Sokoine University of Agriculture PhD Scholarship Available – Call for applications

Sokoine University of Agriculture, in conjunction with the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management at the University of Copenhagen, and Makerere University, Kampala, is undertaking a collaborative research programme on Agricultural Investors as Development Actors (AIDA) with a focus on Danish agricultural investors. Taking Danish agricultural investments and their location in Tanzania and Uganda as the case and geographical starting point, the project examines the development outcomes of foreign agricultural investments at sub-national level for people living in and using land in their vicinity. In particular, AIDA focuses on the development outcomes with respect to employment, land tenure security and water security. The programme is funded through a grant provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (MFA).

As part of the AIDA programme, Sokoine University of Agriculture invites interested and qualified citizens of Tanzania, holding MA/MSc degree or equivalent) to submit their applications for 1 PhD position. The successful candidate will be enrolled at the Sokoine University of Agriculture and supervised by a joint team of AIDA researchers from Sokoine University of Agriculture, DIIS and University of Copenhagen. The candidate will have an opportunity to receive part of his/her PhD training at DIIS and at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. The candidate will be a fully integral part of the AIDA research team. The successful candidate will receive a modest stipend throughout the valid PhD period and all costs related to field work, PhD training-related travel and tuition fees will be covered through the AIDA programme.

The position is of a maximum of 4 years duration, and will commence April 1, 2018 or sooner before that. The PhD position focuses on the outcomes of three (clusters of) selected Danish agricultural investments with respect to land tenure security and/or water security and will involve considerable fieldwork in the areas of these investments. On this basis, the successful PhD candidate will contribute to the overall research objective of identifying the factors which enhance positive development outcomes of foreign agricultural investments.

The detailed description of the AIDA research programme is available at www.diis.dk/aida as well as at the SUA website at www.sua.ac.tz/aida

Eligibility
Successful candidate is required to:

• Hold a master degree in a field that is relevant to the announced position.
• Be highly motivated to develop a scientific career.
• Possess and demonstrate good scientific writing skills.
• Have a strong methodological and conceptual background in relevant scientific disciplines.
• Be a constructive and engaged team worker.

Applicants should be aged no more than 35 years for men and 40 years for women at the time of application.

Application process
Potential applicants are invited to prepare 2-3 page concept note (maximum 1,500 words) which, with reference to the PhD focus, outlines the more detailed focus for the proposed PhD project as well as the research assumptions and questions.

In addition to this concept note, the application should be accompanied by a CV, including a list of publications as well as names and contact details of a 2-3 academic references. Deadline for application is March 15, 2018; at 10 AM Eastern Africa Time (EAT). The application should be submitted online to Dr Mutabazi (khamaldin2011@gmail.com) with copy to Dr Evelyne Lazaro (lazaroa55@yahoo.co.uk) and Dr Helle Munk Ravnborg (hmr@diis.dk).

The applications will be evaluated by an assessment committee consisting of researchers from Sokoine University of Agriculture and DIIS. Only short-listed candidates will be notified. Interviews with shortlisted candidates will be conducted by the assessment committee in Morogoro between March 19 and 23, 2018, and the final selection will be undertaken soon thereafter.