Deadline: 15 April 2013
Open to: teaching or research staff at one of the participating African institutions who have not yet registered for a PhD and are interested in completing research in public and population health or sexuality studies.
Fellowship: participation in the advanced seminars; a modest monthly stipend; small grants for research activities; a laptop loaded with relevant software; funds for travel to conferences, as well as costs for joint program activities.
Description
Applications are invited for PhD research programme offered by Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) to conduct and lead internationally competitive research. The Fellowship is offered in the fields of public health, demography, anthropology, economics, among others, as long as the research question aims to contribute to public and population health issues.
The Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) is an initiative of nine African universities, four African research institutes, and selected northern partners. CARTA aims to produce a critical mass of high-quality graduates trained to address the complex issues surrounding health and development in Africa, retain them in the region, and provide them a vibrant intellectual environment, as well as viable and challenging research and growth opportunities. CARTA aims to achieve reforms in higher education by:
- Assisting universities to develop enriching and vibrant academic and research environments
- Supporting promising African scholars who teach at affiliated universities to obtain high-quality doctoral training in public and population health-related fields.
CARTA seeks to fund candidates who will be future leaders in their institutions; that is, young, capable, and committed individuals who, in time, will ensure that their universities will be the institutions of choice for future generations of academics and university administrators wishing to make a positive impact on public and population health in Africa.
During the 2013/2014 academic year, the CARTA program is planning to offer up to 25 PhD fellowships. The Fellowship, which is tenable at one of the participating African universities, includes the cost of fellows’ participation in the advanced seminars; a modest monthly stipend; small grants for research activities; a laptop loaded with relevant software; funds for travel to conferences, as well as costs for participating in joint program activities. The fellowship runs for a maximum of four years. Fellowships cover tuition fees, medical insurance, and other university fees in special circumstances only. Partner institutions have committed to continue paying Fellows’ salaries (or equivalent) and to modify workloads for the fellows to enable them to fully participate in CARTA organized activities pertaining to their PhD programme and also to concentrate on their PhD studies. Fellows are encouraged to seek supplemental funding to cover additional costs of their doctoral program.
Participating African Universities are:
- Makerere University, Uganda
- Moi University, Kenya
- National University of Rwanda, Rwanda
- Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
- University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- University of Ibadan, Nigeria
- University of Malawi, Malawi
- University of Nairobi, Kenya
- University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Eligibility
- A Masters degree in a relevant field.
- Prior admission into a PhD program is not required for application but awards are contingent on such admission being obtained at one of the participating African universities.
- Applicants for this program must be teaching or research staff at one of the participating African institutions (listed above) and should be committed to contributing towards building capacity at their institutions.
- Applicants’ PhD research proposal must be related to public and population health or to sexuality studies.
- Fellowships are only open to people who have not yet registered for a PhD or are in the very early stages (first year) of the PhD program
- Applicants must commit to participation in all four annual residential Joint Advanced Seminars (JAS), and to engage in inter-seminar activities designed to keep fellows actively engaged and in continual communication with peers and mentors.
- Male applicants must be under the age of 40 years and female applicants under the age 45 years.
Application
- Contact the CARTA focal person at your institution (see list on flyer HERE) to discuss your interest and obtain application materials. Application forms may also be downloaded from the CARTA website HERE.
- Submit your application to the local CARTA committee in your institution (also email a copy of all application materials to carta@aphrc.org), which will conduct the initial screening process and submit successful applications to the CARTA secretariat. The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2013.
- If successful at the university selection level, the CARTA secretariat will inform and contact you to proceed to the next level.
- Successful applicants at the university selection level will be expected to: (1) Complete an online-based pre-JAS, Part I competency course (June 1, 2013 – July 15, 2013); (2) Send a full application to the CARTA secretariat. The deadline for submission of the full application is July 15, 2013.
- Final fellowship decision, which is independent of the university application, will be communicated by CARTA secretariat by September 30, 2013.
For questions, please contact the organizers at carta@aphrc.org. For further information, carefully review the official call for applications HERE or the official website HERE.
