EASST Visiting Fellowship

Application Deadline: Monday, February 10, 2020

The East Africa Social Science Translation (EASST) Collaborative invites researchers interested in developing their skills in impact evaluation to apply for a 4-month fellowship (sabbatical) at the University of California, Berkeley, to be completed during Fall 2020 (August- December) or Spring 2021 (January – May).

To be eligible, researchers must be East African nationals who hold a staff or student position at a research institution, university, or other organization headquartered in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, or South Sudan. Applicants must already have a PhD or be working towards a PhD, except in the case that they are directly referred by an EASST fellow.

Requirements:

To be eligible, researchers must be East African nationals who hold a staff or student position at a research institution, university, or other organization headquartered in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda,Burundi, or South Sudan.Applicants must already have a PhD or be working towards a PhD, except in the case that they are directly referred by an EASST fellow.

Researchers from quantitative social science disciplines are encouraged to apply. 2 of the 4 fellowship slots are reserved for researchers in studying infectious disease with a rigorouseconomics and implementation science lens, while the other 2 slots are available for researchers interested in any topic in development economics (agriculture, financial inclusion, etc.).

Be a nationalof an East African country (i.e. Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan,or Uganda);

Have completed a PhD within the last 8 years,or be enrolled in a PhDprogram in economics, statistics, epidemiology/public health, or another social science discipline(in exceptional cases, the applicants will hold a Masters’ degree in a relevant fieldand have plansto pursue a PhD in the future. These cases will require a direct referral by aformerEASST fellow);

Have a current affiliation with a research institution, university or other research organization in East Africa,preferably one that supports policy-relevant, quantitative social science research;

Plan to return to a research institute in East Africa after the fellowship.If currently enrolled in a PhD program outside the African continent,scholars may complete their PhD before their return

FELLOWSHIP ACTIVITIES

During the fellowship period, visiting researchers will:

Participate in seminars and conferences on research in social and economic development;

Present their own research during seminars and workshops;

Engage in UC Berkeley coursework, such as a rigorous doctoral-level seminar in impact evaluation;

Carry out an independent research project under the mentorship of a CEGA faculty member (projects can use existing data for retrospective analysis or set-up a study design for future data collection);

Meet and collaborate with faculty andstudents in multiple academic departments;

Visit and present at other CEGA campuses, including UC San Diego,UCLA,and/or Stanford University;

Design impact evaluation curricula that will be taught at an East African institution; and

Participate in policy dissemination by contributing to policy briefs, attending meetings with policymakers and stakeholders, and presenting at events.

Researchers from quantitative social science disciplines are encouraged to apply. The request for application for the 2020-2021 cohort of EASST fellows will be open until 9:00 am U.S. Pacific Time on Monday, February 10, 2020. Eligible applicants are invited to apply following the directions in the Request for Applications (see orange button), which contains details on the fellowship activities, selection criteria, and forms for submission. Female applicants are especially encouraged to apply.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the EASST Visiting Fellowship 2020/2021

Application Deadline: 11:59PM Pacific Time, 31 March 2017.

In Spring 2017, EASST will host its sixth annual Visiting Fellowship application. The EASST Visiting Fellowship seeks to equip East African social scientists with the skills needed to carry out rigorous evaluations of social or economic development projects in East Africa. During a four-month fellowship, researchers will be based at the University of California, Berkeley during the Fall academic semester (approximately August 20 – December 20, 2017).

Selected fellows are able to audit courses, present research, attend seminars, develop curricula and design collaborative research projects.

Requirements:

ELIGIBILITY
Eligible candidates for all EASST programs must:

Be a resident of an East African country participating in EASST (i.e. Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, or Uganda);
Have a PhD or Master’s degree (completed within the last 8 years) or be enrolled in a PhD program in economics, statistics, epidemiology/public health, or another social science discipline;
Hold a staff position at a research institution, university or other organization in East Africa, preferably one that supports policy-relevant, quantitative social science research;
Have participated in or have familiarity with impact evaluation research (either randomized or quasi-experimental studies) and econometrics;
Have participated in field-based data collection and rigorous empirical research/analysis;
Be computer literate, familiar with software programs such as STATA or R, fluent in English, and a strong public speaker;
Plan to return to a research institute in East Africa for at least 1 year after the fellowship; and
Demonstrate a commitment to building the capacity of African research institutions/universities.
Applicants interested in infectious diseases, women’s empowerment, agriculture, or digital credit will be given preference

FELLOWSHIP ACTIVITIES
During the fellowship period, visiting researchers will:
• Participate in seminars and conferences on research in social and economic development;
• Present their own work during seminars and workshops;
• Audit courses, including rigorous doctoral-level seminars in impact evaluation;
• Carry out an independent research project under the mentorship of faculty members. Projects can use existing data for retrospective analysis or set-up a study design for future data collection;
• Meet and collaborate with faculty or students in multiple academic departments;
• Design impact evaluation curricula that will be taught at an East African institution;
• Participate in policy dissemination by contributing to policy briefs, attending meetings with policymakers and stakeholders, and presenting at events;

SELECTION CRITERIA
Successful candidates must:
• Demonstrate strong quantitative skills, with past coursework in economics or statistics.
• Demonstrate an interest in rigorous program evaluation, policy analysis, and micro-level field data collection.
• Demonstrate a commitment to engaging policy-makers and disseminating research findings.
• Submit a clear and innovative research proposal to evaluate a specific public policy or program, using impact evaluation methodologies.

Benefits

Fellows receive a living stipend, round-trip economy class air travel to Berkeley, CA, and the opportunity to receive seed funding promote impact evaluation at their home institution in East Africa.

Downloads:

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the EASST Visiting Fellowship 2017/2018

EASST Visiting Fellowship 2020/2021 for East African social scientists (Fully Funded to University of California, USA)

EASST Visiting Fellowship 2017/2018 for East African social scientists (Fully Funded to University of California, USA)