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About SSRC Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship

The Social Science Research Council offers fellowships to support the completion of doctoral degrees and to promote next generation social science research in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. 

The Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship supports up to 12 months of dissertation research costs of up to US$15,000 on a topic related to peacebuilding, security, and development. 

Program Components

Through the Next Gen Completion Program, fellowship recipients can expect the following:

Innovative Research 

• commit to up to 12 months of developing their doctoral dissertation research. Fellows develop research-based skills that are relevant to, and can have significant impact on, peacebuilding, security, and development scholarship, while producing evidence-based knowledge of relevance to regional and global scholarly debates.

Workshops 

• Participate in two mandatory APN and Next Gen workshops occurring in July and January across different regions of Africa. These workshops will help refine recipients’ research focus and methods, further develop and strengthen their field-based research skills, engage key literature in their fields, and develop their capacity for scholarly writing, including dissertation chapters and academic publications.

African Scholarship and Knowledge Production 

• Contribute to the APN and Next Gen program’s digital forums and social media platforms.

 

• Sponsor Organisation: Social Science Research Council (SSRC)

Benefits of SSRC Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship

• Fellows are part of a network of highly visible and active African scholars and practitioners capable of projecting African perspectives and voices onto global discourses, knowledge and practices of peacebuilding, security, development. 
• Fellows will receive mentorship from highly experienced senior scholars in the field. There are opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and collaboration. 
• Gain new knowledge and skills to advance their careers as academics or practitioners in their chosen fields.  

SSRC Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship Requirements

All applicants must:

• be citizens of any African country
• be enrolled and working towards a PhD in an accredited university, or affiliated to an institution in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, or Uganda
• have a fully developed doctoral dissertation research proposal approved by a graduate school/program at an accredited university in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania or Uganda.

Application Date and Process

• Click on the link to the application website to apply.

Applications consist of an online application form, a research proposal and bibliography, current CV, proposed research timeline, proposed research budget, two reference letters, and a language evaluation(s) (if required). 

To obtain more information regarding the Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship, please refer to the 2025 APN and Next Gen Application Guidebook. For inquiries or technical questions pertaining to the online application portal, please contact the APN and Next Gen staff at [email protected]. 

Application Deadline

31 January, 2025

Scholarship Application Portal

Apply for SSRC Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship