Early-career female researchers from 21 least developed member countries of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) are eligible for an ambitious new postdoctoral programme offered by IsDB and TWAS. The fellowships will support research related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, providing recipients with high-level training in areas relevant to sustainability science.

IsDB-TWAS Postdoctoral Fellowships for Skills Building in Sustainability Science – Women only – are tenable at centres of excellence in developing countries from this list: https://twas.org/developing-countries-south, i.e. research institutions with a well-established track record in research and a demonstrated competency in a field relevant to sustainability science.

A host centre should be identified by the candidate based on her particular area of research. In the latter case, TWAS and the scientific reviewers associated with the evaluation process for selecting the awards will make a decision on the suitability of the host institute proposed by the candidate. In all cases, the host centre must be located in a developing country.

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants for IsDB-TWAS Postdoctoral Fellowships must be women only and meet the following criteria:

  • Hold a PhD degree in an area of science relevant to the research area of the Fellowship programme
  •  Up to 45 years of age at the time of the application
  • Has preferably 5 years of experience in the field of research after the PhD
  • Host Institute must be in a developing country from the list
  • Provide an official acceptance letter from the Host Institute
  • Must be a national of and resident in an IsDB LDMC from the list provided
  • Must be employed at an institution in her home country

Benefits

  • The fellowship award will offer an allowance for bench fee costs up to USD2,565 as a contribution towards laboratory expenses necessary for the awardee’s research.
  • The fellowship award will also cover the cost of a round-trip air ticket up to USD1,000. Any other travel needed, including airport transfers and local transportation, will be the awardee’s responsibility.

Research Areas

The Postdoctoral Fellowship programme provides support for research projects in the following fields (please refer to the guidelines for details):

  • Sustainable Agriculture
  • Education
  • Education for Sustainable Development 
  • Climate Change
  • Energy
  • Sustainable cities
  • Responsible growth
  • Waste management
  • Population growth
  • Green chemistry
  • Biodiversity
  • Plastic pollution and Micro-plastics
  • Water and hygiene

Awarded female scholars must:

  • Not take up other assignments during the period of her fellowship
  • Present a research plan agreed by her host supervisor
  • Be financially responsible for any accompanying family members
  • Be autonomous in regard to visa application, health insurance and housing in the host country

Method of Application:

  • Applications must be submitted only online via the link on the bottom of the webpage. Applications submitted by any other means will not be considered
  • No applications will be accepted after the deadline. Therefore, it is recommended to submit your electronic application, as early as possible
  • Incomplete applications will not be considered
  • Applications from male researchers will be rejected
  • Please note that a researcher may only submit one application at a time and for only one kind of grant or fellowship (i.e. either an IsDB-TWAS Fellowship, or a TWAS Research Grant or the OWSD Early Career Women Scientists (ECWS) Fellowship). 
  • For any queries please write to isdb@twas.org

When to apply

  • The deadline for receiving applications is 19 July 2021. We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the deadline but submit the application as early as you can to enable us to process your application as quickly as possible.

Download(s): 



Microsoft Office document icon sample_acceptance_letter_for_host_institutions_isdb-twas_fellowships.doc
32.5 KB
PDF icon application_guidelines_for_pdoc_2021.pdf
721.93 KB
PDF icon isdb_twas_postdocfellowship_guidelines-2021.pdf
458.25 KB
PDF icon isdb_twas_2021_postdocfellowshipswomen_flyer.pdf
877.73 KB

Application Deadline:19 July 2021.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage