Applications are invited from highly motivated and qualified individuals for PostDocs and postgraduate (PhD & MPhil) scholarships available at the Department of History and Political Studies and Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi. 

Scholarship Application Deadline: 1 September 2024

Background

The scholarships, beginning in the 2024/2025 Academic Year, are part of a DANIDA-funded research project entitled ‘Multiple Waterscapes in Urban Ghana (MUWUG).’ MUWUG is an international research collaboration between the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, the University of Copenhagen, the Danish Institute for International Studies, and the Geneva Water Hub. Led by an interdisciplinary team of scholars with expertise in African studies, history, politics, urban planning, water studies, economics, and anthropology, MUWUG will deliver new policy-relevant knowledge on urban adaptation under conditions of climate change. The project investigates how poorer residents in different parts of Ghana’s second city, Kumasi, access clean drinking water under conditions of climate change.

The project examines what poorer people in Kumasi do to get clean water and whether this depends on which part of the city they live in. It focuses on three types of urban sites in Kumasi that represent different configurations of residents and businesses and different social histories and dynamics:

1. Downtown older areas of the city where many residents are originally migrants;
2. Areas that are both industrial and residential and where poorer people compete with water-intensive industries;
3. Sites on the city's edge where long-term residents compete with middle-class people who buy land on the city's outskirts.

The study of these sites employs a combination of ethnographic and archival methods and draws from various disciplinary backgrounds.

Applications are invited for the following under-listed positions/scholarships. The scholarships are available from 1 January 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. The granting of the scholarship carries with it enrolment as an MPhil/PhD student at the School of Graduate Studies and the Department of History and Political Studies/Planning.

Two Postdoctoral Positions

MUWUG invites applications from emerging scholars with a humanities and social sciences background. Based in the Department of History & Political Studies, the MUWUG postdoctoral scholarship is for three years, subject to yearly evaluation of tasks fulfilled. The proposal for a postdoc position can take the shape of studies that cut across the three sites’ typologies with a thematic focus (e.g., gender, politics, history). The scholarship aims to provide space for deepening research skills and further scholarly training for the two postdoctoral researchers.

A MUWUG postdoctoral researcher is expected to

• Participate in a full-time programme of advanced research and training.
• Train under the supervision and direction of the MUWUG interdisciplinary team.
• To advance individual and team publications - manuscript preparation, reading the literature, manuscript reviewing, presentations at meetings, attendance and presentation at local/international conferences.
• To assist with the organization of seminars and attendance at training-related activities, including grantsmanship workshops.
• To participate in limited teaching at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the Department of History and Political Studies aimed at enhancing the pedagogical skills of the postdoc researcher.
• Assist with stakeholder engagement and dissemination of research findings.

Requirements

1. Postdoctoral researchers cannot be employed full-time at KNUST or any other public university/institution.
2. Early-career researchers who have finished their PhD in the last five years, in all Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines will be considered.
3. Early career researchers who have published at least two peer-reviewed articles in recognised high-impact scientific journals.

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted in a single PDF file to (histpolresearch@knust.edu.gh). The application must include the following enclosures: 

• Cover letter detailing your motivation and background for applying for the postdoctoral position.
• Proposal description (maximum 5 pages/12,000 keystrokes including space, but excluding bibliography).
• CV
• Two recommendation letters.

Three PhD Scholarships

The MUWUG PhD scholarships provide students with strong research training at an international level to undertake research, development, and teaching assignments. These qualifications open a window of opportunity to various careers within the private and public sectors. One of the three Ph.D. scholarships will focus on policy analysis. The overall PhD programme includes drafting a PhD thesis, active participation in research networks, the scholarly life of the departments and the research project (MUWUG), PhD courses, teaching, and other forms of knowledge dissemination.

• Full time PhD scholarship starting in 2024/2025 Academic Year.
• The proposed PhD project (developed in the project description submitted as part of the PhD application) should reflect the broad aims of the project and situate itself within one of the site typologies.
• The proposed PhD project should also reflect the applicant’s background and could focus on, for example, local politics, gender, urban studies, urban history, and political ecology.
• The PhD project involves conducting fieldwork in Kumasi and conference participation, both funded by the project.
• It requires presence and teaching at the Department of History and Political Studies and Department of Planning after completing the coursework component of the programme, as well as participation in project meetings, seminars, and workshops.
• PhD scholarship also involves conference participation and a research stay at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark).
• Funding is contingent upon being in good academic standing. Good academic standing means that you are completing courses on time, maintaining at least a B+ grade average, and fulfilling all requirements as stipulated in the Graduate Students Handbook.

Applications to the PhD programmes based in the Departments of History & Political Studies and the Department of Planning, qualify an applicant to apply for the MUWUG Scholarships.

• PhD Historical Studies or PhD Political Science.
• PhD Planning or PhD Development Studies.

The PhD applicants to these programmes must meet the programme requirements at the respective department boards.

Only successful applicants from the Departmental admission list would be invited for an interview for the MUWUG Scholarships.

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted in a single PDF file to (histpolresearch@knust.edu.gh). The application must include the following enclosures: 

• Cover letter detailing your motivation and background for applying for the specific PhD project.
• Proposal description (maximum 5 pages/12,000 keystrokes including space but excluding bibliography).
• CV
• Two recommendation letters.

Two MPhil Scholarships

MUWUG will undertake a consumer survey of households and conduct technical mapping and assessment of water sources across the three study sites. Two MPhil candidates will be engaged in the project under the supervision of senior researchers.

MPhil 1 - Economics

An element of the project will involve a consumer survey will be conducted across 2250 households in the three study sites. It will be a stratified random sample, stratified by type of user. The survey will provide data on the differentiated economy of water provision and consumption.

Eligibility Criteria

• The applicant must be an MPhil Candidate in Economics/Business (i.e., all coursework must be completed, and the candidate is about to start data collection/thesis writing).
• Applicants must have a strong quantitative background.
• Applicant must be able to conduct surveys and statistical data analysis independently.
• Applicant must be willing to work in a multidisciplinary team.

MPhil 2 – Engineering (preferably Water management)

An element of the project will involve mapping, which will include bi-monthly recordings of water quality over two years, capturing variation within and between years.

Eligibility Criteria

• The applicant must be an MPhil Candidate in an engineering programme focused on water (i.e., all coursework must be completed, and the candidate is about to start data collection/thesis writing).
• Applicants must have a strong quantitative background.
• Applicant must be able to conduct surveys, test water quality, and statistical analysis of data independently.
• Applicant must be willing to work in a multidisciplinary team.

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted in a single PDF file to (histpolresearch@knust.edu.gh). The application must include the following enclosures: 

• Cover letter detailing your motivation and background for applying for the specific MPhil project.
• Proposal description (maximum 5 pages/12,000 keystrokes including space but excluding bibliography).
• CV
• Two recommendation letters.

The application deadline is 1 September 2024.

Any applications emailed or received after the deadline will not be considered. However, changes may be made to the submitted application until the deadline.

Contact Information

If you have questions concerning the MUWUG project, please contact:

Prof. George Bob-Milliar (gbobmilliar.cass@knust.edu.gh).

Department of History and Political Studies

KNUST, Kumasi.