King’s College London Fellowships for African Scholars in Peace, Security and Development 2024: (Deadline 30 April, 2024)

This award is available to young African scholars who are interested in pursuing research and academiccareers in peace, security, and development. It encompasses an eighteen-month period, comprising rigorous academic research, writing and policy analysis in the field of peace and security, and a six- month attachment to an African University, a Regional Organisation, or a Centre of Excellence based in Africa to acquire practical experience.

The Fellowship programme exposes African scholars and practitioners to the complexities of security and development issues facing the African continent. Fellows gain academic knowledge within the master’s Programme at King’s College London and benefit from uniquely tailored mentoring sessions. During the fellowship, fellows contribute to the African Leadership Centre’s ten-year research agenda entitled, “Peace, Society and the State in Africa.” Through partnerships with African universities and other research institutions, they will be able to transfer research outputs into learning across partner institutions, enabling and strengthening digital knowledge transfer through various platforms and influencing policy in the process.

About King’s College London

King’s College London was founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington (then Prime Minister) in 1829 as a university college in the tradition of the Church of England. It now welcomes staff and students of all faiths and beliefs. King’s professors played a major part in nineteenth-century science and in extending higher education to women and working men through evening classes. The university has grown and developed through mergers with several institutions each with their own distinguished histories. These include: United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy’s an…

Fellowships

Aim and Benefits of Fellowships

This is a fully funded opportunity, not including any visa application and processing costs. Funds willbe made available to covertuition,subsistence in theUK and Africa, accommodation,research-relatedcosts, and all travel expenses related to the programme.1 However, successful applicants are expectedto find their own accommodation both in the UK and Africa. In the UK, successful candidates will beable to apply for University of London accommodation, and they can also make their ownaccommodation arrangements. Successful 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: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/accommodation/index.aspx 

Requirements for Fellowships Qualification

• Candidates must have citizenship in an African country.
• Successful candidates must hold valid travel documents prior to acceptance.
• Candidates must hold a Master’s or Bachelor’s degree with an equivalent level of professional experience.
• The fellowship is open 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 the 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 African Leadership Centre (ALC) Research Associates and Senior Research Fellows to undertake research on select aspects of the ALC Research Agenda on “Peace, Society and the State in Africa”.
• Candidates must be able to demonstrate the following values during the application phase: Promoting African led ideas and processes of Change; Independent thinking; Integrity; Pursuit of Excellence; Recognition of Youth Agency and Respect for diversity in all its forms.
• 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 as all aspects of the programme are delivered in English. In addition, an English Language Proficiency Test will be required to gain unconditional acceptance to the MSc Programme at King`s College London.

Documents Required for Application

The following documents are required before your application will be considered complete:

• Fully completed application questionnaire on the online application system.

• A supporting statement of between 500 and 750 words – outline why you want to be part of this programme, what your unique contribution would be and what change you see yourself contributing to in your community/ area of work after the programme.

• 2 letters of recommendation (To be received directly from the Referees by the deadline of 30th April 2024, 23:59 hrs EAT

• Recent curriculum vitae of 2 pages maximum.

• One writing sample (maximum 1000 words each – example can include an original research paper, extracts from a dissertation, an essay paper, policy paper relevant to peace and security).

• One research proposal of no more than 1000 words – The conflict between Hamas and Israel has been raging for a while. Daily global media outlets report on the impact of this conflict on peace, security and development across the world; Africa is not exempt. As a prospective ALC Peace, Security and Development Fellow, you are tasked with developing a research project on the impact of the war between Hamas and Israel on the African continent. Write a research proposal outlining how you would go about this research paying particular attention to one of the following: (i) the impact on contested gender relations in the continent; (ii) the impact on relations between citizens and the state and, in particular, young people; (iii) some of the international or continental normative frameworksthat you might rely on for your analysis; or (iv) the types of leadership issues that African policymakers and practitioners would contend with as they seek to navigate the impacts of the war in Europe (1000 words max).

Application Deadline

30 April, 2024

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to King’s College London on applications.africanleadershipcentre.org to applyAll supporting documents should be submitted via the online portal of King`s College London and African Leadership Centre-Nairobi. All supporting documents should be submitted via the online portal indicated above. Please note that no email applications will be accepted. If you are experiencing problems with the online application portal, please contact us at [email protected]. We encourage all applicants to submittheir applications early to avoid delays and failure to submit because of technical challenges.

For more details,visit OFFICIAL LINK