Call For Applications: MIASA Writing Workshop 2023 For Early-Career Researchers (Funded)

Deadline: January 20, 2023

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) seeks to provide Africa-based early career researchers working on the themes of peace, democracy, and climate change on the continent with the space and intellectual community to transform a draft paper into a publishable journal piece.

The 5-day writing workshop is designed to provide early career scholars with the opportunity to contribute to knowledge production in one of the three fields of research focus for this workshop: peace, democracy, and climate change. The workshop will hold from April 25-29, 2023 at the University of Ghana, Accra.

The objectives of the workshop are:

To strengthen the academic writing skills of African early career scholars, with particular attention to female scholars,
To enhance the success rate of early-career African scholars’ submissions to high-quality journals,
To build a network of Africa-based scholars working on the themes of peace, democracy, and climate change.

Funding

Successful applicants will be provided with funding to cover travel expenses to Ghana from Sub-Saharan Africa along with accommodation and subsistence costs for the duration of the workshop. If the ongoing pandemic will make an in-person workshop impossible, the writing retreat will be organized virtually instead.

Eligibility

Open to early career researchers who meet the following eligibility criteria:

a doctorate that was awarded within 5 years of the application deadline, i.e. doctoral certificate awarded after January 2018 to date,
employed at a recognized university or research institute in Sub-Saharan Africa,
fluency in written and spoken English (there will be no translation services provided).

Selection Criteria

Applications will be assessed and selected through a strictly merit-based procedure. The main selection criteria are:

A Ph.D. certificate was granted between January 2018 and January 2023,
Employment at a university or research institute on the African continent,
Excellence, relevance, and originality of the draft research paper,
The fit of the research with the themes of peace, democracy, and climate change.

Application

The application should include the following:

a motivation letter (1-page maximum) outlining reasons for wishing to attend the writing workshop and the benefits to be gained,
a draft research paper (5,000-8,000 words in English) that contains original data and preliminary data analysis in the areas of peace, democracy, and climate change, and which is aimed at journal submission,
an abstract of the paper (max. 500 words),
a full CV,
a Ph.D. award certificate.

Abstracts/Research Paper/CVs/Certificates should be sent in pdf format to email: miasawritingschool@ug.edu.gh. Submission deadline: 20th January 2023
Any inquiries should be directed to miasawritingschool@ug.edu.gh