Doctoral, Post-doctoral, and Early Career award for West Africans
The Queen Elizabeth Scholars (QES) program has funded NetLinks, a McGill University-University of Ghana-Université Joseph KI-ZERBO program to strengthen the capacity of researchers who work with farmers, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and local institutions to develop solutions to enhance equity and sustainable inclusive growth in rural communities. Our team works with private and public institutions to (i) improve inter-institutional coordination of services, (ii) enhance women’s access to financial, technical, and health services, (iii) increase women’s leadership opportunities and decision-making in businesses and communities, (iv) augment women’s voices in communities and with institutions, and (v) decrease gender inequities.
NetLinks will support a network of exceptional scholars from diverse disciplines who are at the doctoral, post-doctoral, and early career stages. The program integrates research and professional training with internships hosted at non-academic institutions working in rural communities. Cross-cutting research issues will include but are not be limited to (i) the quality of production of small-scale women farmers working on high-value animal products and other agricultural commodities, (ii) farmers’ association(s) and cooperatives to support women farmers and facilitate access to agriculture and financial services and development of small businesses, (iii) adolescent girls and women’s knowledge and skills needed to become successful agriculture-related entrepreneurs; and (iv) institutional collaborations to provide services and support for adolescent girls and women’s nutrition, development, and income generation.
The QES NetLinks program is a 5-week professional development program at the University of Ghana’s Nutrition Research and Training Centre in Asesewa, Ghana1. The program will be carried out in English; some language assistance will be available for Francophones, with the expectation that Anglophone Scholars expand their Francophone capabilities, and vice-versa. The program includes:
(i) training on leadership, ethics, communications/social media, gender equity, research methods, data management, and grant management;
(ii) a collaborative research project with a Research Placement Partner (RPP), located in Canada or an eligible2 African country, for at least 11 days of the 35 days of the program3. This may be in-person or virtual. The RPP may be a for-profit business, a non-governmental organization, or an independent research institution and will be chosen a priori in consultation with the scholar;
(iii) engagement activities with the local community; and
(iv) networking with other QEScholars and project resource persons
Eligibility criteria:
(i) Three types of applicants are being recruited:
a. all-but-dissertation (ABD) doctoral student (completed coursework and PhD qualifying exams)
b. postdoctoral researcher (PhD, conducting research under mentorship of a principal investigator)
c. early career researcher (PhD, independent researcher who has led her/his own laboratory or research project for 4-7 years or is in a tenure-track position)
(ii) Citizen of one of the eligible African countries2. Candidates holding dual nationality with Canada are not eligible.
(iii) Able to commit to a 5-week on-site training in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The program is expected to start in early March, 2022.
(iv) Meets all health requirements for Ghana, including yellow fever and COVID-19 vaccinations
(v) Language requirements: Francophones: have adequate English language skills; Anglophones: applicants with French language skills will be prioritized
Selection criteria:
(i) Quality of candidate
(ii) Potential to benefit from the training and research experience
(iii) Potential to contribute long-term to institutional capacity development
(iv) Potential to strengthen collaborations among institutions within eligible African countries2 and with Canada
Candidates who are currently collaborating or planning collaborations among institutions in eligible African countries2 are encouraged to apply.
Female candidates are encouraged to apply.
Applicants should send in one pdf file, with the following items to qes_linkin-ghana_admin.shn@mcgill.ca
(please note that the email address includes an underscore after qes and after ghana) by 23h59 GMT, Friday Jan 25, 2022. Applicants will be informed of the status of their application by January 29th. This call will remain open until the award positions are filled.
1. Maximum one-page statement on your interest in community development/ entrepreneurship/ gender equity
2. Maximum one-page statement of the value of the proposed training for your career
3. Current curriculum vitae (maximum 3 pages)
4. Letter of support from supervisor (doctoral, post-doctoral) or department chair (early career)
Please direct questions to:
Dr. Richmond Aryeetey (University of Ghana) at raryeetey@ug.edu.gh
Dr. Ella Compaore (Université Joseph KI-ZERBO) at ella.compaore@ujkz.bf
Dr. Grace Marquis (McGill University) at grace.marquis@mcgill.ca
NOTES
1 All international and in-country travel, accommodations, and meals will be paid directly by the program. Personal expenses related to visas, vaccines, COVID-19 testing, and airport transfers will be reimbursed in Ghana. The program does not provide stipends or salary compensation.
2 Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
3 Some scholars may have extended time on QES after the on-site program. The minimum time with the RPP is 30% of the total duration of a scholar’s program.
