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 develop diverse, equitable, mutually beneficial ocean and freshwater sustainability solutions and research collaborations.
The Africa-UBC Oceans and Fisheries Visiting Fellows Program is the brainchild of Drs. Daniel Pauly and Rashid Sumaila. These world-renowned professors won the 2023 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, and wanted to create a program that builds beneficial international relationships between sustainability scholars in Africa and Canada.
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.
The Visiting Fellows Program 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. 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.
The program includes a year-long affiliation with UBC hosts, wherein the fellows undertake their research in their home countries, and includes a one month in-person placement at UBC’s Vancouver (Point Grey) campus. Travel costs, accommodation and a per diem will be provided for the selected Visiting Fellows.
The scholarly and scientific work to be generated (publications, policy ideas and management plans, training of highly trained scholars, etc.) would be of immense benefit for all participants.
- 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.
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;
- 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; and
- Must connect with UBC potential hosts prior to submitting their application, and ensure that they have agreed to act as host for the fellow's proposed project.
| UBC-based researchers and scholars will participate as hosts in this program, gaining a unique opportunity to expand their research network, engage in cross-cultural academic exchange, and contribute to impactful scholarship that will bridge knowledge across continents, as well as contributing to projects that are aimed ay sustaining our global ocean.
The fellowship is structured as 12 months in total, with about eleven (11) months of virtual engagement, and a one (1) month in-person Fellow visit to UBC. The collaborative activities would be shaped by the the UBC faculty member host(s) and selected Fellow. Host(s) should be aware that the Fellow’s flight and per diem for accommodation and subsistence is covered, as well as CAD $5,000 in research funds for their fellowship project. Hosting DutiesHere are some examples of the duties that the host will need to perform:
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Interested in being a UBC host? UBC researchers and faculty members who are interested in participating in this program: Faculty who have already signalled their commitment
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The Application portal for the 3rd Cohort 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. |
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This Program is made possible, in part, due to funding from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Ocean Initiative. 