Fellowships for African Scholars in Peace, Security and Development

About the Fellowship 

This award is available to young African scholars who are interested in pursuing research and academic careers 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.

Phases

The Programme is delivered in two phases:

• Phase 1: The first phase consists of a 12-month training programme based at King’s College London. This phase will comprise regular group mentoring sessions with renowned academics, policy analysts and practitioners. It will also include a taught master’s programme in Global Leadership and Peacebuilding, which will be taught at King’s College London. For a large part of this phase, Fellows will be based at King’s College London. In addition, Fellows will spend brief periods at the African Leadership Centre in Nairobi and the Institute for Development Studies at the University of Nairobi, where they will be required to undertake research and deliver research papers on peace, security and development in Africa.
  • Institutional Visits: During the 12-month period at King’s College in London, fellows will undertake visits to academic, policy and research institutions working on issues of peace, security and development.
• Phase 2: For the second phase, Fellows will be attached to select partner universities in Africa, for a period of 6 months. During this time, fellows will work as faculty members and contribute to academic and policy research among other activities. This phase is designed to encourage the dissemination and exchange of ideas on the issues that were studied during the first phase of the programme.
  • Research Project: During phase 2, fellows will also be expected to conduct a research project on a key aspect of peace, security and development, and to produce a research report and a policy brief from their research. These outputs will be published and disseminated through relevant academic and policy platforms and publications. This phase of research and writing will last for 6 months.
  • Mentoring: During both phases, fellows will have access to the programme’s network of mentors, in the form of regular group mentoring and training on key thematic issues. One-on-one mentoring sessions will also be encouraged, to help guide students through the programme.

Eligibility 

• 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.

For more information, visit King’s College London.