The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a premier research-to-policy institution, generating evidence, strengthening research and related capacity in the African research and development ecosystem, and engaging policy to inform action on health and development. APHRC seeks to drive change by developing strong African research leadership and promoting evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM) across sub-Saharan Africa.
As part of our Data Science Without Borders (DSWB) initiative—a multi-country collaboration focused on leveraging advanced data science tools to enhance health data use and systems strengthening—we are offering a PhD Fellowship to support internal staff whose research aligns with the project’s goals. This initiative is implemented in partnership with organizations including Africa CDC, CODATA, LSHTM, AHRI (Ethiopia), IRESSEF (Senegal), and DGH (Cameroon), across three pathfinder countries: Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Senegal.
About the Fellowship:
We invite applications from APHRC staff for a 48-month PhD Fellowship, starting June 2025, aimed at supporting interdisciplinary research in data science, AI/ML, and public health as aligned with the DSWB project agenda.
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop and submit a research proposal aligned with DSWB objectives.
- Conduct literature reviews, needs assessments, and engage relevant stakeholders.
- Participate in workshops, hackathons, and technical consortium meetings.
- Collect, harmonize, and analyze health-related data following best practices.
- Document findings for project reports, scientific publications, and policy briefs.
- Ensure reproducibility and adherence to FAIR data principles; create metadata, codebooks, and data dictionaries.
- Present research progress at internal and external scientific forums.
- Collaborate with mentors, institutional leads, and cross-country peers.
- Support fellow researchers from other Pathfinder institutions to promote cross-consortium collaboration.
Eligibility and Qualifications:
Applicants must:
- Be afull-time APHRC staff memberwith at least three years of service at the Center.
- Be enrolled or eligible for enrolment in a PhD program in a relevant field such as Data Science, Public Health, Epidemiology, Computer Science, Biostatistics, or Health Informatics.
- Demonstrate experience or strong interest in data science tools (e.g., R, Python, SQL) and platforms.
- Be familiar with AI/ML frameworks (e.g., scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch) and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, ggplot2).
- Understand data management, documentation, and reproducibility workflows.
- Experience with or knowledge of health data systems, EHRs, or longitudinal datasets is preferrable.
- Be capable of drafting and submitting peer-reviewed manuscripts.
- Be based at or affiliated with APHRC.
Fellowship Expectations:
- Submit an approved research protocol within 3–6 months of fellowship start.
- Provide quarterly progress reports aligned with project milestones.
- Attend at least one training or capacity-building event per quarter.
- Submit one or more manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals.
- Present research at DSWB events and relevant external conferences.
- Complete and submit a PhD dissertation to APHRC.
Desirable Competencies:
- Commitment to working in sub-Saharan Africa post-fellowship.
- Strong communication and teamwork skills.
- Fluency in English.
- Citizenship of any African country
Fellowship Support:
Selected fellow will receive:
- Access to relevant datasets, computing resources, and software.
- Travel and accommodation support for project-related meetings and workshops.
- A stipend (subject to funding and APHRC policies).
- Mentorship from technical experts and connection to a pan-African research community.
Application Process:
Interested candidates are invited to submit their application in English through email to [email protected] by May 16th, 2025, indicating the title ‘PhD Fellowship Opportunity’ as the subject of the email, and include:
- A cover letter;
- CV with contact details of three referees; and
- A PhD concept aligning with DSWB, should include a background, possible research questions/hypotheses, objectives, and a proposed technical approach (max 3 pages– including bibliography, font size 12pt, margin 1-inch, single line spacing).
This opportunity is only open to internal applicants; only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Cover letters should be addressed to:
The People and Culture Business Partner
African Population and Health Research Center, Inc
APHRC Campus, Manga Close, off Kirawa Road, Kitisuru
P.O Box 10787-GPO, Nairobi
Website: www.aphrc.org
Special Notice
APHRC is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.
