AIMS NEI Fellowship Program 2020/2021 for Women in Climate Change Science (Fully Funded)

Application Deadline: June 30th 2020

The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Next Einstein Initiative (AIMS-NEI) is pleased to invite interested female scientists to apply for the third round of the AIMS-NEI Fellowships for Women in Climate Change Science (WiCCS). Climate change – including global warming – poses significant threats to humanity. Documented impacts of global warming include an increased frequency and severity of heatwaves across the globe and frequent droughts, both of which exacerbate food insecurity and health problems in many parts of the world, particularly in Africa.

The AIMS-NEI Fellowship Program for Women in Climate Change Science (WiCCS) seeks to increase women’s participation in, and contribution to, to a more sustainable societal response to climate change.

This fellowship program was made possible by a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada, and financial support from the Government of Canada, provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC), It is part of a broader effort by AIMS-NEI to build the intellectual capital needed to better our understanding of the causes of climate change in Africa, and to solve the myriad challenges to Africa’s development resulting from climate change.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible, applicants must be:

female;
in possession before the fellowship start date of a doctorate in a quantitative discipline, including but not limited to applied mathematics, climatology, physics, computational chemistry, statistical ecology, computer science, theoretical biology, and engineering;
currently employed, on either a permanent or a temporary basis, in a non-profit work environment, including government;
actively engaged in research, policy, and/or practice relevant to climate change modelling, mitigation, adaptation, and/or resilience among others; and
the lead and/or senior author of at least one refereed publication on a topic relevant to climate change modelling, the causative factors of climate change, climate change mitigation, adaptation, and/or resilience etc.

Benefits

Financial support
 The maximum value of the fellowship is USD 35,000.
 The fellowship will cover:
o transport (air/train ticket, petrol, etc.) to/from the host institution for the Fellow, up to three accompanying dependents (a spouse, two children) and an in-country nanny, at a maximum cost of USD 6,000;
o transportation and accommodation to enable the Fellow to present work funded by the fellowship at one international conference (up to USD 2,000);
o a living stipend for the Fellow (USD 12,000) plus a supplemental stipend for up to three accompanying dependents and nanny (up to USD 6 000); and
o funding for project-related activities.
 The actual amount provided to each Fellow will depend on the budgets submitted when applying (see Application procedure).
 An initial lump sum, dependent on the submitted budgets, will be paid to each Fellow within a month of the fellowship start date. The balance will be paid in two installments, per a schedule defined by AIMS NEI and contingent on the receipt of satisfactory progress reports from the Fellow (see Expectations).
 Fellows are responsible for complying with applicable tax laws.
 All air tickets will be bought on the Fellow’s behalf by AIMS NEI.
 Fellows will be required to submit receipts for all equipment purchased with funds from their fellowship.

Application Procedures

To apply, please complete this online application form and submit by the 30 June 2020, 23:59 CAT with the following documents attached:

a completed personal details form, including a detailed budget for all non-project-related activities;
a completed project proposal form, including a detailed budget for all project-related activities;
a curriculum vitae; and
an electronic copy of a representative publication in climate change modelling, its causes, climate change mitigation, adaptation and/or resilience in which the applicant is the lead and/or senior author.

Supporting documents should be saved as a pdf in the format: “name of the research program_type of_document_ AIMSentity/centre_monthyear of applying_first and last name of applicant.” For instance, “MS4CR fellowship_application form_AIMS-NEI_Apr2020_SarahJake”.

Applicants should request that three confidential letters of support be emailed to [email protected], using as subject “MS4CR fellowship application support letter-first and last name of applicant” by the application deadline. Two of these letters should come from the applicant’s immediate supervisor at her home institution and the named collaborator at her proposed host institution. At least one letter should come from a referee who is qualified to assess the applicant’s experience in climate change research, practice, and/or policy. You should share with your referees a copy of the ‘Terms of Reference for Fellows’ and the ‘Instructions for Referees’ document. These can be downloaded on the website.

Incomplete applications will not be evaluated.

Applicants are advised to carefully read the following documents:

Fellows will be selected by an international selection committee appointed by AIMS-NEI.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the AIMS NEI Fellowship Program 2020 for Women in Climate Change Science