Call for Proposals: Doctoral Practices and Procedures in African Universities Research Project

The Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) is implementing a three-year research project funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York that focuses on transforming doctoral practices and procedures in African universities.  The main aim is to develop a conceptual and delivery framework that will enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of doctoral training in Africa by identifying innovative processes and best practices. This will be achieved through a comprehensive scoping and review of doctoral models and initiatives existing on the continent. The focus will be on doctoral training models in the social sciences, humanities, and education disciplines across seven countries: Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Uganda.

Two specific objectives will guide the project:

1. To assess the current state of doctoral training in social sciences, humanities, and education in Africa.
2. To scale effective doctoral training models and practices.

The project will be anchored within PASGR’s Utafiti Sera model, a well-tested, innovative approach to knowledge co-creation. This will facilitate the adoption and scaling of best practices in doctoral training in the selected disciplines in Africa.

To lead the overall implementation of this project, PASGR is seeking to recruit a Project Principal Investigator (PPI).

***** Please refer to the full Terms of Reference for the PPI.

To implement the project at the country level, PASGR is recruiting country-based Principal Investigators (PIs) in each country.

***** Please refer to the full Terms of Reference for the PI.

Lastly, PASGR is seeking country-based Research Associates (RAs) in each country who, in collaboration, will work under the leadership of the country’s PI and Programme Implementation Team (PIT).

****** Please refer to the full Terms of Reference for RAs.

Application Process

Interested candidates for the above roles are required to apply or submit an expression of interest as stipulated in the individual Terms of Reference. As a bare minimum, applications should include:

Interested and eligible candidates are requested to submit their applications with the subject line clearly indicating the name of the role as specified in the respective Terms of Reference, no later than Monday, December 15, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. EAT, to recruitment@pasgr.org. For any inquiries, please write to pdt@pasgr.org before the deadline.

Any form of canvassing is strongly discouraged and will result in automatic disqualification. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted after the application period closes.