Call for Applications for Ph.D. Fellowships under DAAD’s In-country/In-region Fellowship Program

About the organization:

The World Agroforestry Centre (also known as the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry or ICRAF) is an independent research institution that generates science-based knowledge about the complex role trees play in agricultural landscapes. The Centre uses its research to inform policies and practices that benefit the poor and the environment– through developing agroforestry and landscape management innovations, tools and policy recommendations, for increased food security and ecosystem health. ICRAF regards MS and PhD fellowships as important means of developing excellent research capacity in developing countries.

The Centre’s headquarters is located in Nairobi, Kenya, and research and development activities are conducted in 33 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. ICRAF is supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and is a recipient of funding from over 50 different donors.

To learn more about our organization, please visit our website: www.worldagroforestry.org

About DAAD Scholarships

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), through its in-country/in-region fellowship initiative, is considering to fund Ph.D. Fellows who will conduct their Ph.D. studies in various aspects of agroforestry with ICRAF at its ongoing projects in East African offices (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania). For more information about DAAD in-country/in-region scholarships, please visithttp://nairobi.daad.de/en/22515/index.html

ICRAF is thus inviting applications from qualified Ph.D. candidates against the following topics for the likely locations of research indicated against the topics:

Serial No.	Title (a brief description of the relevant ICRAF projects is in the file named: ICRAF project briefs)	Location	Required qualification: Master’s degree from an accredited academic institution in:
1	Assessing temporal variation in terrestrial rainfall recycling within Africa using dendrochronological and isotopic techniques of analysis	Rwanda	Biology, Ecology or Forestry/Agroforestry  preferably with experience and skills in ecophysiology, dendrochronology, hydrology, and climate science
2	Investment models for agroforestry interventions in Eastern and Southern Africa: ex-ante appraisal of selected agroforestry value chains using business analysis techniques	Kenya	Agricultural Economics, Natural Resource Management or related field
3	Assessing governance systems and land and tree tenure for enhancing community resilience in agro-pastoral areas of Kenya/Tanzania	Kenya or Tanzania	Sociology/Anthropology/Political ecology
4	Development of a framework and methods for application of remote sensing in project based monitoring and impact assessment	Ethiopia	Impact Assessment/ M&E/ Remote Sensing/GIS
5	Dynamics of adoption of improved mango cultivars and its role towards food and nutrition security in Kenya in the face of climate change	Kenya	Horticulture or related fields

The fellowships comprise a stipendium, medical and accidental insurances, hosting costs at ICRAF, university registration and tuition fee, and research costs (for pertinent details, see the attached document Information Sheet for Scholars, 2015/2016). The actual details of fellowship may vary depending upon the agreed arrangements between DAAD and ICRAF. The scholars will need to register at one of ICRAF’s partner universities at the location of the project and commit to complete their Ph.D. degree within 3 years from the date of start of the fellowship.

Qualifications:

1. A completed Master’s degree in the indicated field obtained in 2009 or later from an accredited academic institution with above average results;
2. Full-time availability of the candidate for studies and research (part-time PhD candidates do not qualify for this call);
3. Being a national of Sub-Saharan Africa;
4. Excellent command of English language (demonstrated through a Master’s level thesis written and defended in English and IELTS/TOEFL scores or a proof of registration for one of these tests to be undertaken before June 7^th, 2015);

Staff Members of Academic and/or Research Institutions are encouraged to apply but will require to produce a letter of release / approved study leave from their respective institutions.

Period of Fellowship

Earliest: Sept 2015 – August 2018 (initially for one year which can be extended annually depending on the performance). The dates may vary depending upon the contractual arrangements between ICRAF and DAAD, or with the academic institutions where candidates are registered.

Terms and conditions

1. The scholarship will initially be granted for one year and may be extended upon individual request and receipt of a complete application by using the provided forms and satisfactory performance;
2. In some instances, candidates may have to travel to other countries for data collection/ and or analysis, or for a placement in Germany
3. For the payment of stipendium, the selected candidates will be treated as locals for the locations of research (example: a Ugandan selected for work in Ethiopia. The difference in cost of living will not be considered in the stipend).
4. Any attempt to influence the short-listing or selection process at ICRAF or GIZ will lead to rejection of the applicant. 

Application

Female candidates and candidates from less privileged regions or groups as well as candidates with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.  Please apply electronically by email to i.ingumba@cgiar.org with a copy to applications@daadafrica.org by ^1st June, 2015. The essential documents required for applications are mentioned below. Applications received on or before  31^st May, 2015 (23:59 Nairobi time) will be considered. The applications received afterwards will not be considered. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Before preparing applications for submissions, please read the guidance document titled “DAAD Guidelines for In Country_InRegion Scholarships_Eastern Africa_2015”

Documents to be submitted with applications:

1. A letter of motivation (2 pages or less explaining your motivation for the topic, the relevance of previous studies, experiences and skills to that of the proposed research as well as your view on how the proposed PhD will allow you contributing to the development of your society) (word document);
2. Filled and signed DAAD Application Form for In-Country/In-Region Scholarships
3. Signed curriculum vitae; please use the Europass CV template (http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu)
4. Signed copy of the attached DAAD Information Sheet for Students
5. Certified and scanned copies of all university degree certificates
6. Certified and scanned copies of all university transcripts
7. Original Ph.D. research proposal (Plagiarism will be checked!) and a detailed work plan (10 to 15 pages word document) describing the following:
   
   1. Abstract of proposal on one page (including research title, name of applicant and proposed university/faculty/ institute where the candidate intends to register or is already registered as a PhD candidate. The abstract should capture the essence and innovativeness of the proposal)
   2. Introduction, the development challenge that this research addresses or contributes to, scientific problem and knowledge gap articulation, and the objectives of the proposed research (up to 3 pages)
   3. Data requirements, research methods proposed to collect the data, and analytical techniques/tools/approaches (2-3 pages)
   4. Envisaged outputs and publication plan (1 page) with tentative titles of the proposed research articles
   5. Proposed Work Plan (activities, milestones, timelines/timeframe) (1 page)
   6. Required resources (costs, research assistance, etc) (1 page)
   7. Supervision plan (proposed academic institutions, faculty/department school, lab) (1 page)
   8. References (up to 2 pages)
8. Confirmation of the study leave from your employer, if employed.
9. IELTS/TOEFL Score cards or proof of registration for a test by June 7^th, 2015 (Scores can be submitted via email later if short-listed)

Please Note: All electronic files submitted should be named in such a way that the filename indicates what the document is and whose document (candidate’s name) it is.

(Example: UpdatedCV_Alexandar_Abacha.docx)

Note: only short listed candidates will be contacted.