Apply for EASST Visiting Fellowship for East African Researchers in USA, 2015-2016

The East Africa Social Science Translation (EASST) invites East African researchers to apply for a 4-month fellowship at the University of California Berkeley. Each Visiting Fellow will be paired with a faculty mentor affiliated with the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), a research network based in USA.

Fellows may visit either during the fall semester (approximately August 20 – December 20, 2015) or the spring semester (approximately January 20 – May 20, 2016). Applicant must hold a staff or student position at a research institution, university, or other organization headquartered in East Africa. The application deadline is 31 March, 2015.

Study Subject(s): Fellowship is awarded to equip social scientists with the skills needed to carry out rigorous evaluations of economic development programs.
Course Level: This is a four-month fellowship programme for researchers at the University of California Berkeley.
Scholarship Provider: The East Africa Social Science Translation (EASST)
Scholarship can be taken at: USA

Eligibility: Eligible candidates for all EASST programs must:
-Be a resident of an East African country participating in EASST (i.e. Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, or Uganda);
-Have a PhD or Master’s degree (completed within the last 8 years) or be enrolled in a graduate program in economics, statistics, epidemiology/public health, or another social science discipline;
-Hold a staff position at a research institution, university or other organization in East Africa, preferably one that supports policy-relevant, quantitative social science research;
-Have participated in or have familiarity with impact evaluation research (either randomized or quasi-experimental studies);
-Have participated in field-based data collection and rigorous empirical research/analysis;
-Be computer literate, fluent in English, and a strong public speaker;
-Plan to return to a research institute in East Africa for at least 1 year after the fellowship; and
-Demonstrate a commitment to building the capacity of African research institutions/universities.

Scholarship Open for International Students: Citizens of East African country (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, or Uganda) can apply for this visiting fellowship.

Scholarship Description: The EASST Visiting Fellowship seeks to equip East African social scientists with the skills needed to carry out rigorous evaluations of economic development programs. During a four-month fellowship, researchers will be based at the University of California Berkeley. Fellows may visit either during the fall semester (approximately August 20 – December 20, 2015) or the spring semester (approximately January 20 – May 20, 2016).

Number of award(s): Not Known

Duration of award(s): Fellowship is awarded for 4-month duration.

What does it cover? The CEGA staff and PhD students will provide support during the semester and once the scholar returns home. The fellowship program will pay for room and board in Berkeley, health insurance, monthly stipend, visa fees, and roundtrip air travel. CEGA staff will provide mentorship not only throughout the semester, but also once the scholar returns home. Small grants of up to $8,000 will be provided to scholars who return to their home institution, to hold trainings in impact evaluation, build institutional capacity, or to forge new linkages with government policy makers.

Selection Criteria: Successful candidates must:
-Demonstrate strong analytic skills, with past coursework in economics or statistics.
-Demonstrate an interest in rigorous program evaluation, policy analysis, and micro-level field data collection.
-Submit a clear and innovative research proposal to evaluate a specific public policy or program, using randomized controlled trial or quasi-experimental methodologies.
Female applicants are strongly encouraged to apply. Preference will be assigned to fellows who have already completed a doctoral degree (PhD) in a relevant field of study.

Notification: Applicants will be notified in the week of April 20 – 24, 2015.

How to Apply: An online system is used to submit applications. Applicants must submit a research proposal of no more than 2 pages along with their fellowship application. Your research proposal should lay the groundwork for a full research project. However, in contrast to a complete grant application—which requires strong partnership with implementing organizations,detailed outcome measures, and a field research plan—the design idea can be at earlier stages of development. Proposed designs should be quantitative in nature or should use mixed methods (i.e., a mix of quantitative and qualitative data collection). While the evaluation questions should be very clear, the 2-page design statement is not expected to fully elaborate on the evaluation’s implementation. Required Documents:
-Curriculum Vitae/Resume
-Transcript of any coursework completed within at least the last 5 years (i.e. your scores or grades from university courses). Scanned copy is acceptable.
-Employer Letter from the applicant’s supervisor or department chair demonstrating support and certifying that, if the applicant is selected, he/she will be able to take a 4-month leave of absence.
-Letter of recommendation that describes the applicant’s research capacity. Please use the form provided in application.
-Optional: You may attach one working paper or publication

Scholarship Application Deadline: The deadline for submission for the visiting fellowship is 31 March, 2015.

Further Official Scholarship Information and Application