Closing date: 12 August 2018
The University of Pretoria’s Future Africa Institute invites
applications for Postdoctoral Research Fellowships, from among the
doctoral graduates and early-career postdoctoral fellows linked to
networks and initiatives supported by Carnegie Corporation New York.
Researchers working within an inter- and transdisciplinary approach
to developing a deeper understanding of the African bioeconomy are
encouraged to apply. The program will select fellows from the following eligible CCNY supported programs:
- African Humanities Program
- Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA)
- University of Cape Town (Corporation-supported postdoctoral fellows)
- University of Ghana (Corporation-supported postdoctoral fellows)
- Makerere University (Corporation-supported postdoctoral fellows & MISR doctoral graduates)
- Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa Fellowship Program
- Networks comprising the Regional Initiative in Science and Education (RISE):
- AFNNET
- AMSEN
- SABINA
- SSAWRN
- WIO-RISE
- Regional Universities Forum for Capacity-Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
- University of the Witwatersrand (Corporation-supported postdoctoral fellows)
Research projects will be considered and developed on the broad topic of inclusive growth and development through the bio-resource economy,
which has been selected for its relevance to development in Africa.
Agriculture and indigenous bio-resources are in need of urgent
development and protection and represent some of the most significant
untapped sources of sustainable socio-economic development.
Perspectives from the arts and humanities relevant to these concerns are encouraged
both as complements to initiatives in the natural and social sciences,
and as proponents of research questions than might lead to broad
interdisciplinary investigation.
Research might be conducted in either or both countries, but the
fellows will retain their position or base at their home institutions.
The model will be flexible to allow for minimal disruption of the
academic responsibilities at the fellows’ home institutions. Ideally,
fellows should have a position at a home institution, or have a
commitment from a home institution to support or consider a future
position.
To be selected, applicants need to display a compelling vision of
their future involvement in the development of research projects,
programs, human capacity, specific policies, or societal structures.
The selection process will consider individual qualities but also
focus on ensuring a diversity of culture, subject background (natural
and social sciences, humanities) and gender among the fellows.
Selection criteria
The following criteria will be used for the nomination and selection of fellows:
- A PhD degree or equivalent qualification;
- A faculty or a continuing research position at a research institution;
- Active in research and teaching at an African institution of higher education or research;
- A sustained record of outstanding scientific or scholarly outputs;
- Interest in translating and communicating the results of their work for impact in society;
- Demonstrated leadership ability in research and beyond.
Other criteria which will guide selection include:
- An interest in the role of research in addressing complex issues affecting society;
- An interest in collaborations across disciplines and sectors (e.g. industry, civil society, government, etc.);
- A commitment to participate in all the activities of the fellowship; and
- The intent to share what is learned in the program with their broader networks.
All applicants have to provide two support letters by academic referees (details are provided in the application form). One of the referees has to commit to remain involved
in future communications and mentorship in case of selection of the
applicant into the program. This referee will be informed about the
progress of the fellow and should be willing to support the fellow if
he or she requires it.
African bioeconomy
For purposes of this call, “bioeconomy” is defined activities that
make use of bio-innovations, and are based on biological sources,
materials and processes to generate sustainable economic, social and
environmental development.
Applications are welcome for such topic areas as:
- Technological and non-technological exploitation of natural
resources such as animals, plant biodiversity, micro-organisms and
minerals to improve human health, address food security, and
subsequently to contribute to economic growth and improved quality of
life. - Ecological issues and climate change as influencers, promoters, and inhibitors of bioeconomic advancement.
- The politics of the bioeconomy, including tensions around land
and food security, biodiversity and indigenous knowledge, and economic
growth and growing income insecurity and inequality. - Cultural perspectives and practices that influence, assist, or impair human interactions with the natural environment.
This early-career fellowship will aim to develop research leadership
to fill a critical gap in the African research capacity ecosystem.
Emerging research leaders in the natural and social sciences and
humanities are encouraged to apply for this fellowship to help address
Africa’s most urgent challenges and opportunities to develop a
sustainable and inclusive bioresource-based economy.
Development challenge and Africa
The complexity and scale of the development challenge—as captured by
the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 (amongst others)—require a
radically different and disruptive approach to scientific discovery and
innovation.
This program supports a goal-oriented and interconnected approach to
research that connects various disciplines in the natural and social
sciences and the humanities that are affected by, or engage with,
specific goals shared by scholars, practitioners in industry and
non-governmental organizations, and policymakers (transdisciplinarity).
The program proposes a new model for research leadership training in
Africa at the intersection of disciplines, industry, government and
civil society.
This process aims to stimulate mutual learning in different parts of
science and society by seeking joint problem-solving activities to
create sustainable solutions in a real-world context.
Overview of the Program
The Early Career Research Leader Fellowship is an initiative of the
University of Pretoria’s Future Africa Institute, funded by Carnegie
Corporation of New York. It serves early career research leaders in
basic and applied sciences, engineering, social sciences, the
humanities and the arts. It aims to grow African academics in their
thought leadership, team development, stakeholder engagement, and
collaboration with an intention to stimulate the emergence of centers
of research excellence to solve complex problems that face Africa and
the world.
The program design for the Early Career Research Leader Fellowship will
aim to stimulate new thinking on the perceived frontiers of science to
produce theoretical frameworks for transformation, develop novel
questions and/or novel approaches to old and emerging new questions
with a focus on adaptability, resilience, and co-design of systems for
sustainable and equitable development in Africa.
Program Structure
In recognising the need for transdisciplinary research
collaborations, in the form of cross-cutting research themes, this
program includes opportunities to develop research networks, support
for translation previous research into publications, and provide
mentorship for the development of a research agenda and the start of
resident programs at the home institution. Seed funding to address these
outcomes for the fellow will be provided.
