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We are delighted to launch the “Her Excellency Mrs Ameenah Gurib-Fakim PhD Scholarship Program” a PEI and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation initiative, delivered in partnership with the African Academy of Sciences.
The PhD program will award ten (10) full PhD research grants for Mauritian researchers (or African researchers studying in Mauritius). Following the pilot grants, the program is aiming to expand across Africa to award 10,000 PhD scholarships in the coming decade, helping to equip Africa with the critical mass of scientific leaders it needs to become a continent of knowledge-based, sustainable economies.
Each grantee will benefit from time spent at both a host university in Africa and in the United Kingdom, as well as placements within industry. The areas of research eligible for the scholarship are those we believe will underpin the sustainable development of Africa, and boost the capacity of local scientists to answers the great challenges ahead. They are:
- Energy,
- Water and sanitation,
- Agri-business,
- Health,
- Blue sky research
The grants awarded to these initial ten (10) researchers from Mauritius will cover the entire PhD duration, and will include both the full cost of academic and research time required at host universities, as well as a generous living expenses stipend.
To be eligible for the initial ten (10) research scholarships, candidates MUST be:
- A Mauritian student or researcher (or an African researcher currently based in Mauritius),
- Qualified to at least undergraduate level with a strong academic record,
- Proposing a research project within the core research areas: energy; water and sanitation; agri-business; health; blue sky research.
How to apply: All interested candidates should email a cover letter and CV, alongside a brief research proposal (1000 words max) to agfscholarship@pei-foundation.mu.
DEADLINE: May 31, 2016
The Planet Earth Institute Foundation will run the program in its entirety, in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the African Academy of Sciences, as well as additional partners to be announced in due course. A full-time program co-coordinator will be based at the Planet Earth Institute Foundation in Mauritius.