Call for applications for a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Cape Town
Call for applications for a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Cape Town “Scaling Up Research in SSA Countries in Infectious Diseases: African-European Training Network in Integrated Health Informatics and Data Sciences – BRIDGE NETWORK Project” Background About the BRIDGE NETWORK Project Project details: https://doi.org/10.3030/101145734 Home – BRIDGE NETWORK BRIDGE NETWORK is a consortium of 12 leading African and European institutions aiming to train the next generation of experts in integrated health informatics and data sciences applied to infectious diseases domain. Jointly funded by the European Union and the Global Health EDCTP3 , the program is led by Ghent University and aims to establish six BRIDGE NETWORK Nodes (BNNs) in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Benin, Ethiopia, and South Africa. These BNNs will serve as data hubs for cutting-edge research, world-class training in health data harmonization and analytics, and innovative solutions to tackle infectious diseases that continue to claim millions of lives across the African continent. The BRIDGE NETWORK Training Project provides: · Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships training to 14 experts who will lead innovative research in data sciences bridged to health informatics and applied to infectious diseases. · Postgraduate Certifications awarding up to 20 certifications per participating country through a mix of online learning and practical field mentorship, and world-class collaboration by partnering with renowned worldwide institutions. Application fields Title: Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Integrated Data Sciences and Health Informatics (Scope: Infectious Diseases) Language of application All applications MUST be submitted in English. Degree awarding institution University of Cape Town (UCT), Western Cape, South Africa Target group: Motivated Post-Doctoral Fellows specializing in infectious diseases. The fellow will undertake research on leveraging data sciences to address significant infectious disease challenges in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and will mentor PhD students within the BRIDGE NETWORK. This position emphasizes data harmonization, analytical method development, and collaborative research. This fellowship is ideal for candidates passionate about applying advanced data science methodologies to real-world health data from SSA and excited to lead innovative, data-driven solutions in infectious disease research. Number of scholarships: One post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Cape Town (UCT) currently available Eligibility Criteria 1. Should be a resident or citizen of one of the participating BRIDGE Network countries at the time of the application (Rwanda, South Africa, Kenya, Benin, Uganda, Ethiopia) 2. Should commit to stay and work in South Africa during the award period, with potential travel to other BRIDGE NETWORK countries 3. Must have a doctoral degree obtained within the last 5 years in public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical informatics, or an aligned medical, computational or information sciences discipline 4. Must fulfil the requirements of admission at UCT 5. Must have a passport or be willing and eligible to apply for one 6. Available to dedicate at least 50% of FTE (up to 100%) of time to the fellowship, for the equivalent of 18 months full-time duration, or up to 36 months part-time. 7. Strong analytical skills with demonstrated experience in data harmonization, data engineering and statistical analysis. 8. Coding proficiency in statistical packages and ideally also in SQL, python and other coding languages 9. Demonstrate a record of scholarly research, including publications and conference presentations in BRIDGE NETWORK focus areas. 10. Experience with ethical and regulatory aspects of clinical and health data management would be an asset 11. Have excellent interpersonal and communication skills to collaborate across disciplines, institutions, and international partners. Key Responsibilities 12. Lead and conduct collaborative research on infectious disease topics within the BRIDGE NETWORK nodes. 13. Support the host institution’s collaboration with government to evolve routine information systems to support both service delivery and research. 14. Mentor PhD students and provide supervision on BRIDGE NETWORK activities within the SSA BRIDGE NETWORK Nodes (BNNs) 15. Collaborate with local health institutions, European partners, data sciences projects and other stakeholders to ensure knowledge exchange and to strengthen the local research capacity. 16. Generate scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals and disseminate research findings at international conferences 17. Support the creation of interactive data dashboards and dissemination strategies to inform health policies and public health interventions. 18. Steward BRIDGE journal clubs together with the other post-doctoral fellows in the BRIDGE NETWORK How to apply The application process contains two steps – First step: Applicants must apply to Centre for Integrated Data and Epidemiological Research (CIDER) at UCT (Contact: Dr Meg Osler meg.osler@uct.ac.za ) o Documents to provide while applying for this first step: – Motivation letter to the BRIDGE NETWORK leads, specifying -The area of interest for your post-doctoral research, ideally a high-level topic title (with 10 lines maximum concept idea) in the area of infectious diseases where you leverage combined health informatics skills and data sciences techniques or potentially a topic aligned with one of the focus areas of CIDER. – Copies of academic degrees (from baccalaureate) – 2 letters of recommendation from the institutions attended by the applicant – Curriculum vitae including a list of scientific publications and justification of any career trajectory gaps Application Deadline for the First step: 9th July 2026. – Second step: o The BRIDGE NETWORK reserves the right of final pre-selection. Only pre-selected candidates are asked to enter into a further selection process for the funded fellowship. o The selected candidate if they accept the funding, applies to the host institution for admission as a post-doctoral fellow, which can begin as soon as acceptance is received. What we offer · We offer a highly competitive fellowship stipend for the duration of the fellowship, pro-rata to the level of effort (50%-100%). · Opportunities for advanced training and professional development within the BRIDGE NETWORK program · Access to mentorship from a diverse, international team of experts · Opportunities to work in Country Health Data Hubs across SSA and collaborate with European research institutions.
