Call for Applications

Population, Ethics, and Human Rights Fellowship

Deadline for applications: 31 August 2022 - Closed

The three fellows have been selected. They will begin their residential fellowship in February 2023.

Download the full PDF Call for Applications and instructions on how to apply 

The IUSSP Scientific Panel on Population Perspectives and Demographic Methods to Strengthen Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems, jointly with the Institute on Inequalities in Global Health (USC IIGH), University of Southern California (United States), Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WiSER), University of Witwatersrand (South Africa) and Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER) (Uganda), is issuing a global call for applications to host 3 early career research/practitioner professionals for a 12-month period. The official fellowship period will run from February 2023 to January 2024. 

The Fellowship requires a full-time commitment during a 12-month residence period -- Fellows will be hosted for 6-months at WiSER, Johannesburg and 6-months at ISER, Uganda (fellowship extension beyond 12-months is subject to available funding). The Fellowship Program will include support for individual and group research projects, interactive dialogues, seminars and research/practitioner workshops that seek to unpack interdisciplinary perspectives with a particular focus on emerging challenges in low- and middle-income countries. Fellows will be supported by the IUSSP Scientific Panel and the partner institutions WiSER (South Africa), ISER (Uganda), and IIGH (United States). 

Applications will be accepted from low- and middle-income countries from different geographic regions and disciplinary expertise and supported to become a cohort of thought leaders in this emerging field, including support for multidisciplinary collaboration.  Fellows will be hosted at WiSER and ISER, so their residential fellowship will include direct study of and engagement with contemporary issues in South Africa and Uganda, as a complement to their own studies or areas of work (even if not specifically focused on South Africa or Uganda). 

The fellowship program is designed to be immersive. Fellows will be in full-time residence at WiSER and ISER for 6-months, respectively, and will include three workshops with experts from the collaborating institutions and in the field more broadly. All sponsoring organizations will play key roles in supporting Fellows in their research. The residential component of the fellowship will immerse fellows in WiSER’s weekly and monthly research seminars and colloquia and engage them with the Bhalisa Network and, while at ISER, will integrate them into ISER’s policy advocacy work in Uganda around ethics, rights and legal identity. Fellows will be mentored by faculty and staff from the collaborating institutions and be connected to new areas of research and practice as well as supported in expanding their interdisciplinary professional network. 

The IUSSP and its partners are grateful for support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada that makes this fellowship and associated activities possible. 

General Information:

The program is designed for exceptional early career professionals, scholars, and others with an interest in population register systems who: 

1. possess the skills and commitment to use the fellowship experience to provide leadership in improving Emerging Ethics and Human Rights Issues in the Digitization of Population Register Systems at the global, national or local level; 

2. bring a depth of expertise and knowledge about the ethics and/or rights issues embedded in the digitization of population register systems.  

• Expected Outputs: a series of scholarly/practitioner articles and general audience mini-essays over the course of the 12-month fellowship  

• Educational Requirements: Either a completed PhD or at least 3-years professional experience in the field of legal identity, global health, human rights, population studies or related fields such as social sciences, law, and public policy.

• Language Requirements: professional competence in English 

How to Apply:

Interested individuals are encouraged to apply, by completing the online application form by 31 August at the very latest.

The form requires:

• filling out the basic information in the form.
• listing the names and contact details of at least 2 professional/academic references. 
• uploading of a short cover letter (2 pages, in pdf), briefly describing your professional achievements in relation with the fellowship as well what inspired you to apply. [Kindly use the following file naming convention: "LASTNAME-firstname-CoverLetter" e.g. SMITH-Lynda-CoverLetter.pdf]
• uploading of a curriculum vitae (in pdf) [Naming the file:"LASTNAME-firstname-CV" e.g. SMITH-Michael-CV.pdf]
• uploading a short description of the research project you wish to undertake (Project Title, Abstract, Background, Objectives, Methods, Funding...) "LASTNAME-firstname-ResearchProject"  e.g. SMITH-Fatima-ResearchProject.doc ]

Please read the instructions provided in the full PDF Call for Applications (above) and prepare your application materials beforehand to be able to copy-paste into the online application form. Information must be submitted in English. 

The application form can be edited after completion until the 31 August deadline (loging in to the form using the same email).

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Enquiries:  Any enquiries should be directed to Paul Monet.