Applications are open for the U.S.-Pacific Resilience and Adaptation Fellowship Program PhD Scholarship 2024. The U.S.-Pacific Resilience and Adaptation Fellowship Program is funded by the U.S. Department of State. The Program is designed to support the University of the South Pacific (USP) in its goal to develop the next generation of leaders to effectively tackle the challenges facing the South Pacific caused by climate change.
About U.S.-Pacific Resilience and Adaptation Fellowship Program PhD Scholarship
Climate change and subsequent impacts, including rising ocean levels and temperatures, ocean acidification and increased intensity of severe weather events, are already changing ecosystems at an unprecedented pace and in ways we may not fully understand for decades. The complex and varied impacts of climate change are creating critical new environmental challenges and threaten the natural environment's (land and ocean) capacity to absorb shocks. The majority of Pacific Islands countries are highly vulnerable to climate change - threatening food systems, livelihoods, community health and security.
The Scholarship Scheme offers fully funded 3-year scholarships for full-time PhD studies to citizens from all member countries of the USP. This scholarship will provide an opportunity for exceptional candidates to undertake their PhD research in close collaboration with selected U.S. partner universities, including:
Themes for Inter-disciplinary PhD Research
The program offers an exciting opportunity for PhD candidates to undertake world-class research on a wide range of topics critical to understanding how the Pacific region can respond to the severe impacts of climate change and build a resilient future. Much of the research supported by this program is anticipated to be inter-disciplinary and provide academic pathways across a wide range of themes, such as the following:
- Natural Resource Management
- Business and Economics
- Marine Ecology and Ocean Science
- Food Systems
- Renewable Energy
- Food and Water Security
- Waste Management
- Public Health
- Sustainable Development
For further details about the range of academic programs offered by individual Schools/Centres, click here.
Benefits of U.S.-Pacific Resilience and Adaptation Fellowship Program PhD Scholarship
The scholarship benefits for each candidate based at USP’s Laucala campus (or otherwise approved) will include:
- Annual tuition fees (paid directly to USP)
- Annual general service fee (paid directly to USP)
- Annual health service fee (paid directly to USP)
- Annual living allowance of FJ$24,000 / year (or equivalent local currency))
- Annual book allowance of FJ$750 / year
- Laptop for use during PhD candidature
- Annual dependent allowance of FJ$11,000/year in Fiji for eligible candidates. Click here for dependency allowance criteria.
- Establishment allowance of FJ$1,942 as one-off-payment at the beginning of the first year (if candidate is required to relocate to USP Laucala campus). Click here for the establishment allowance criteria.
- Relocation allowance to cover the cost of a return economy air ticket for candidates required to travel to the Laucala campus to accept their offer (please note that dependent airfares are not included).
- Research grant of a maximum of FJ$45,000 (to be approved and administered by the relevant USP School).
U.S.-Pacific Resilience and Adaptation Fellowship Program PhD Scholarship Requirments
To qualify for this scholarship, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Applicants must be citizens of any of the 12-member countries comprising USP, which include Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
- Applicants should have completed one of the following master’s degrees:
- A master’s degree by thesis,
- A master’s degree including a Supervised Research Project, or
- A master’s degree with 25% or more independent research and a mini-thesis.
- Preference may be given to applicants who have:
- 5 years or more of relevant industry / professional experience,
- Research publications in the area relevant to the proposed research,
- Be willing to commence their full-time research as soon as possible.
The Selection Committee reserves the right to select applicants to ensure an overall balance among the Program’s candidates in terms of age, gender, nationality and academic disciplines.
Scholarship Conditions
- This scholarship is for full-time PhD study only at USP. Once research projects are approved, candidates may undertake travel to various locations within the Pacific region and to a U.S. partner university for research purposes.
- Candidates are not permitted to be in paid employment, including consultancy or part-time contracts, during the tenure of the scholarship.
- Candidates are required to spend a minimum of 40 hours per week for the entire period of the scholarship on their PhD research (unless otherwise approved).
Application Requirements
- Completed U.S.-PRAFP Scholarship Application Form.
- Cover letter stating why you wish to apply for this scholarship.
- Curriculum vitae with current details and contact details of three referees
- Letter of support from 2 referees who can evaluate the applicant’s research potential
- Certified copies of relevant academic transcripts and certificates
- Proof of citizenship (e.g. certified copy of passport bio-data)
- Research Intent (details on research intent) outlining proposed research interest and plan (no more than 2 pages). A full research proposal is not required at the application stage but a clear overview of the nature of your intended study.
Application Date and Process
Submit your application in PDF format via email to [email protected] with the subject line “US-PRAFP Scholarship Application – [YOUR NAME]”
Application Deadline
28 August, 2024
Scholarship Application Portal
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U.S.-Pacific Resilience and Adaptation Fellowship Program PhD Scholarship
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