Three Fellowship Opportunities for African Doctoral Candidates

The Social Science Research Council offers fellowships to support the completion of doctoral degrees and to promote next generation social science research in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. The fellowships support dissertation research on peace, security, and development topics.

All applications must be submitted using the online application portal.

The next application deadline is November 13, 2015.

Doctoral Dissertation Research and Completion Fellowships

The doctoral dissertation completion fellowship supports a one-year leave from teaching responsibilities and a stipend of up to US$15,000 to permit the completion of a dissertation that advances research on peace, security, and development topics.

The doctoral dissertation research fellowship supports 6–12 months of dissertation research costs of up to US$15,000 on a topic related to peace, security, and development.

All applicants must:

Be citizens of and reside in a sub-Saharan African country

Hold a master’s degree

Be enrolled in a PhD program at an accredited university in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, or Uganda

Additionally for the completion fellowship, applicants must:

Be in the final year of writing and have completed at least one dissertation chapter

For the research fellowship, applicants must:

Have an approved dissertation research proposal

As of May 2015, the program prioritizes applicants holding a faculty position or demonstrating a durable commitment to higher education but it does not restrict eligibility to such individuals.

ReadMore here

Why criminalising homosexuality is a public health hazard

Homosexuality remains illegal in 38 of 55 African nations. Such a stance against homosexuality is concerning from ethical and human rights perspectives. It also poses serious risks from a public health perspective, not least of all because of the significant rates of HIV across Africa.

Men who have sex with men account for a substantial minority of those affected by HIV, with their risk of infection more than double that of the general population. Many African countries also harbour homophobic cultures and attitudes. Together, this creates an environment where homosexuality is highly stigmatised, with homosexual people socially isolated and marginalised.

We know from decades of research across stigmatised and socially excluded groups, such as sex workers, injecting drug users and men who have sex with men, that criminalisation does little to change behaviour, while actively contributing to increased stigma and marginalisation of these groups. This amplifies the health risks by driving stigmatised communities underground, isolating them from health or support initiatives.

What does this mean for homosexual people across Africa?

Read More here on a discussion on this subject going on at THE CONVERSATION

Call for applications - 2015 CARTA Graduate Workshop

Building on its goal to foster the career growth of its high-achieving fellows, the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) will o­ffer up to 15 of its graduates the opportunity to attend a proposal development workshop.  CARTA’s Proposal Development Workshops   aim to support its graduates to develop skills in proposal writing. The workshops will provide hands-on support to fellows in proposal development and defense, budgeting, and grant management.

Eligibility

Applicants must be PhD graduates of the CARTA program who are full-time teaching or research staff of any of the participating African CARTA partner- institutions. They must demonstrable commitment to research capacity building at their institutions as well as potential for research leadership.

Evaluation criteria

Applications will be selected on the basis of candidate’s academic and research track record and quality of proposed research idea.

What is covered?

Support for participation in CARTA’s Proposal Development Workshops will cover travel, accommodation and a modest per diem.

How to apply

Applicants must submit the following documents

• A completed application form, including a succinct description of the proposal idea
• A statement by the host institution supporting the application

Application materials should be submitted to the CARTA Program Manager (carta@aphrc.org) by11:59PM (Nairobi Time) on 30 June 2015. The email should have the subject line: 2015 CARTA Graduate Workshop.

For more information about this call and to download the application instructions, please click below:

Call for applications - 2015 CARTA Graduate Workshop

CARTA co-Director, Prof. Sharon Fonn, is a finalist for the National Science and Technology Forum 2014/2015 Awards

Prof. Sharon Fonn, CARTA co-Director, has been nominated as a finalist for the NSTF-BHP Billiton Awards 2014/2015. Prof. Fonn has been nominated in recognition of the work that she has been doing with the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA).

She is a finalist for the “Research Capacity Development” category that recognizes individuals and institutions that have done a brilliant work in this sector.

Prof. Fonn has been nominated by the Head School of Public Health at the University of Witwatersrand to appreciate the work that CARTA has done for the institution and the republic of South Africa as a whole. 

“I am pleased to see that CARTA has been recognized in the capacity building category. This is quite a competitive award and there were very many nominees – so even if CARTA is not the ultimate awardee even making the finalist category is a significant achievement,” said Prof. Fonn, when she learnt of the announcement of the finalists.

The highly-acclaimed National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) Awards, hosted in partnership with BHP Billiton since 2011, is the flagship project of the largest and most represented multi-stakeholder non-profit forum in South Africa promoting science and technology through collaborative effort.  

The National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) is the most representative and long-standing non-profit body of Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation (SETI) stakeholders in South Africa with the following strategic objectives that promote science and technology collaboratively as follows:

• Influence the development and implementation of public SETI policies 
• Celebrate, recognize and reward excellence within the SETI sectors 
• Contribute towards the renewal of SETI systems through youth interventions 

All finalists to this award will get a certificate form the Minister of Science and Technology and the winner in each category will be announced on the 9th of July 2015.

Congratulations to Prof. Fonn for making to the final list of nominees for this prestigious award.