Call for one PhD position at UHAS, Ghana

DESCRIPTION OF FELLOWSHIPS

The MAlaria Research CApacity Development (MARCAD) Consortium in West and Central Africa is a partnership of institutions sponsored by the Wellcome Trust working in partnership with the Department of International Development (DFID) and the Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA). The University Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), Senegal is the lead institution working in partnership with the University Health & Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ghana; the University of Yaoundé 1 (UYI), Cameroun; the Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia (MRCG), and the Malaria Research & Training Center (MRTC), Mali.

The programme is supported by three European institutions; the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) & the University of Copenhagen (UoC).

MAlaria Research CApacity Development in West & Central Africa (MARCAD) seeks to train African scientists toward building a critical mass for the control and the elimination of malaria, equip them to compete effectively for international funding, offer them international exposure, and facilitate their networking and collaboration with other institutions.  MARCAD fellows are hosting within strong interdisciplinary teams at one of the five African institutions. Applications from female researchers are strongly encouraged.

This call is for one PhD position at University for Health and Applied Sciences at Ho, Ghana

Financing terms

The PhD Fellowship of 3 years’ duration will be offered at UHAS. These will cover (a) salary support for the duration of the award, (b) costs of a training attachment at another African or European partner institution, (c) funding to cover the costs of a research study developed under one of the Institution’s thematic areas, d) ongoing technical training and career development support, including personal development planning and mentorship and e) networking & dissemination opportunities.

Candidates will be expected to develop a research proposal with support from the local PI focusing on one of the thematic areas of malaria research at UHAS. There are:

• Malaria in pregnancy: effectiveness of recommended routine antenatal interventions for pregnant women
• Malaria and other parasitic infections during pregnancy: Burden, potential effects and prospects for community intervention programmes

Applications from outside the countries of the African partner institutions are encouraged. The PhD fellow will be embedded within a multi-disciplinary team receiving support and advice both locally, and from a research adviser at one of the EU partners. Fellowships will cover the costs of up to six months of residence at one of the African or European partner institutions, if this is necessary for project development, data analysis, technical training or writing up.

Description of UHAS, Ghana

The University of Health and Allied Sciences (website: http://www.uhas.edu.gh/) was established by an Act of Parliament in 2011 as a public university in Ghana set up to help meet the manpower needs of the health sector. It is uniquely positioned among universities in Ghana to be a pre-eminent research and practically orientated health educational institution dedicated to community service. The main campus including the central administration is located in Ho, the capital of the Volta Region of Ghana. The dynamic faculty of the University are in involved in both basic and applied research related to health and allied sciences in collaboration with partners in Ghana and outside Ghana. MARCAD will be hosted in the School of Medicine of the University and will engage PhD and Postdoctoral fellows to investigate how antenatal care service delivery and uptake of key interventions in Ghana impact on the burden of malaria in pregnancy in Ghana and its consequences including low birth weight and maternal anaemia.

Mission

• To provide quality educational opportunities to students and healthcare professionals, advance knowledge through scholarship and research and provide patient care and services that improve health and quality of life.
• To provide an avenue to train different health professionals needed to attend to the health needs of the citizens.

Aims

• To provide higher education in the Health Sciences through teaching and research for persons suitably qualified and capable of benefitting from such education
• To disseminate knowledge and the results of research and their applications to the needs and aspirations of the people of Ghana
• To provide clinical and other skills services to contribute positively to improving the health status and overall quality of life, and foster partnerships with outside persons and bodies.

Further information about thematic areas of malaria research being undertaken at each of these universities may be obtained from Prof Harry Kwami Tagbor (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), MARCAD Partner at UHAS.

Eligibility criteria.

Applicants for the PhD fellowship must be of African nationality and normally resident of a country in West and Central Africa. African scientists currently engaged in research outside Africa with a demonstrable commitment to return to the continent are, however, eligible to apply. They must have MSc in relatives’ area.

Applications from female researchers are strongly encouraged.

Application procedure

Applications should be completed on the form below and with the appropriate supporting documents requested therein. Candidates who have difficulty in accessing or completing this application should approach the MARCAD secretariat for advice. 

The research proposal outline should give an indication of the area of research of interest of the candidate, but this must also be compatible with the research interests of UHAS (Refer to Description of UHAS, Ghana above).

Applications must be sent no later than Thursday, February 8^th, 2018 at 23h 59 GMT to Ekoue Kouevidjin (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) with copy to Prof Oumar Gaye (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Selection procedure 

All applications will be considered first by UHAS, Ghana. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in-country by the local selection committee and recommendations made for funding by the MARCAD Steering Committee. Criteria on which selection will be based will include; past educational experience, evidence of a motivation and commitment to research, referees report and the quality and originality of the proposed research proposal.

Contacts
General enquires about the application process or the programme should be directed, in the first instance, to the MARCAD secretariat : Pr Oumar Gaye (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Ekoue Kouevidjin (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Download Marcad Phd Fellowship Application Form