Application Deadline for Applicants for Chad only extended until September 26, 2017

RESOLVE Network Research Leadership Fellowship Program

Call for 2018 Applications in Cameroon, Chad, and Nigeria

Application Period Opens: August 1, 2017

Application Deadline: September 15, 2017

The RESOLVE Network is soliciting applications from qualified candidates based in Cameroon, Chad, and Nigeria for a project-based research fellowship in support of a comparative country case study on the rise of violent extremism and the politics of religion in education in the Lake Chad Basin region. Supported by the RESOLVE Network Secretariat in Washington, D.C., the project will be led by a select team of principal investigators with experience in the region who will work closely with fellows in the program to conduct field-based research over the course of 10 months from early November 2017 through late September 2018.

Violent extremism is a pervasive global threat to international security and stability. Over the last decade, the world has witnessed an exponential increase in the number of fatalities arising out of attacks by extremists. The global scale of the threat requires a global response. The UN Secretary’s 2016 Plan of Action for the Prevention of Violent Extremism identifies the need for more locally- informed, evidence based research on the drivers of conflict and sources of community resilience. In direct response to that call, international stakeholders established the RESOLVE Network, a consortium of research organizations and researchers focused on analyzing the drivers of conflict that lead to extremism.

The RESOLVE Network Research Leadership Fellowship is a flagship initiative of the Network. The goal of the fellowship is to grow the next generation of local thought leaders engaged in shaping local, regional, and international policy responses to the destabilizing threat of political violence and conflict. The program matches early and mid-career researchers from priority regions with seasoned senior subject matter experts who serve as principal investigators and lead major projects in alignment with the network's broad research agenda.

From 2017 to 2019, the network will focus its efforts on cultivating a cadre of local change agents in high risk areas of North Africa, the Sahel, as well as South and Central Asia. Research projects will draw on field-based research, with support from local, regional, and international partner organizations engaged in the network. The program employs a “learning by doing model” that encourages principal investigators to team up with locally based fellows on project design, data collection and analysis. Throughout, fellows will be provided with in-person and online guidance from project leads and training on the professional principles of conducting ethical, evidence-based policy relevant research. Each team will be expected to produce capstone analysis and present their findings at a RESOLVE Network Forum. Potential final fellowship products include:

• A co-authored briefing paper (Approx. 5,000 words)
• Data visualizations (map series, graphs, multimedia displays)
• Online blogs and/or podcasts

RESOLVE Network Research Leadership Fellowship awards will not be made for projects that constitute policymaking for a government agency or private organization, focus to any substantial degree on conflicts outside its priority regions, or adopt a partisan, advocacy, or activist stance. Projects and fellows will be selected on the basis of their potential for leadership and a demonstrated ability to contribute to the empirically derived evidence base in a balanced, non- partisan manner on what works and doesn’t work to prevent violent extremism. All awards are project-specific and their focus and design is determined by the Network Secretariat in consultation with members of the Network’s Research Advisory Group.

 Eligible Candidates

Qualified citizens of Cameroon, Chad, and Nigeria may apply for the fellowship. Applicants based full-time in other parts of the Lake Chad Basin region or the Sahel will be given the highest consideration. Applicants from the Lake Chad or Sahel regions currently living abroad who show a commitment to traveling to the country to conduct research and to returning to their home countries within one-year of completing the program may also be considered.

Applicants must be fluent in English and either French or Arabic (preferably all three), both written and spoken. The Network Secretariat will only consider candidates who have a combination of the following educational and professional experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in political science, economics, international affairs, legal studies, journalism, anthropology, sociology, social psychology, criminology, or related social sciences plus a minimum of 6 years professional experience working with reputable media outlets, think tanks, universities, and/or research centers.
• Master’s degree in political science, economics, international affairs, legal studies, journalism, anthropology, sociology, social psychology, criminology, or related social sciences plus a minimum of 4 years professional experience working with reputable media outlets, think tanks, universities, and/or research centers.
• Doctoral candidates or degree recipients in political science, economics, international affairs, legal studies, journalism, anthropology, sociology, social psychology, criminology, or related social sciences plus a minimum of 2 years professional experience working with reputable media outlets, think tanks, universities, and/or research centers.

Selection Process

RESOLVE Network Research Fellow applications are vetted through a review that includes consideration by senior subject matter experts and professional staff at the RESOLVE Network Secretariat, which is currently housed at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, DC. Following review of applications, a short list of qualified candidates will be invited to interview via Skype or in-person when possible.

The Network Secretariat may confer with other Network partner organizations during the selection process. Final authority for decisions about RESOLVE Network Research Leadership Fellowship awards, however, rests with the RESOLVE Network Secretariat in Washington, DC.