Research Fellow, Bridge, Provost Office CoE - (2600012U)
Research Fellow – BRIDGE NETWORKDepartment
Centre of Excellence for Women and Child Health EAEntity
Aga Khan UniversityLocation
Nairobi, KenyaIntroductionChartered in 1983, Aga Khan University (AKU) is a private, autonomous, and self-governing international university, with 13 teaching sites in 6 countries over three continents. An integral part of the Aga Khan Development Network, AKU provides higher education in multiple health science and social science disciplines, carries out research pertinent primarily to low- and middle-income countries and operates 7 hospitals (soon 8) and over 325 outreach clinics, all at international standards. It has almost 2,500 students and 14,000 staff. The University is both a model of academic excellence and an agent of social change. As a leading international institution dedicated to excellence and change, AKU operates on the core principles of quality, relevance, impact, and access.The Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health (CoEWCH) EA conducts research, knowledge translation, capacity building, and evidence-based advocacy in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health and rights to improve the health and wellbeing of women, children, and adolescents. With a focus on establishing high-quality education, multidisciplinary research, and trainings in women, child, and adolescent health, the Centre contributes to health systems strengthening and quality of care, particularly in remote groups and vulnerable populations.About the BRIDGE NETWORK Programme
An African-European consortium of 6 SSA countries and 2 European countries, gathering 11 partners is proposing a unique and innovative scalable training program and network that will produce empowered infectious diseases experts to lead and drive research from and for sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), at levels of early-stage career (post-graduate certification and doctoral) and mid-stage career (post-doctoral) in an integrated program of health informatics and data sciences (BRIDGE NETWORK program). The program consortium will set up 6 BRIDGE NETWORK Nodes (BNNs) in SSA countries (Benin, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa). The BNNs will serve as training setting, field research setting and a hub for harmonized infectious diseases data, and all will recruit candidates from their countries for certification program, and doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships, but only 3 BNNs will be the degree awarding institutions. The degree awarding BNNs have been selected based on the existing university capacity to offer a degree awarding program or built on the existing partnerships between selected SSA public health institutes and local universities with degree awarding programs capacity. The program leverages the established collaborations between European and SSA institutions, utilizing accumulated medical data, including Electronic Health Records, registries, and biobanks. At the end of 54 months, the program will have strengthened the institutional research leading capacities with maximum 20 trainees per BNN with post-graduate certification, a total of 10 graduates with PhDs and a total of 4 post-doctoral fellows, skilled for harmonizing and analysing fragmented large data to derive data-driven insights and guide health policies. The BNNs embedded within public health institutions, with continuous mentorship from an international scientific community and are ready to use large amounts of data, ensure the sustainability of training and collaborative research beyond the program grant.Job Summary
The successful candidate will undertake a field-based clinical or public-health research study leading to a PhD thesis. The research should apply integrated health informatics and data-science approaches to infectious diseases and make use, where appropriate, of harmonised health data such as electronic health records, registries and other relevant data sourcesResponsibilities:Conduct a field-based clinical or public-health research study leading to a thesis defence.Conduct literature reviews and develop research proposals and protocols.Follow up and maintain compliance with relevant ethical and regulatory approvals.Initiate and lead research activities in collaboration with supervisors and the BRIDGE NETWORK team.Attend BRIDGE NETWORK workshops, training activities and research meetings.Analyse and interpret scientific problems using appropriate quantitative, statistical, health-informatics and data-science methods.Synthesize and communicate findings to scientific, policy and other relevant audiences.Contribute to mentorship and supervision of MSc students at AKU, where appropriate.
Eligibility CriteriaFor this Kenya-based call, the successful applicant will be recruited through Aga Khan University. Applicants must meet the BRIDGE NETWORK eligibility requirements below:Must never have been enrolled in another PhD programme at the date of recruitment.Should be resident in a participating BRIDGE NETWORK country (Benin, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda or South Africa) at the time of application. For this AKU/Kenya position, applicants must be eligible to be recruited and based in Kenya.Should commit to stay and work in the recruiting country during the project period; BRIDGE NETWORK training rotations or internships in participating countries are permitted.Must hold a Master’s degree in Public Health, Health Sciences, or a closely related field relevant to the proposed PhD research.Must fulfil the admission requirements of the selected BRIDGE NETWORK PhD degree-awarding university.
Must be not older than 45 years at the time of application.Additional Selection RequirementsStrong quantitative, statistical and/or data-science background.Working knowledge of quantitative data analysis using statistical software.Demonstrated scientific writing ability and strong written and oral communication skills in English.Experience working in a health-related research field.A publication record in public health, health sciences, data science or a related field is an advantage.Strong interpersonal and leadership skills, with ability to work independently and meet deadlines.Degree Awarding Institution
Applicants must satisfy the doctoral entry benchmarks of the University of Cape Town (UCT). For the PhD in Public Health, this requires a relevant Master’s degree, a strong research track record, and a comprehensive preliminary research proposal.How to ApplyApplications must be submitted in English. Applicants should provide the following documents:Motivation letter, and the proposed area of PhD research.A brief concept idea (maximum 10 lines) in infectious diseases showing how health informatics and data-science techniques will be combined.Copies of academic degree certificates.Certified copies of academic transcripts, including an official explanation of the grading system where applicable.Two letters of recommendation from academic referees (at least Associate Professor level).Certified copy of birth certificate.Curriculum vitae, including scientific publications where applicable and an explanation of any significant gaps in the academic/professional trajectory.
: Kenya
: Aga Khan University Hospital Kenya
: Regular
: Standard
: 15/09/2026, 1:45:59 PM
: 21/09/2026, 6:59:00 PM
