CEGA Visiting Fellows Program 2022/2023: Eligibility And How To Apply

The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) invests in research capacity building that empowers low- and middle-income country (LMIC) scholars to generate rigorous evidence on economic development in their home countries and regions.

The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) invites researchers from East Africa and Anglophone West Africa interested in developing their skills in impact evaluation and implementation science to apply for a four-month fellowship (sabbatical) at the University of California Berkeley, to be completed during Fall 2022 (August – December) or Spring 2023 (January – May) academic semester.

Benefits

• After successful completion of the fellowship, fellows will be eligible to receive “catalyst grants” of $5,000-$7,500 to administer trainings in impact evaluation methods and work to build institutional capacity to conduct rigorous evaluations, as well as pilot research grants of $10,000 to continue working on impact evaluation research developed while at UC Berkeley.
• They will also be able to apply for larger research grants of up to $75,000 to conduct an impact evaluation that answers a pressing economic development question in East or West Africa.
• All fellows will be sponsored to attend CEGA’s annual Africa Evidence Summit, a dissemination event held in a different East or West African country each summer.

Eligibility

Applicants to the CEGA Visiting Fellowship must:

• Be a national of an East African or Anglophone West African country (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan, Uganda, the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon) and fluent in English;
• Have completed a PhD within the last 8 years, or be enrolled in a PhD program in economics, statistics, epidemiology/public health, or another social science discipline (in exceptional cases, the applicants will hold a Masters’ degree in a relevant field and have plans to pursue a PhD in the future. These cases will require a direct referral by an EASST or DIWA fellow);
• Have a current affiliation with a research institution, university or other research organization in East or West Africa, preferably one that supports policy-relevant, quantitative social science research;
• Plan to return to a research institute in East or West Africa after the fellowship. If currently enrolled in a PhD program outside the African continent, scholars may complete their PhD before their return.

How To Apply

To respond to the 2022-2023 CEGA Visiting Fellowship Request for Applications (RFA), submit the following information and documents through this Submittable portal by Monday, March 7, at 5 pm GMT:

• Personal Statement (1 page): describe your personal motivations for applying to the CEGA Visiting Fellowship–of all fellowships available to you, why are you particularly interested in this program? What do you hope to accomplish during the semester and beyond?
• Curriculum Vitae/Resume 
• Transcript of any coursework completed within at least the last 5 years (i.e. your scores or grades from university courses). Scanned copy is acceptable.
• Research Proposal: Not to exceed 2 pages. During the fellowship, you should work on the proposal you have submitted, unless you decide to change it (with agreement from CEGA staff and your mentor).
• Evidence of Leave Approval from the applicant’s supervisor or department chair demonstrating support and certifying that, if the applicant is selected, he/she will be able to take a 4-month leave of absence.
• Letters of Recommendation (2 required, 1 optional):
  • Required: One academic letter that describes the applicant’s research capacity, quantitative skills, and qualifications for the CEGA fellowship. Use the provided recommendation template (Appendix C).
  • Required: One letter from a government agency or policy maker indicating the fellows past policy engagement or engagement potential.  Please use the provided recommendation template (Appendix D).
  • If you are applying with only a master’s degree (not currently working towards a PhD), you must submit a reference letter from a former EASST or DIWA fellow to apply.  Please use the provided recommendation template (Appendix E).
  • OPTIONAL: You may attach one working paper or publication.

For more information, visit CEGA Visiting Fellows Program

Application Deadline: March 7, 2022

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