Other objectives of the program include:
- Functioning in a twinned, split-site approach with the home
institution to strengthen the research of the fellow at her/his home
institution as well as the hosting institution; - Using the project as a basis to launch or advance the development of a research program at the home institution of the fellow;
- Promoting interaction between a University of Pretoria researcher and academic leaders at the home institution of the fellow;
- Exposing the fellow to a structured skills development program; and
- Integrating the fellow into a Pan-African network of researchers.
The Early Career Research Leader Fellowship Program will follow a two-phase implementation plan:
- During the first year, the focus will be on skills development of
the individual, active assessment of the landscape of the research
challenge and development of inter- and transdisciplinary elements of
the research project.
The fellow will be guided in the identification of other relevant
disciplines and contact with at least one collaborator from a second
discipline to that of the applicant and supervisor, as well as relevant
sectors of society (from civil society, government and/or industry).
Interaction with the stakeholders will comprise the design of either a
workshop or survey to assess the needs and potential opportunity for
collaboration and research. This information will feed into a process
of revising and refining the research proposal, which will be assessed
by peers in the group, learning from each other and contributing to the
development of each others’ projects.
- During the second year of the fellowship, peer assessment and
reflection will continue for the development and eventual implementation
of the research projects.
Regular interaction with industry, civil society organisations, and
policy makers to critique research approaches and proposals will be
maintained, specifically designed to stimulate critical review of
research questions and produce a more effective and inclusive
transdisciplinary problem statement and suggested pathways for
investigation.
The leadership development component of
the program uses a highly interactive approach to training, application
of skills to a leadership project, peer support, and mentorship.
Fellows will attend an initial 5-day, intensive on-site program,
cycling between theory, application, and reflection. Participants are
challenged to work collaboratively to design initiatives that advance a
new paradigm for African science.
This development program will include:
- Core elements of collective leadership
- Creative and systems thinking
- Development of effective networks
- Stakeholder engagement for change
- Optimising the efficiency and impact of collaborative efforts
- Advanced dialogue and communication skills, in particular,
emphasis on the qualitative representation of quantitative results,
from written narratives, through graphic visualisations, to multi-media
presentations - Effective problem solving and decision making
During the remainder of the first year of the fellowship,
participants will continue to engage with the group and have access to
professional support.
During the second year of the program, fellows will complete their
projects and present them at the second leadership development training
intervention, which will consist of a 3-day intensive on-site workshop.
Other structured training of the program will include:
• Approaches to inter- and transdisciplinary research;
• Leadership for research program development;
• Science communication and advice for knowledge transfer;
• Critical research skills, such as writing, project design, measures of excellence.
Fellows would be required to attend all workshops (approximately two
weeks in person, followed by experiential learning and implementation
throughout the fellowship).
Expected commitment
The Early Career Research Leader Fellowship Program seeks candidates
who are committed to developing a new generation of scholars and
research leadership in Africa.
The program itself will require that at least 70% (8-9
months) of the academic year is spent at the Future Africa Campus of
the University of Pretoria. Furthermore, fellows will be
expected to develop their research leadership projects and engage with
other fellows for peer support.
Training and development components of the program will require
onsite engagement with a number of different audiences for the duration
of the stay at Future Africa. These will be integrated into an overall
schedule to allow for participation in the advanced workshops and other
skills transfer mechanisms envisaged to ensure the efficacy of the
fellowship.
The Fellowship will carry the bulk of the costs associated with the
program, including accommodation, meals, and allowances for attending
one conference as well as traveling to the home institution once per
annum. Costs for visas, vaccinations, travel and medical insurance, and
travel not related to the academic content of the program will not be
not covered by the program.
Mentorship and network development
Fellows will be required to participate in a structured mentorship system. This will include:
- Each fellow will have research mentors at both the home and host institutions;
- Each fellow will be paired with a career mentor at Future Africa,
other than the research mentor. Guidance will be given for the
expectations from such mentorship relationships, including support for
‘upward connection’ in the research system, discussions on an academic
career, structures and systems, and research program and institutional
development; and - Fellows will be required to act as a mentor to four Future Africa
resident Ph.D. students to share their experiences from training
workshops with these students.
Interaction within these groups will be actively sought through
alignment and integration of contact sessions, as well as shared
communication networks, thus contributing to the pool of African
expertise and expanding the effective reach of the growing Pan-African
networks.
Selection criteria reiterated
Only doctoral graduates and early-career postdoctoral fellows
linked to Carnegie Corporation New York supported networks and
initiatives need apply. Eligible programs are:
- African Humanities Program
- Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA)
- University of Cape Town (Corporation-supported doctoral and postdoctoral fellows)
- University of Ghana (Corporation-supported doctoral and postdoctoral fellows)
- Makerere University (Corporation-supported doctoral and postdoctoral fellows, plus MISR doctoral graduates)
- Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa Fellowship Program
- Networks comprising the Regional Initiative in Science and Education (RISE): AFNNET, AMSEN, SABINA, SSAWRN, WIO-RISE
- Regional Universities Forum for Capacity-Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) (Corporation-supported doctoral fellows)
- University of the Witwatersrand (Corporation-supported doctoral and postdoctoral fellows)
All applications will be reviewed and shortlisted by representatives
of Future Africa at the University of Pretoria, in collaboration with
expert reviewers at other institutions where appropriate.
Click here to for more information and application link:
http://www.futureafrica.science/index.php/19-what-s-happening/147-future-africa-carnegie-early-career-research-leadership-fellowship
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