Deadline: 16-Jan-2026
The Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Fellowship Program provides support to PhD students working on developing a doctoral dissertation proposal, as well as students who have recently completed a master’s degree and seek to enroll in a PhD program.
This initiative aims to strengthen African-led research that informs policy, fosters peace, and amplifies African perspectives on global academic platforms.
The thematic priorities for the Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Fellowship cover a wide range of issues related to peacebuilding, governance, and development in conflict-affected settings. They include topics on climate change, energy transitions, hydro-politics, food systems, and natural resource conflicts.
The fellowship also emphasizes justice, peace, and international cooperation, exploring areas such as humanitarian intervention, inequality, regionalism, transitional justice, and peace operations. Other priorities involve nationalism, identity, religion, and culture, focusing on diversity, citizenship, and the contributions of women and youth to peacebuilding.
Additionally, it addresses state and non-state governance, migration, geopolitics, elections, conflict prevention, transnational crime, and post-war recovery. The final theme highlights the role of technology, media, and the arts in shaping peace through artificial intelligence, digital communication, ethics, and cultural expression.
Through this fellowship, recipients commit to a six-month period to develop impactful doctoral dissertation proposals that generate evidence-based knowledge relevant to African and global debates on peace, security, and development.
The program provides fellows with the opportunity to participate in two mandatory workshops held in July and January across various regions of Africa. These workshops help participants refine their research questions, align methods to their objectives, and strengthen the quality of their doctoral proposals.
Participants join a vibrant network of African scholars and practitioners, gaining mentorship from senior academics while developing professional and collaborative skills that enhance their future academic or practical careers in the field.
The fellowships support short-term research costs of up to US$3,000 to develop a doctoral dissertation proposal. Fellows will receive mentorship, academic support, and funding to cover pre-fieldwork expenses, equipment, literature review materials, conferences, and editorial or institutional assistance.
Eligible applicants must be citizens and residents of African countries, enrolled or set to be enrolled in a PhD program at an accredited university in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, or Uganda by the time of the award. They must hold a master’s degree at the time of application but should not already possess a PhD.
Applications are evaluated based on alignment with thematic priorities, originality, research quality, methodological feasibility, and the project’s relevance to ongoing scholarly discourse.
Applicants must submit their completed applications through the official portal by January 16, 2026, 11:59 pm EST, including a draft dissertation proposal, CV, master’s degree copy, proposed six-month research timeline, proposed research budget, and two reference letters—one from a department head, dean, or supervisor, and the other from a senior academic or practitioner familiar with the applicant’s work.
Reference letters must be submitted on institutional letterheads, signed, and dated within the application period from October 22, 2025, to January 16, 2026.
For more information, visit SSRC.
