Program Opportunities

The Center for African Studies hosts a Visiting Scholar in Residence during the fall semesters to give our students a chance to explore global issues from a fresh perspective. They’ll learn about Africa’s unique culture, global politics, economics, health, and environmental issues., while gaining valuable insights that enhance their studies.

Founded in 1878 by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne University places a premium on vibrant and high-caliber scholarly research. This commitment is enhanced when scholars engage with one another from various disciplinary, cultural, social and ideological perspectives. Such engagement serves to benefit both the scholar, who is able to access the many resources available on campus, and the University community, which comes to share in the scholar's insights.

Duquesne's Center for African Studies offers the opportunity for such engagement through its Scholar-in-Residence program. The goals of the program are (i) to support scholars in African Studies as they pursue new or ongoing research projects that result in presentations or publications, and (ii) to encourage scholars to contribute fresh and innovative perspectives that maintain the intellectual vitality of the Center and the University.

This program is primarily intended for scholars who already have funding from their home institutions (e.g., in the form of a sabbatical leave), a foundation, or a government, and who seek supplemental funding and academic institutional support to fulfill their scholarly agenda. The program particularly seeks to support faculty members as they work to complete research projects for publication.

Eligibility 

The Scholar-in-Residence program is open to scholars who hold terminal degrees in any discipline. The research proposed must be in the field of African Studies, broadly understood. Scholars from, and research on, sub-Saharan Africa may be given priority.

Term 

Scholars may be supported for either one or two semesters.

Benefits and Responsibilities

Scholars are provided with a computer and office space in the Center for African Studies, in an academic department appropriate to their research project, or in the library. They enjoy full access to the scholarly resources of the University community. Scholars agree to give at least one public lecture during their time on campus and to make themselves available for formal and informal conversation with faculty and students. By prior agreement, scholars may also teach a graduate or advanced undergraduate seminar. Scholars supported for two semesters may be asked to undertake additional responsibilities.

Scholars must acknowledge the support of Duquesne University and its Center for African Studies in any publication or presentation of the research they undertake during the period of the award.

Finances

Scholars receive stipends of $14,000 per semester. Employee benefits are not provided. In addition, scholars may be reimbursed up to $4,000 per semester for relocation and living expenses and up to $3,000 per semester for professional travel and other expenses related to their research projects. Housing on campus at a reduced rate is sometimes available.

Visa Status

• Scholars may be nominated or apply directly. In either case, a complete application must include:
• Scholar-in-Residence Application Form
• Curriculum vitae
• Letter from the applicant (i) describing the proposed research topic, (ii) explaining the nature and significance of the project, (iii) detailing its impact on scholarship in the applicant's field of study, and (iv) offering a detailed plan for completing the research and publishing the results
• Letter of recommendation from a department head, dean or other administrator at the applicant's current institution who is knowledgeable about her/his research
• Names and current contact information for two additional references
• Letter verifying the applicant's primary source of funding for the period in question
  Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applications may be submitted at any time, either in hard copy (to Selection Committee, Center for African Studies, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA) or electronically as a single .pdf file (to africanstudiesFREEDUQUESNE).

Evaluation

Applications will be reviewed by members of the Advisory Board of the Center for African Studies who will evaluate the scholarly merit and feasibility of the research project proposed and its relevance both to the goals of this program and to the Mission of Duquesne University (see http://www.duq.edu/about/mission-and-identity/mission-statement).

Samuel Tefera Alemu (PhD) is Associate Professor and Asian desk Coordinator at the Center for African and Asian Studies in Addis Ababa University. Samuel served the Ethiopian Ministry of Peace as Policy Advisor to its former Minister and participated in the formulation of different policies and strategies including Ethiopia’s Disaster Risk Management (DRM) policy. He worked with DAI USAID Policy LINK Ethiopia as Resilience Lead, Partnerships for Lowland Areas activity. Prior to that he was Senior DRM Coordinator for the FCDO& USAID funded Building Resilience in Ethiopia Technical Assistance program at Oxford Policy Management. Samuel appears on the Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera, TRT World and other news platforms in Ethiopia and publicly shares his insights and opinions on Pan-Africanism and regional economic institutions, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), global political trends influencing regional security and peace in the Horn of Africa and Gulf region. Samuel made notable contributions towards raising public knowledge about the GERD negotiations, maritime security in the Red Sea region and Nile Basin Politics. He has also contributed to initiatives and dialogues that contributed to informing Ethiopia’s strategic interest and relevance in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea-West Indian Ocean maritime space. Samuel is passionate about hydro-geopolitics, humanitarian-peace-development nexus, risk knowledge, policy dialogue, One Health and governance of emerging [cyber] security challenges. Samuel holds BSc in Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection from Mekelle University, MA and PhD in Area Studies from the Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies at Kyoto University in Japan and various certificates from the United Nations University and United States Institute of Peace. He is currently a visiting scholar at the Center for African Studies at Duquesne University.