African Leadership Centre (ALC) Peace, Security & Development Fellowships 2019/2020 for African Scholars

The ALC is pleased to announce a call for applications for the Peace, Security and Development Fellowships for African Scholars starting in September 2019.

Application Deadline: 30th April 2019 23:59 hrs.
Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: African countries

To be taken at (country): Kings College London, UK. Candidate’s home country
About the Award:This Fellowship covers an 18-month period, comprising a rigorous training and research programme on peace, security and development, which includes a 12-Month MSc programme at King’s College London and a six-month attachment to an African University to undertake an independent research project.
The Fellowship programme is designed to expose junior African scholars to the complexities of security and development issues facing the African continent.

The ALC aims to build a new community of leaders generating cutting edge knowledge on peace, security and development. To this end, the ALC undertakes to do the following:

• Taught MScs on Security, Leadership and Society, including mentoring and institutional attachments;
• Peacebuilding and Security research – with a focus on “Future Peace and the Role of the State in Africa”;
• Consolidating partnerships with African universities through transfer of specified and joint research outputs into virtual learning across partner institutions;
• Creating and strengthening digital knowledge transfer platforms and policy influencing processes.

Type: Fellowship
Eligibility: 

• In order to be considered eligible, candidates must have citizenship in an African country.

• Successful candidates must hold valid travel documents prior to acceptance.

• The competition is open only to junior faculty members based in universities in Africa from departments of political science; international relations; history; law; development studies; peace; security and conflict studies, and related departments.

• Candidates need to demonstrate an interest in pursuing careers in the field of peace, security and development. Previous study or engagement with the issues of security and development is not required. However candidates must demonstrate a basic familiarity with these issues.

• Candidates must additionally be able to demonstrate capacity to undertake research on issues relating to peace and security in Africa. Successful candidates will be attached to a Research Cluster where they will work with ALC Research Associates and Senior Research Fellows to undertake research on select aspects of the ALC Research Agenda on “Future Peace and the Role of the State in Africa”.

• Candidates will be expected to have a clear plan on how to utilise knowledge gained in the Fellowship upon returning to their countries and academic institutions.

• Candidates must be fluent in spoken and written English.

• Candidates must be able to demonstrate the following values during the application phase: Independent thinking; Integrity; Pursuit of excellence; and respect for all forms of diversity.

Number of Awardees:  Not specified
Value of Fellowship: This is a fully funded opportunity, not including any visa application and processing costs. Funds will be made available to cover tuition, subsistence in the UK and Africa, accommodation, research-related costs, and all travel expenses related to the programme. However, successful applicants are expected to find their own accommodation both in the UK and Africa. In the UK successful candidates will be able to apply for University of London accommodation, and they can also make their own accommodation arrangements. Candidates are strongly advised to make all necessary accommodation arrangements well in advance of taking up their positions at King’s College London. Information on KCL student accommodation can be found at this link:

Duration of Fellowship: This Fellowship covers an 18-month period, comprising a rigorous training and research programme on peace, security and development, which includes a 12-Month MSc programme at King’s College London and a six-month attachment to an African University to undertake an independent research project.
How to Apply: Applicants to the Fellowship Programme must make individual applications to the MSc Security, Leadership and Society by 23:59 hrs, 30 April 2019.
The following documents are required, before your application will be considered complete:

• A letter of application detailing your relevant experience and qualifications.
• A supporting statement no longer than 1,000 words, detailing why you think that this programme is important and your future plans for engagement with peace and security research.
• 2 letters of recommendation (To be received directly from the Referees by the deadline of 23:59 hrs, 30 April 2019).
• Recent curriculum vitae.
• One writing sample (maximum 1000 words).
• One research proposal of no more than 1000 words on a topic dealing with any one of the following 5 sets of questions:
  • What is the predominant vision of peace among Africa’s youth and future leaders? What are the greatest sources of insecurity for African youth?
  • What leadership issues confront a next generation of youth seeking to build and sustain peace?
  • What can we learn about African youth experiences for future discourses about the governance of security and development?
  • How are the dynamics in African societies and societal responses to security and development challenges compelling a change in the state?
  • How are African regional organisations responding to the rapidly changing African security landscape?
• Please indicate in your application letter, if you have completed the University application (Note that you are required to submit your application to the MSc Security, Leadership and Society, as detailed above by the deadline of 23:59 hrs, 30 April 2019).

All supporting documents should be submitted via the online portal. Please note that no email applications will be accepted. If you are experiencing problems with the online application portal, please contact us at admissions@africanleadershipcentre.org. We encourage all applicants to submit their applications early to avoid delays and failure to submit because of technical challenges.

Visit Fellowship Webpage for details