Applications are welcome for the 2024 Iso Lomso Fellowship for Researchers in Africa who have obtained a doctoral degree within the preceding seven years and who hold an academic position at a university or research institution anywhere in Africa.
An important priority for STIAS is to strengthen a culture of research on the continent. It is especially important to nurture a new generation of African scholars to provide the intellectual leadership needed for future development. For this purpose, STIAS has established an early-career research fellowship programme called Iso Lomso.
Iso Lomso aims to address the gap that exists between the completion of the Ph.D. and becoming an established scholar in Africa. While there is increasing support for doctoral study and for post-doctoral fellowships, it is during the extended post-doctoral period that the greatest loss of talent occurs.
Iso Lomso takes its cue from the ethos and objectives of STIAS. It does not offer an alternative programme to the regular fellows’ programme, but complements and builds on the proven and successful model of the Institute. It aims at enhancing the existing cross-fertilization of minds by broadening its scope through the inclusion of a younger generation.
Moreover, the programme will be guided by the Institute’s emphasis on interdisciplinary research and its goal of creating research networks within and beyond Africa.
Benefits
While in residence, fellows receive regular STIAS fellow support, which includes:
- an economy return flight;
- comfortable accommodation within walking distance from the institute;
- individual offices equipped with a PC, telephone and printer;
- a monthly stipend for daily living costs;
- access to the Stellenbosch University library (including electronic resources) and a high-speed internet connection;
- participation in the regular STIAS fellows programme, including daily lunch, weekly fellows’ seminars, STIAS public lectures and social events;
- a child care subsidy for fellows accompanied by young children while in residence.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the 2024 call, applicants must:
- be a national of any African country;
- have an affiliation at a research or higher education institution in an African country and continue to do so for the foreseeable future;
- be born after January 1, 1981;
- have obtained a doctoral degree from any recognised higher education institution (worldwide) after the 1st of January 2016;
- have completed a post-doctoral fellowship or equivalent post-PhD research programme;
- be in a position to commence a first period of residency at STIAS during 2025.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be evaluated and selected based on the following criteria:
- Level: the applicant’s academic excellence and the originality and scholarly strength of the proposed research project;
- Innovation: the project’s promise of new insights and the potential to produce new knowledge;
- Interdisciplinarity: whether the project methodology allows for drawing from different disciplines and its potential to facilitate an interdisciplinary discourse;
- Relevance: the project’s relevance for scholarship and knowledge production in Africa;
- Feasibility: whether the research design and the research plan are convincing and realistic.
Application Process
Interested applicants are fill out the application form linked below. The following documents must accompany the application:
- An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae
- A motivational cover letter of not more than one page in length.
- One or two recent writing examples authored by the applicant (articles or book sections) related to the proposed project.
- A pre-proposal for a three-year research project.
- A copy of the applicant’s doctoral certificate
- A letter of support from your home institution (either from the head of department, dean of faculty, principal of college, or equivalent)
To apply for 2024 Iso Lomso Fellowship for Researchers in Africa, click here
Deadline: February 15, 2024.
For more information on the 2024 Iso Lomso Fellowship for Researchers in Africa, visit the official site.
