CARTA PhD Fellowships, Cohort 11

About the programme The Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) is pleased to invite suitable applications for its prestigious PhD Fellowships for 2025, Cohort 11. CARTA is a collaborative initiative involving eight African universities, four African research institutes and eight non-African partners. Its mission is to bolster the capacity of African institutions to conduct globally competitive research, with a particular focus on addressing the health and development challenges of the region.

CARTA offers a collaborative doctoral training programme in public and population health. The programme was developed in response to the great challenges faced by Africa's institutions of higher education in training and retaining the next generation of academics. CARTA seeks to fund candidates who will be future leaders in their institutions — young, capable and committed individuals who, in time, will ensure that their universities become institutions of choice for future generations of academics and university administrators wishing to make a positive impact on public and population health in Africa.

Training and seminars Successful applicants attend CARTA's innovative series of Joint Advanced Seminars (JASes) for cohorts of doctoral students admitted and registered in participating African universities. The development and delivery of these courses are jointly led by regional and international experts, and include didactic sessions, discussions, demonstrations and practice labs. Fellows must commit to participation in all four annual residential Joint Advanced Seminars and to engaging in the inter-seminar activities designed to keep fellows actively engaged and in continual communication with peers and mentors.

Eligibility - A Master's degree in a relevant field; - Applicants must be full-time teaching or research staff at one of the participating African institutions and committed to building capacity at their institutions; - The applicant's PhD research proposal must be related to public and population health; - Prior admission into a PhD programme is not required for application, but awards are contingent on such admission being obtained at one of the participating African universities; - Fellowships are open only to individuals who have not yet registered for a PhD, or who are in the very early stages (first year) of a PhD programme and are yet to define their research proposal. Fellows seeking support to complete a PhD or secure an additional PhD are not eligible; - Male applicants must be under the age of 40 years and female applicants under the age of 45 years.

The fellowship welcomes applications from any discipline — including public health, demography, anthropology, communication and economics — as long as the research question aims to contribute to public and population health issues in Africa. CARTA is committed to gender equity and implements a series of interventions to support the progress of women in academia; women are therefore particularly encouraged to apply.

Participating institutions Eligible institutions include Makerere University (Uganda), Moi University (Kenya), Obafemi Awolowo University (Nigeria), University of Ibadan (Nigeria), Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (Malawi) and Associates, University of Nairobi (Kenya), University of Rwanda (Rwanda), University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa — please note South Africans are not eligible), Somali National University (Somalia, through collaboration with Makerere University), African Population and Health Research Center (Kenya), Agincourt Health and Population Unit (South Africa) and Ifakara Health Institute (Tanzania).

How to apply Contact the CARTA focal person at your institution to discuss your interest and obtain application materials. Submit your application forms and reference letters to the focal persons at partner institutions by 15 April 2024, with a copy to the CARTA Secretariat at carta@aphrc.org. Partner institutions will nominate candidates, who will then be invited to the full application process. Institutional selection takes place between 15 April and 15 May 2024, with nominated candidates invited to submit a full application between 1 June and 15 July 2024.