Application Deadline: December 15th 2018
The Next Generation Social Sciences program, launched in 2011, responds to an emerging dilemma within higher education in the global South caused by the extraordinary emphasis on increasing undergraduate enrollment without proportionate investment in faculty development. The program currently operates to strengthen tertiary education in Africa through a series of institutional and individual interventions, creating a pipeline for the development of faculty and research communities working on peace, security, and development topics. Currently the program operates in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.
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.
The doctoral dissertation completion fellowship supports a one-year leave from teaching responsibilities and a stipend up to US$15,000 to permit the completion of a dissertation that advances research on peace, security, and development topics.
Eligibility:
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
- be in the final year of writing and have completed at least one dissertation chapter
As of May 2015, the program prioritizes applicants holding a faculty position or demonstrating a durable commitment to higher education, but does not restrict eligibility to such individuals.
The program seeks to promote diversity and encourages women to apply.
Thematic Priorities:
The project features a thematic focus in order to renew basic research agendas addressing peace, security, and development topics as well as strengthen interdisciplinary social science research capacity on these issues. This program also offers two workshops each year to help fellows develop and strengthen research questions, match research methods to questions, engage key literature in their fields, and produce research publications.
The program encourages innovative research on peace, security, and development topics, moving the boundaries of scholarship and research by exploring concrete linkages between these themes. We envision supporting a diverse set of projects that shed light on a range of economic, political, and social processes using evidence-based research.
Some projects, we hope, will examine large-scale phenomena and others small-scale social processes. The strongest projects typically will explore connections across these scales. Some research projects will rigorously explore elements of civil society, human rights, peacebuilding mechanisms, and rule of law. Others will explore root causes of conflict, human insecurity, and violence. Above all projects should advance important fields of study and social science knowledge.
Application Process:
All applications must be submitted using the online application portal.
Strong proposals will offer clear and concise descriptions of the project and its significance. Proposals should display thorough knowledge of the relevant social science literature that applicants will engage and the methodologies relevant to the project. In addition, applicants must demonstrate that all proposed activities are feasible and can be completed in a timely manner. All proposals will be evaluated for these criteria by an independent, international committee of leading scholars from a range of social science disciplines.
Fellows must be willing to attend at least one workshop sponsored by the SSRC each year that are intended to help early-career faculty produce scholarly publications. We anticipate awarding as many as 45 fellowships in total across all categories each year.
Deadline:
The next application deadline is 15 December, 2018.
For inquiries or technical questions pertaining to the online application portal, please contact SSRC staff from the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa Program: nextgenafrica@ssrc.org.
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