Following a stringent interview process, Master’s student Simone Thomas has been offered full-time employment as a Research Assistant as well as registration as a Doctoral candidate in Germany.

The life-changing opportunity resulted from a collaboration between CPUT and Koblenz University of Applied Sciences (KUAS). Simone will be doing her studies in Germany as a registered CPUT student while being involved in additional research projects and scientific presentations, publications and teaching during her three-year stay in Koblenz from March 2021.

She will be completing her doctorate in brand management under the supervision of Prof Holger Schmidt (KUAS) and Dr Pieter Steenkamp, a Senior Lecturer in the Marketing Department. Steenkamp will also be a Visiting Professor at KUAS in 2021/22.

Simone said that she is extremely grateful for this opportunity and will be working hard to fly the CPUT banner high. The Master’s student said: “This is a life-changing opportunity for me, both personally and professionally. CPUT has been a beacon of hope to me as a young woman who grew up on the notorious Cape Flats since I started my tertiary studies in 2008.”

Steenkamp said: “This opportunity is the result of relationship building with our partner university in Germany for a number of years. Having supervised Simone for her Master’s thesis, I know that she is ready and able to take full advantage of this opportunity. Nothing makes me happier than contributing to the improvement of a student’s life and I can’t wait to welcome Simone back as Dr Thomas.”

Said Schmidt: “We are very happy about Simone’s successful application. She is a fine young and hard-working student who will add new perspectives to our institution’s research team and, as a lecturer, to our students. Her presence at our campus will also demonstrate our strong commitment to the partnership with CPUT, on all levels.”

Head of the Marketing Department, Mandy Jones, said: “We wish Simone all the best on her new adventures in Germany and we know that she will make CPUT proud.”

Prof Axel Schlich, Dean of the Faculty of Business Management at KUAS, said they were looking forward to welcoming Simone and Steenkamp at their university. “Internationalisation is an integral part of our Faculty´s overall strategy and comprises both student and teaching staff mobility as well as collaborative research,” said Schlich. “It´s the first time, that we will host two academics from CPUT for a longer period of time at Hochschule Koblenz, which is proof of the fruitful cooperation between our institutions.”

Written by Kwanele Butana
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The collaboration between CPUT and Koblenz University of Applied Sciences (KUAS) has yielded a life-changing job opportunity for a CPUT student to work as a Research Assistant in Germany.

The Research Assistant and Doctoral Candidate will work in Koblenz for up to three years. A suitable candidate must have an outstanding Master’s Degree in marketing, market research, brand management, business administration or any related area.

The successful candidate will complete a doctorate in the area of brand management at CPUT during their employment, among other responsibilities.  Applications should be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 31 August 2020.

The collaboration started when Professor Holger Schmidt (KUAS) spent a semester of his sabbatical at CPUT and collaborated with Dr Pieter Steenkamp from the Marketing Department on a brand management-related research project.

The collaboration resulted in a memorandum of agreement between the two institutions which was signed in 2019, with the Marketing Department being the custodian of the agreement at CPUT.

Steenkamp said the opportunity furthers CPUT’s internationalisation strategic imperatives and the student will be co-supervised by himself and Schmidt.

“Given the challenges in South Africa with access to quality education and employment, exacerbated by COVID-19, this opportunity will be life-changing for one of our students. At the end of the programme, the fortunate individual will be able to write Dr in front of their name and three years of international experience behind their name. Their life will never be the same again. This is how we are ‘Creating Futures’ at CPUT,” he said.

Mandy Jones, Head of Department: Marketing, said: “Every time our students get to experience different cultures, they grow, and this opportunity will be no different. Our investment in this partnership over the years has borne fruit for a life-changing opportunity for one of our postgraduate students.”

For more information about this vacancy contact Steenkamp on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Schmidt on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it...

Written by Kwanele Butana
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.