Call for PHD Applications
Call for PhD Scholarship Applications “Scaling Up Research in SSA Countries in Infectious Diseases: African-European Training Network in Integrated Health Informatics and Data Sciences – BRIDGE NETWORK Project” Background About the BRIDGE NETWORK Program Project details: https://doi.org/10.3030/101145734 BRIDGE NETWORK is a consortium of 12 leading African and European institutions aiming to train the next generation of experts in integrated health informatics and data sciences applied to infectious diseases domain. Jointly funded by the European Union and the Global Health EDCTP3, the program is coordinated by Ghent University and aims to establish five Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Benin, and South Africa. These CoEs will serve as data hubs for cutting-edge research, world-class training in health data harmonization and analytics, and innovative solutions to tackle infectious diseases that continue to claim millions of lives across the African continent. The BRIDGE NETWORK Training Program will provide: · Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships training to 14 experts who will lead innovative research in data sciences bridged to health informatics and applied to infectious diseases. · Postgraduate Certifications awarding at least 20 certifications per participating country through a mix of online learning and practical field mentorship, and world-class collaboration by partnering with renowned worldwide institutions. Application fields Title: Doctoral Scholarship in Integrated Data Science and Health Informatics (Research PhD) (Major: Infectious Diseases) Language of application All applications MUST be submitted in English. Degree awarding institutions University of Rwanda (in partnership with Rwanda Biomedical Centre – RBC) Target group: Graduates and postgraduates from Sub-Saharan Africa with a master’s degree who want to pursue studies in a new innovative PhD program combining data science techniques and health informatics applied to infectious diseases, and motivated to work and drive innovation and resilience in the region’s health systems in their home country and in sub-Saharan Africa in general. Number of scholarships: One (01) Eligibility criteria – To be eligible, applicants: 1. Must never have been enrolled in another PhD program at the date of their recruitment 2. Should be a resident of Kenya at the time of Application. 3. Should commit to stay and work in Kenya during the project period, however training rotations or internships are allowed in BRIDGE NETWORK Countries. 4. Must have a master’s degree in data sciences, Information Technology, or Health Sciences. 5. Must fulfill the requirements of admission in the PhD awarding university – University of Rwanda 6. Be not older than 45 years. How to apply The application process contains two steps – First step: o Applicants must send applications to Agha Khan University Kenya – Center for Child, Women and Reproductive Health (Contact: Prof Dr Marleen Temmerman, MD, PhD -Director. E-mail: marleen.temmerman@aku.edu) o Documents to provide while applying for this first step: · Motivation letter to the BRIDGE NETWORK Coordinator, specifying -The university chosen for PhD award -Please read the degree awarding university regulations and PhD admission requirements upfront (mandatory) -The area of interest for your PhD research, ideally a high-level topic title (with 10 lines maximum concept idea) in the area of infectious disease where you leverage combined health informatics skills and data sciences techniques (asset). · Copies of academic degrees (from baccalaureate) · Certified copies of academic transcripts (from the baccalaureate). Please supply the official explanation of the grading system if used. · Three letters of recommendation (from at least Associate Professors) from the institutions attended by the applicant · Certified copy of the birth certificate · Curriculum vitae including when applicable, a list of scientific publications and justify any trajectory gap in CV if any. Application Deadline for the First step: 27th March 2026. – Second step: o BRIDGE NETWORK reserves the right of final pre-selection. Only the pre- selected candidate will be asked to register themselves to the chosen university (with supporting letter from BRIDGE NETWORK). University Admission Application Deadline: 31st March 2026. Duration and Commencement PhD programme is generally up to three years (with possible 6 months extension, maximum and exceptionally twice) and is usually starting as soon as the admission is guaranteed. Prof Dr Claude MuvunyiMambo, MD, PhDDirector GeneralRwanda Biomedical Center -RBCBRIDGE NETWORK Project -Scientific Lead (Work Package -WP2, Lead) E-mail: claude.muvunyi@rbc.gov.rw DOWNLOAD PHD ADVERT Share this page→ Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Email
