Centre for Epidemic Response & Innovation (CERI) African STARS MSc Fellowship 2025

The Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) at Stellenbosch University (South Africa) and the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) (Senegal), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, invite applications for the African STARS Fellowship; a fully funded opportunity to pursue an MSc in Bioinformatics of Infectious Diseases and Pathogen Genomics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

• Table of Content
• About Africa STARS Fellowship
• African STARS MSc fellowship
• Aim and Benefits of African STARS MSc fellowship
• Requirements for African STARS MSc fellowship Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for African STARS MSc fellowship
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About Africa STARS Fellowship

Starting in 2025, Africa STARS Fellowship was established as an advanced training initiative to nurture and develop the next generation of high calibre scientists, innovators, policy makers and health care leaders in Africa. Africa has the fastest-growing young population in the world, projected to make up nearly half of the global youth by 2100. Currently, young Africans have limited formal employment opportunities – a challenge that is expected to intensify as the continent’s workforce expands to over a billion people in the coming decades. Compounding this issue, Africa bears... continue reading

African STARS MSc fellowship

Application Deadline	26 Jun 2025
Country to study	South Africa
School to study	Stellenbosch University
Type	Fellowship
Sponsor	Africa STARS Fellowship
Gender	Men and Women

Aim and Benefits of African STARS MSc fellowship

The African STARS Fellowship covers the full cost of the MSc programme, including:

• Tuition fees
• Accommodation
• Living stipend
• Research-related expenses
• Air Travel expense
• Health insurance

Requirements for African STARS MSc fellowship Qualification

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Born in and / or living in Africa
• 35 years of age or younger at the time of application
• Hold a BSc Honours (NQF level 8) or equivalent 4-year degree (≥65%) in:
  • Bioinformatics, Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science,
  • Biochemistry, Genetics, Molecular Biology, or a related field
• Women are strongly encouraged to apply

Interview date, Process and Venue for African STARS MSc fellowship

Program Details

This two-year, multidisciplinary MSc programme is designed to equip African scientists with the expertise needed to lead innovative research in infectious diseases and pathogen genomics.

• Duration: 2 years (Feb 2026 – Jan 2028).
• Location: Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
• Structured 9-month lecture block, including a compulsory Statistics and Bioinformatics module, followed by elective capita selecta modules in Infectious Diseases or Pathogen Genomics, offering flexibility to address emerging research priorities.
• Over 1 year of hands-on research training within Stellenbosch University’s world-class infectious disease laboratories to complete a bioinformatics research project.
• Career development workshops tailored to the needs of researchers in low- and middle-incomecountries (LMICs).
• Ongoing mentorship from a dedicated team of supervisors based at Stellenbosch and partnering institutions.

Application Deadline

June 26, 2025

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to Africa STARS Fellowship on docs.google.com to apply

Step 1: Click here to apply for the African STARS Fellowship (Scholarship)

Note: This form is only for the scholarship application.

Deadline: 26 June 2025

Step 2: Submit a formal application to Stellenbosch University for admission to the MSc Programme.

Deadline: 31 August 2025 (International), 30 September 2025 (South Africans)

For more details, visit African STARS MSc Fellowship webpage