2023 Megatrends Afrika Fellowships for African Researchers

The Megatrends Afrika project is awarding three (3) fellowships to African researchers within the framework of its three core research themes: i) actors of violence and the changing nature of conflict, ii) the effects of megatrends on democratisation and autocratisation, and iii) 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.

The Fellowship

Fellows will conduct a research project independently or, if suitable, in collaboration with project team members or other SWP, IDOS and IfW colleagues – and contribute at least one paper to the project’s publication series. All fellows are expected to actively participate in project meetings, events and other relevant activities of their host institution.
The working language of the Megatrends Afrika team is English. Publications will be accepted in English, French and German.

Requirements

PhD in politics, economics, social sciences, geography, international relations, relevant regional sciences;
originally from an African country;
academic publications and a track record in research areas of relevance to the MTA project;
experience in scientific policy advice is an advantage.

Research 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.

Benefits

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.

Method of Application

All applications must be submitted as a single PDF document and must contain a one-page letter of motivation, academic CV incl. 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 Megatrends-Afrika@swp-berlin.org. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be considered.

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