Deadline: April 7, 2023
Applications are open for the Megatrends Afrika Fellowships 2023. The Megatrends Afrika project is awarding three fellowships to African researchers within the framework of its three core research themes: actors of violence and the changing nature of conflict, the effects of megatrends on democratisation and autocratisation, and global power shifts and multipolarity.
Fellowships will be granted for a period of up to three months between 15 May and 30 November 2023, full-time at one of the respective institutes in Berlin, Bonn or Kiel. Candidates will conduct a research project independently or, if suitable, in collaboration with project team members and colleagues – and contribute at least one paper to the project’s publication series.
Research Topics
They are in particular interested in research proposals on the following topics:
- Multidimensional crises: Consequences of multidimensional crisis (security, political order/regimes, food security, climate change) for social cohesion, resilience and gender dynamics, with a focus on the Sahel or the Lake Chad Basin.
- The changing nature of armed conflict and intervention, including remote warfare and hybrid warfare and their implications for state legitimacy.
- Demographic change: Effects of demographic change on political attitudes and participation; political attitudes and participation of young women.
- Digital technologies: their impact on African politics, societies and economies (i.e., political influence, misinformation, mobile money, investments).
- Climate change: Africa’s role in international climate change negotiations or issues related to climate adaptation.
- Energy transitions in Africa: African national and international interests and agendas.
Fellowship
- Fellowships will be granted for a period of up to three (3) months between 15 May and 30 November 2023, full-time. For the duration of the fellowship, fellows are expected to reside in the city of the respective institute, i.e., in Berlin, Bonn or Kiel.
- Fellows will receive a monthly grant of €2,800 as well as an economy fare return trip between the fellow’s place of residence and Germany. At IDOS, the honorarium will be calculated based on the IDOS fee schedule.
- Fellows are selected and placed according to the research agendas of the host institutes. Fellows who require a visa to enter Germany will be provided with a letter of support if invited.
Eligibility
- Applicant should have PhD in politics, economics, social sciences, geography, international relations, relevant regional sciences;
- Be originally from an African country;
- Have academic publications and a track record in research areas of relevance to the MTA project;
- Have experience in scientific policy advice is an advantage.
Selection Process
Following the review of written applications, shortlisted candidates will be invited to an online interview. In choosing applicants, the jury will put particular emphasis on the following criteria:
- Academic and professional merit based on the applicant’s publications and work experience;
- Academic and political relevance of the applicant’s project;
- Coherence and feasibility of the applicant’s project;
- Candidates’ ability to communicate effectively and make complex ideas accessible to a broad audience.
Application
All applications must be submitted as a single PDF document and must contain a one-page letter of motivation, academic CV including a list of academic publications (a sample of 2 pieces of recent publications), copies of relevant academic transcripts and/or diplomas (no translations needed), a written concept note containing the description of the applicant’s project.
The concept note should not exceed 2,000 words and include a discussion of the project/research topic, relevant project objectives and an explanation of the academic and policy relevance of the project as well as an overview of the theoretical and methodological approaches the fellow seeks to apply. The scope and ambition of the project should be framed in a way that the publication will be finalised by the end of the fellowship.
The deadline for fellowship applications is April 7, 2023, 11:59 p.m. CEST. Please send your application by email to [email protected]. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be considered.
For more information, visit Megatrends Afrika Fellowship.
