REFOREST 2020 PhD Scholarships for African Students

REFOREST now opens for applications to 20 PhD position scholarships to their new regional research school based at Sokoine University in Tanzania.

Regional Research School in Forest Sciences (REFOREST) is an innovative, interdisciplinary and unique regional PhD degree programme for training of future generation forest scientists in Africa. The Sida funded programme is hosted at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and is conducted in partnership with universities in Eastern and Southern Africa and in collaboration with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).

The PhD programme is organized in partnership with Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences – SLU (Sweden), Eduardo Mondlane University (Mozambique), National University of Rwanda (Rwanda), Wondo Genet College of Foresty and Natural Resources (Hawassa University -Ethiopia) and Makerere University (Uganda).

Research Themes: Students will undertake research in one of the following thematic areas:

1. 1. Commercial forestry and bio-economy – tree growing as business, tree improvement and silviculture, forest health and protection, forest products development, marketing, forest products value chains, sustainable forest management;
   2. Natural forests management – Ecological and socio-economic aspects, biodiversity conservation, bio-energy, climate change, REDD+, Payment for Ecosystem Services, forest land policy and ownership as well as forest-land-water relations; and
   3. Agroforestry, forest-agriculture interactions and synergies, and conflict management.

Cross-cutting areas for all the themes include gender, policy, livelihoods, forest governance, forest sector modeling, environmental and economic sustainability. Particular attention are placed on areas requiring more interdisciplinary research approaches, e.g. climate-forest issues, land use conflicts, market system analyses, poverty alleviation potentials of various forest/tree products and services, economic/social/ecological aspects of forestry, food and nutrition security.

• Table of Content
• About Regional Research School in Forest Sciences (REFOREST)
• REFOREST PhD Scholarships
• Aim and Benefits of REFOREST PhD Scholarships
• Requirements for REFOREST PhD Scholarships Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About Regional Research School in Forest Sciences (REFOREST)

The programme is organised as a research school and applies a “regional sandwich model”, in which all coursework and thesis write-up are undertaken at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) whereas field data collection is conducted in the candidates’ home countries. This approach aims to strengthen the quality and raise the number of competent research scientists more rapidly while also enabling a regional perspective and linking scientists to international learning and collaboration. REFOREST Programme will create a critical mass of PhD students as well as a modus operandi where... continue reading

REFOREST PhD Scholarships

Aim and Benefits of REFOREST PhD Scholarships

Successful scholarship candidates will apply for PhD admission at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA)

Duration of Award:

• The sponsorship covers a maximum of four years, and will commence in October, 2020.
• The Programme comprises one year of course work and three years of research and thesis writing. 

Requirements for REFOREST PhD Scholarships Qualification

Eligible candidates are from Eastern and Southern Africa. In the year 2020-2024 citizens of Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda Tanzania and Uganda will be prioritized for sponsorships, female candidates are highly encouraged to apply. Successful applicants will be admitted and registered at Sokoine University of Agriculture. The Programme comprises one year of course work and three years of research and thesis writing. Students are encouraged to carry out the PhD research in their home countries.

Eligible Countries: Countries in Eastern and Southern Africa

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Submit a letter indicating the theme of interest (Theme 1, 2 or 3 above), and attach the following:

(i) research concept note of maximum 2,000 words (covering introduction, knowledge gap(s), research objectives, research methodology and expected outcomes)

(ii)endorsed copies of certificates and academic transcripts

(iii) your Curriculum Vitae and

(iv) names of two academic referees.

Send your application electronically to [email protected].

Deadline for application is 2nd July 2020 at 15.30 East Africa Time (EAT).

For further clarification, contact Programme Coordinator at E-mail: [email protected].

Short-listed candidates will be notified by 1st August, 2020, and where applicable they will be required to improve their concept note.

Subsequently they will all be required to present themselves for an interview session conducted from 17th to 21st of August, 2020 at their respective partner universities.

For more details, visit REFOREST website.