The Mo Ibrahim Foundation Academy Fellowship is open to individuals who are dynamic, creative, driven and excited to contribute to Chatham House’s research teams. As a fellow, you will have the opportunity to analyse key global and national challenges and develop policy solutions.
Academy fellowships provide emerging leaders at the early to mid-point of their career with the opportunity to develop their leadership, research, networking, and communication skills, deepen their knowledge and understanding of critical issues in international affairs, publish written work and speak at key events, as well as expand their personal networks and reach – all of which will enable them to contribute to positive change. Fellows join a diverse cohort of professionals from a variety of sectors including academia, NGOs, business, government, or the media who are looking for the next step or transition in their career.
Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is a world-renowned independent policy institute. Based in London, our mission is to help build a sustainably secure, prosperous and just world. The Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs was formally launched by the patron of Chatham House, Her Majesty The Queen, on 18 November 2014. It offers potential leaders from around the world the opportunity to engage with and contribute to the work and mission of Chatham House.
Requirements:
Citizenship
The fellowship is open to citizens of any African country.
Applications will also be accepted from applicants holding dual nationality which includes any African country.
Education
Applicants must hold a completed BA degree or equivalent and have experience with conducting research.
Career
The ideal candidate should be at the early-to-mid-stage of their career and come from one of the following fields or work: academia, NGO, business, government departments, civil society or the media. All applicants should possess knowledge of, and an interest in, international affairs, their chosen area of research, and Chatham House’s mission and research.
Age restrictions
No age restrictions for applicants.
Benefits
A fellow’s time will be split between three key areas:
- Completing a personal research project: the fellow will choose and design a personal project to undertake with the guidance of a Chatham House expert (approximately 50%).
- Leadership Programme: it is a key part of all fellowships. It aims to develop fellows knowledge, network, self-awareness and to equip them with important skills on which they can draw in their future careers as leaders in their field (approximately 30%).
- Contributing to ongoing research activities: working with their host research team and other Chatham House teams as appropriate, fellows will contribute to existing research priorities in line with the Chatham House mission (approximately 20%).
Leadership Programme
All fellows participate in and contribute to the Leadership Programme which encompasses the following components:
- Intensive induction week
Academy fellowships begin with an intensive five-day induction week to become familiarized with the elements of the fellowships, meet their host research programme and have their first personal development coaching session. - Weekly discussion seminars
In these sessions, fellows meet and discuss current international affairs challenges with subject experts from Chatham House and beyond. The sessions cover the principal substantive and skills-based areas vital for informed and effective international leadership. Fellows usually chair these sessions and are expected to contribute to and learn from one another’s experience. - Global Introductions off-site visits (subject to latest Covid-19 regulations)
These half-day visits take place approximately every two months and allow fellows to meet with leaders and senior decision-makers from a variety of sectors. Previous visits have included the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for International Development, Standard Chartered, and Thomson Reuters. - Leadership workshops
Every two months, fellows participate in half-day workshops focusing on skills development within specific aspects of leadership such as ‘Leadership in a new role’ and ‘Fostering innovation and entrepreneurship’. - Project presentations
Fellows present updates on their research projects to help develop presentation skills, provide a forum for peer-review and to analyse issues outside their own area of expertise. - Personal development coaching
Fellows have access to one-on-one sessions with a dedicated coach as a way to grow their self-awareness. Fellows work with the coach to set personal development objectives which they work to meet during their fellowship and beyond. - Media training
Fellows learn effective interview skills needed for television and radio culminating in a mock interview from which they receive feedback on style and any areas of improvement - ‘Leadership in the 21st Century’ Breakfast Briefings
All fellows benefit from priority access to the ‘Leadership in the 21st Century’ Breakfast Briefings series. There, they have the opportunity to discuss leadership experiences and learn in an informal setting with leaders from government, business, media and the non-profit sectors. - Career mentoring (optional)
Fellows’ development is facilitated and supported by partnering them with mentors to enhance their career perspective and path.
Remuneration and benefits
- The fellow will receive a monthly stipend of £2,365 which will cover London living costs, including accommodation, utilities, food, transport and other basic expenses.
The Academy will cover costs related to relocation, visas and payment of the UK’s Immigration Healthcare Surcharge which allows access to the UK National Health Service (Note: candidates may be required to pay for dental and optical treatments and medicines prescribed by a doctor), fieldwork and travel, research activities, and possible publication.
- To apply for the Mo Ibrahim Foundation Academy Fellowships, Chatham asks that you propose a research project that aims to contribute to Chatham House’s work, research priorities, and mission.
- Fellows are strongly encouraged to consider our existing research programmes and to develop research proposals that seek to directly contribute to our work on specific topics and regions. Below you can see some suggested topic areas for research projects.
- You should take into consideration how you can contribute to these priority research areas when designing your project proposal.
Timeline:
Applications are open between 4 April and 10am (BST) on 25 April 2022.
Duration
Academy Fellows will spend ten months at Chatham House between October 2022 and July 2023.
Location
The fellow will be based full-time at Chatham House in London. However, working patterns will be flexible and some aspects of the programme may be held online, in line with safe Covid-19 working practices.
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