Month: December 2015
West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens DELTAS PhD Fellowships
West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens – College of Basic and Applied Sciences
DELTAS PhD Fellowships
The WACCBIP-DELTAS programme, sponsored by the Wellcome Trust, is offering PhD fellowships for aspiring African scientists to work in an environment that supports high caliber research, promotes the development of scientific leadership and enables networking with other scientists throughout Africa. As a new centre of excellence for biomedical research, WACCBIP supports a wide range of research activities, and in conjunction with its international partners, provides a rigorous PhD training programme.
Eligibility
To apply for this fellowship, you must:
- Be an African national who holds a relevant Masters degree
- Be a highly motivated individual interested in human genetics or host-pathogen genomics
- Be interested in working on one of the following priority disease areas and research themes:
Priority Diseases
Non-communicable diseases including:
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Diabetes
- Cancers
- Stroke/Hypertension
- Kidney Disease
Infectious diseases including:
- Protozoan pathogens – Malaria & Trypanosomiasis
- Fungal pathogens – Cryptococcosis, Candidiasis
- Helminths – Schistosomiasis, Filariasis
- Mycobacteria – Tuberculosis & Buruli ulcer
- Other Bacterial Pathogens – Gastro-intestinal and blood infections
- Viruses – HIV/AIDS, EBVD, Rotaviral Infections, Influenza, Dengue fever
Research themes:
- Human genetics
- Disease pathogenesis and immunogenetics
- Pathogen genomics/Bioinformatics
- Host-pathogen interactions
- Diagnostics
- Molecular epidemiology
- Drug and vaccine discovery for development
The candidate will conduct their PhD research at one of the following institutions across Africa:
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP)
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology – University of Ghana (BCMB-UG)
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research – University of Ghana (NMIMR-UG) Ghana
- Malaria Research and Training Center at the University of Science, Techniques, and Technology, Bamako Mali
- Medical Research Unit, Fajara The Gambia
- Kenya Medical Research Institute, Killifi, Kenya
- Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya
- Division of Human Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town South Africa
The PhD training includes a six-month research visit to one of the following institutions:
- University of Cambridge
- University of Oxford
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- University of Pittsburgh
The successful PhD fellow will be expected to:
- Conduct high quality research leading to the publication of at least 2 papers in peer reviewed journals
- Contribute to the training of undergraduate students
- Graduate with a University of Ghana PhD degree in Biochemistry or Molecular Cell Biology of Infectious Diseases, depending on the research theme.
The successful PhD fellow will be supported with up to $ 130,000 to cover:
- Tuition at the University of Ghana
- A monthly stipend
- Research supplies and reagents
- Six-month research visit abroad
- Other related costs (such as international conference, Courses and Workshops)
Please download full fellowship application forms from this link.
Interested applicants may send their complete application documents to: waccbipleader@ug.edu.gh and waccbip@gmail.com
Deadline for applications is 31st January, 2016.
Vacancy at the AAU Secretariat: ACE Project Officer
ACE Project Officer: Terms of Reference
The Association of African Universities (AAU), an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with headquarters in Accra, Ghana, was set up in November 1967 by universities in Africa to promote cooperation among themselves and with the international academic community. The AAU collaborates with a number of international organizations and development partners in an effort to fulfill its mandate to the African higher education community.
The World Bank, in collaboration with West and Central African countries and Association of African Universities have launched the Africa Regional Higher Education Centers of Excellence (ACE) Project. The ACE project covers nine (9) West and Central African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo). Read the rest of this entry »
AAU organised Workshop on successful Governance of Universities for Senior Executives comes to a fruitful close
A three-day University Advancement Workshop, aptly themed “Successful Governance of Universities: The key relationship between the University Council and the Executive Leaders of the Universities has been held here in Accra, Ghana.
The workshop organised by the Association of African Universities in collaboration with the Advancement Academy of Stellenbosch University took place from December 14-16, 2015 with over 30 participants from various countries attending.
Led by the AAU Secretary General, Prof. Etienne E. Ehile, participants observed a minute’s silent in memory of late Prof. Lindela Ndlovu, former VC of the National University of Science and Technology Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, AAU Board Member, and member of AAU-ACBF CADRE II Project Steering Committee, who passed away on November 18, 2015.
This year’s workshop on successful governance of universities is the 6th in a series of the University Advancement programme, and specifically targeted Chairpersons of University Councils; Vice Chancellors/ Rectors/ University Presidents as well as key senior executive university managers.
In his opening remarks, Professor Domwini D. Kuupole, the Vice chancellor of the University of Cape-Coast and chair for the event, underscored the critical role that interpersonal relationships between various executives play in the successful running of universities and achievement of its goals.
Topics Discussed
The workshop engaged participants on various topics including-
Corporate governance: Management challenges for deans of large faculties; Symptomatic challenges of the dynamic relationship between the VC, University Executive group and the Chairperson of Council/ Council; and Corporate Governance: Obligations, roles and accountabilities and its application in a university context.
Participants perspectives
Mr. Dube F. Canaan from Zimbabwe is attending an AAU event for the second time and had this to say about the workshop;
“The presentations were rich and in more ways than one. It has been very seminal and insightful. Quite a lot of rich experiences have been shared by those charged with leading institutions of higher education” he said. ‘My recommendation is that AAU puts these rich mater
ials into best practice guidelines for sharing widely with its constituents’
Mr. Abdu Halliru Abdullahi, Registrar and Secretary to the council of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University of Nigeria says that his expectations of the workshop had been met. He further acknowledged the networking opportunities availed to him through his participation in the workshop.
Background
Since 2007 AAU has organized several workshops on Leadership as well as Management Skills Development for senior executives and middle level managers of African Universities. These aim to enhance the leadership skills of university leaders, particularly in the promotion of innovation and the management of change, and also to strengthen collaboration, networking, and capacity building.
Some Workshop Power Point presentations and other information can be accessed below:
AAU Blog 