Scholarship for Ghanaian PhD open

Visiting scholarship to Maastricht, the Netherlands 2023

For a social science/humanities PhD student based in Ghana, working on topics of health/medicine

For how long?

Maximum 2 months duration (less is possible if preferred)

When can the scholarship be taken?

March – April 2023 (preferred, though there is some flexibility)

Where will the scholarship be based?

Maastricht University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Science and Technology Studies research group. This is an English speaking setting.

Who is this scholarship for?

PhD students working on topics related to health or medicine. The applicant must be based at a university in Ghana. The preferable people are those working on these themes in social science or humanities faculties so that they can benefit from their research visit at Maastricht University. The scholarship would be most suitable for candidates working on the following research areas or with the following interests:

• Bodies, senses, embodiment, bodily knowledge, practical knowledge
• Skilled migration, medical travel, globalization, transnationalism
• Medical humanities, environmental humanities, art + medicine, science/art
• Ethnographic methods, artistic methods, creative methods
• Medical education
• Digital health, online healthcare, AI and health
• Science communication, including opinion pieces, podcasts, exhibitions

What does the scholarship cover?

1. Travel subsidies: (1) Economy class ticket (outbound & return), (2) Train ticket (Schiphol-Maastricht-Schiphol); and (3) Subsidy for trips within The Netherlands for short research visits to relevant institutions.
2. Accommodation in Maastricht
3. Visa costs
4. Library access, a shared office space and use of a computer at the Faculty
5. A food subsidy

Who will I meet?

1. Host: The scholarship is funded by the European Research Council project Making Clinical Sense, led by Associate Professor Anna Harris. Anna will be your host, with the mentorship of one other Faculty member and assistance of a member of her team.
2. Research groups:
   1. Graduate School: for PhDs at FASoS, doing social science/humanities research
   2. MUSTS: a science and technology studies research group, who you will meet through regular weekly seminars and a monthly colloquia series.
   3. Ethnography Group: a university-wide ethnography group which meets once a month online, which you can also join (also before/after the visit).
   4. See the Faculty website for other research groups which may be of interest.

What is required?

While in Maastricht, there are no specific requirements for work output, however regular physical presence would be required, including meetings with Anna and colleagues. The PhD candidate is free to make the most of the time for writing, reading, analysis and/or networking. If the candidate would like to share their ideas, work or projects with us (and this is encouraged), we would ensure and facilitate space and audience for this. The only two requirements are for after the visit, that 1) the candidate give a presentation and/or workshop in their own department within 6 months upon returning to Ghana, to share what they have learned during their time in Maastricht, and 2) to send to Anna Harris a one-page (max) description about this presentation, including reflections on the research stay.

Application process

Please send the following to secr.philotss@maastrichtuniversity.nl by 6^th November 2022:

1. A (max) 2 page letter of motivation including one paragraph each on the five following:

1. Your PhD topic, including methods used and its relationship to health/medicine
2. What you would get out of a two month visit, including your objectives and expected work to be achieved, and why this is a good time to do this within the scope of your PhD trajectory.
3. Why it is relevant and interesting for your research to be in Maastricht and if applicable, the Netherlands.
4. Finally, how you would feed the experience back to your own research environment.
5. A (max) 2 page CV detailing in brief what you think to be the most relevant information for this application.

The successful applicant will be informed approximately mid-November, and will be whose research best matches expertise in Maastricht, and who has the strongest relevance of the trip for their own and department’s research activities. Upon acceptance the candidate will be asked also for a brief letter by their supervisor/graduate school/university confirming PhD status and support for the research visit, as well as details of Bachelor and Masters’ degrees. A passport valid for 6 months after the trip is required, as well as a tourist visa, both need to be self-arranged by the PhD though we will reimburse costs for the visa.

Questions?

You can reach Anna Harris at a.harris@maastrichtuniversity.nl