Africa-UBC Oceans and Fisheries Visiting Fellows Program

The Africa-UBC Oceans and Fisheries Visiting Fellows Program will allow talented early-career academics from sub-Saharan African universities and research institutes to engage with leading researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC), to facilitate diverse, equitable, mutually beneficial research collaborations.

This Visiting Fellows Program, which is made possible, in part, due to funding from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Ocean Initiative, is designed to allow exceptional sub-Saharan African researchers to build international networks and focus on a project of their choice in collaboration with UBC-based scholars. The goal is to make available to fellows the vast resources available at UBC for research and collaboration with UBC-based scholars. By expanding the networks of both African and UBC scholars and their students, all participants will share and co-create interdisciplinary knowledge and insights that would benefit their universities, their countries, and the world.

Ultimately, this program will make a tangible contribution to the sustainable management of ocean and freshwater resources in Africa, Canada, and the rest of the world.

UBC partners

UBC-based scholars interested in participating as collaborators in this program, please fill out this short form. This is a unique chance to expand your research network, engage in cross-cultural academic exchange, and contribute to impactful scholarship that bridges knowledge across continents.

The list of faculty who have already signalled their commitment to this year’s program will be updated shortly.

Terms of the Fellows Program

• Up to two fellowships will be awarded each year.
• The fellowship is open to researchers across all academic fields who are focused on ocean sustainability, and how to make the ocean economy work for the people who call Africa home.
• Fellows will be affiliated with UBC for 12 months, including eleven months of virtual engagement and a one-month in-person visit to UBC.
• The award will cover one economy return ticket and per diem for accommodation and subsistence during UBC visit. The award will also include $5,000 CAD research funds for the proposed fellowship project.
• Fellows are expected to make a presentation of their work during or at the end of the fellowship when they visit UBC.
• Fellows are expected to lead the writing of a collaborative paper to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Application Criteria

To apply for a fellowship, all applicants must have at least one UBC-based researcher named as their potential collaborator on their application. They can select from the list above, or indicate a preferred UBC researcher with whom they have already connected. The UBC researcher must have agreed to work with the applicant prior to the submission of the application package.

An applicant for a Africa-UBC Oceans and Fisheries Visiting Fellows program must fulfill the following criteria:

• Have a Ph.D. or research equivalent;
• Hold an appointment in a sub-Saharan African academic or research institution;
• Have published a book, or at least two book chapters or peer-reviewed journal articles, in internationally reputable outlets;
• Have two academic references detailing specific contributions of the applicant to particular fields of study, and how a visiting fellowship will support career goals and progression; and
• Include a research proposal that clearly outlines the organizing theme of the proposed work to be undertaken during the fellowship and how the period of the fellowship will lead to the completion of their project.

Application Process

The Application portal will open soon. Deadline for application package submission will also be announced at that time.

The pre-selection round will be managed by the African Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience, University of Cape Coast, Ghana. This Centre is uniquely qualified to serve this function as it is Africa’s preeminent continent-wide ocean and fisheries research Centre. The final selection will be made by a committee based at UBC.