| | Call for Applications for PhD Fellowship - Environmental Health |    | | | Background
The University of Copenhagen in partnership with the University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the Dodowa Health Research Centre has been awarded funding from the Danish Ministry of Foreign (FFU) affairs to conduct a large sanitation research project in the Dangme West District of Ghana, with a focus on rapidly developing townships. Close to 50% of Ghana’s 23 million residents currently live in urban or peri-urban environments, however, only 27% of such residents have access to improved sanitation and only 13% are connected to sewerage facilities. The traditional approach to building sanitation facilities has not resulted in significant and sustained sanitation coverage, in particular for the peri-urban poor. Latrine uptake is low because existing technologies are poorly designed, in poor condition, unsafe and cost prohibitive. Poor sanitation is the primary cause of diarrheal disease, which accounts for 9% of all deaths in Ghana and 3.1% of DALYs.
The Sustainable Sanitation-Ghana Project aims to identify existing barriers to improved sanitation and propose business models for providing hygienic latrine technologies and waste management solutions that can be used in poor, rapidly urbanizing townships in Ghana.
In conjunction with this research work, the University of Ghana, in partnership with the Copenhgaen School of Global Health, is pleased to announce a call for applications for one PhD fellowships in the field of Environment Health. The aim of this fellowship is to support the furhter education and training of local scholars in research and academic positions across the region.
Location: Dangme West Distric of Ghana
Research Goal for PhD Fellowship
The project is divided into several research work packages and the primary aim of this work package is:
To understand sanitation preferences and practices among end-users and sanitation service providers across the sanitation lifecycle
Objective: To understand sanitation practices and preferences among residents in rapidly growing townships and the social, economic and cultural barriers to the acceptance of selected latrine technologies and human excreta management approaches
Description: Mapping and understanding community practices and preferences for sanitation is an essential to the promotion of sustainable peri-urban sanitation systems. In the context of peri-urban settlements and rapidly growing townships we need to better understand the uptake barriers to hygienic sanitation including aspects of community organisation, social and cultural norms, gender considerations and preferences for particular technologies. This study serves as the baseline and provides critical inputs to the other sub-projects.
Methodology: A qualitative in-depth study in in Dodowa and Prampram.
Requirements:
The successful candidate will have a minimum of:
- MD, MsC, MPhil, MPH, MBA or other equivalent master degree in a relevant field (e.g. Public health, Health Policy and Administration, Sociology, Anthropology)
- Affinity with scientific field, research interest
- Intense interest and proven experience in scientific exploration in at least one of the three subject fields:
- Environmental Health
- Medical /Organizational Anthropology
- Public Health
- Willingness to work in a team and a strong ambition to accomplish the research goals of the project
- Creative personality
- Good academic results /transcripts
- Excellent communication skills
- Good command of English in speaking and writing
- PhD candidates from non-Anglophone countries are required to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language (TOEFL or British Council, IELTS);
- Good collaborative skills and preferably experience with project management
- Willingness to work within Ghana in the Greater Accra and Dangme West Districts
- Ability to travel to Copenhagen for periods of 3-4 months for PhD course training and supervisory workshops
- Perspectives on future use of PhD skills in Ghana in particular and sub Saharan Africa in general (teaching, research, practice);
- Full time availability from 01.05.2011 for a period of three years
Priority will be given to Ghanain/West African Researchers. Residents from high-income countries are not eligible for consideration.
Responsibilities
The PhD researcher’s tasks will be to study and report on their selected research question within the context of this project by qualitative or quantitative methods or a combination depending on their chosen area of research. The interconnected sub-studies will require intensive interaction with the program leader, research collaborators and the other PhD researcher(s) in the program.
The fellow /researcher will be offered a three-year scholarship, which is expected to result in a PhD. An evaluation discussion takes place annually. The selected candidate will be enrolled in the University of Ghana, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences. A joint enrollment at the University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health Sciences is possible for well qualified candidates.
The selected research will be required to publish research findings in 2-3 international peer reviewed journals.
Financial matters
The PhD candidate will be provided with a stipend USD 6,750 on annual basis. Approved travel costs, costs for fieldwork, etc., will be reimbursed. The disbursement of scholarship funds will be connected to the successful delivery of research work products (deliverables) to be agreed upon between the project leader and the PhD fellow at the onset of the research work.
Contact and Application
Candidates should send their application letter, curriculum vitae; min. 3 names and e-mail addresses of references; publications (if applicable) before 28 February by email to Prof. Kodjo Senah at kamesenah@yahoo.co.uk with a copy to Dr. Margaret Gyapong at margaret.gyapong@ghsmail.org. Please also copy Michael Calopietro at mjc@sund.ku.dk.
Please provide the following information in your application in addition to any other information you may want to provide:
- Name
- Title of Fellowship applying for
a. PhD Fellowship SUSA-GHANA Work Package 2
- Highest educational qualification attained
- Year of attainment of highest educational qualification
- Awarding institution
- Sex (Male or Female)
- Age
- Birth date
- Nationality
- Current position and employer (if any)
- Current residence
- Ghanaian language fluency (if any)
- Research experience
- Any peer reviewed publications
- Any other publications
- Disciplinary area of undergraduate degree
- Awarding institution
Please note that all shortlisted candidates must attend a selection interview with an independent review panel which will take place in or near Accra, Ghana. The date of the interview will be communicated after short listing. The selection interview is mandatory to support the final selection of candidates.
More information on the project can be obtained from :
Prof Kodjo Senah
kamesenah@yahoo.co.uk
Dr. Margaret Gyapong
margaret.gyapong@ghsmail.org (Office +233 30 2925838 / Mobile:+233 24 4573138) | | | | Date Published: 08/02/2011 | | | |   |
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