarship will be awarded once they have secured a placement in a post-graduate programme and have provisional acceptance from academic supervisors (please note, at least one of these supervisors must be from SANBI.) The majority of the research projects, as well as field sites, will be within the Western Cape and primarily, Kirstenbosch Gardens.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SANBI JOAN WRENCH SCHOLARSHIP
Applicants must satisfy the following minimum entry criteria before applying (please note that failure to satisfy all the requirements will lead to your application not being considered):
- You must be a South African citizen
- You must be registered at any university in South Africa
- You must reside within the Western Cape for at least 3 months of every year of study for the purpose of lab/ fieldwork and face-to-face consultations
- You must partake in a research project which falls within SANBI’s mandate
- You must be unemployed
- You must NOT be partaking in any other scholarship/ bursary programme
- You must be pro-active
- You must be enthusiastic about conducting research
HOW TO APPLY FOR THE SANBI JOAN WRENCH SCHOLARSHIP
Applicants must complete the SANBI Joan Wrench Scholarship cover sheet
Submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation along (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified):
- Completed application cover sheet (above)
- ID Document (certified copy)
- Driver’s licence (certified copy)
- Letter of interest
- Full and updated Curriculum Vitae
- Academic records/ transcripts (certified copies)
- Highest qualification (certified copy)
- Provisional registration/ application from your university (on institutes letterhead)
- Project outline
- 2 academic letters of reference
- Letter from a future university supervisor and SANBI supervisor showing their willingness to supervise
Applications must be submitted electronically via email to: [email protected] and [email protected]
(Insert the words “Joan Wrench Kirstenbosch Scholarship studentships” in the email subject line).
SANBI JOAN WRENCH SCHOLARSHIP NOTES
For other projects, please contact SANBI before submitting your application to see if your proposal may be accepted.
- Only full-time students will be supported.
- Existing studies will NOT be supported.
- Registration for second Honours, Masters and Doctoral programmes will NOT be considered.
- If you have not heard a response within 30 days of the closing date, consider your application unsuccessful.
CLOSING DATE FOR THE SANBI JOAN WRENCH SCHOLARSHIP
30 September (at 16:00).
(Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted – please apply before the closing date to ensure your application is considered.)
CONTACT THE BURSARY PROVIDER
For any queries related to this scholarship programme, please contact SANBI directly:
Contact Person: Dr Ferozah Conrad
Email: [email protected]
Contact Person: Rene’ du Toit
Email: [email protected]