Applications are now open for the Fully Funded Iso Lomso Fellowships 2019. The Iso Lomso fellowships provide an exceptional early career opportunity for Africa’s brightest minds in academia. Iso Lomso means ‘the eye of tomorrow’ in isiXhosa: seeing towards the future, laying the foundations for tomorrow.

Iso Lomso fellowships provide a three-year attachment to STIAS to enable fellows to develop. Also, conduct a long-term research programme of their preference. The aim is to facilitate and support them towards becoming established scholars in their fields.

Moreover, Iso Lomso aims to address the gap that exists between the completion of the Ph.D. and becoming an established scholar in Africa. While there is increasing support for doctoral study and for post-doctoral fellowships, it is during the extended post-doctoral period that the greatest loss of talent occurs. Iso Lomso takes its cue from the ethos and objectives of STIAS. It does not offer an alternative programme to the regular fellows’ programme but complements and builds on the proven also a successful model of the Institute. It aims at enhancing the existing cross-fertilization of minds by broadening its scope through the inclusion of a younger generation.

Benefits

Iso Lomso Fellows enjoy:

• A three-year attachment to STIAS during which time they may spend a total of ten months in residence at STIAS to develop and pursue a long-term research programme;
• The possibility of a residency at a sister institute for advanced study in North America, Europe or elsewhere;
• Further, funding to attend up to two international conferences or training workshops anywhere in the world;
• Possible support to convene a workshop with collaborators at STIAS;
• Lecturer replacement subsidy for the fellow’s home institution during residency periods.

Eligibility

To be eligible applicants must:

• Be a national of any African country;
• Be born after January 1, 1978;
• Have an affiliation at a research or higher education institution in an African country, and continue to do so for the foreseeable future;
• Further, have obtained a doctoral degree from any recognized higher education institution (worldwide) after January 1, 2013;
• Have completed a post-doctoral fellowship or equivalent post-PhD research programme;
• Be in a position to commence the first period of residency at STIAS during the second half of 2020 or the first half of 2021.