Apply! JSPS -UNU International Postdoctoral Fellowship

Jointly organized by the United Nations University and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the JSPS–UNU Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme is designed to provide promising, highly qualified, young researchers with the opportunity to conduct advanced research relevant to the main thematic focus areas of the UNU Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS, Tokyo) and UNU Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR, Tokyo), in co-operation with host researchers at Japanese universities and research institutions. UNU acts as the nominating authority for the JSPS–UNU Programme. This fellowship is aimed at candidates who have completed their doctoral degrees in the past six years and also have professional and/or research experience. UNU will assist in securing acceptance from host researchers for short-listed candidates.

Deadline
28 February 2018

Programme
Postdoctoral Program

Field
All fields of the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.
Global Change and Resilience
Governance for Sustainable Development
Education for Sustainable Development in Africa
Water for Sustainable Development (new project)

Value
A round-trip air ticket (based on Japan Society for the Promotion of Science regulations), A monthly maintenance allowance of JPY362,000 A settling-in allowance of JPY200,000, Overseas travel accident and sickness insurance coverage, etc.

Eligibility
-JSPS–UNU Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme 2018
-Research proposals for JSPS–UNU Postdoctoral Fellowships should relate clearly to one of the research areas of -UNU-IAS or UNU-CPR listed below, and also aim to be policy-relevant.
The following research projects at UNU-IAS and UNU-CPR are accepting applications for JSPS–UNU Postdoctoral Fellows:
Global Change and Resilience
-Global Change and Resilience (GCR) is interpreted as conducting research and activities to reduce disaster risks, address climate change through adaptation and mitigation, and contribute to the advancement in understanding and conceptualizing global change and resilience. Climate change impacts lead to more extreme weather events, loss of livelihoods and adverse health impacts, and threaten food security. Disaster impacts lead to more deaths, more people affected, and the associated costs to infrastructure and finance are enormous. Climate change impacts and disasters also undermine the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
-The selected fellow will be expected to conduct research that contributes to the multiple dimensions of GCR research on resilience, climate change and disaster risk reduction (DRR), and policy-relevant knowledge generation for effective implementation and actions for climate change and DRR. Familiarity with international frameworks related to SDGs, UNFCCC processes, or the Sendai Framework for DRR is highly desirable.
Required qualifications:
-A PhD degree (no ABDs) in a related field, from a range of disciplines including but not limited to human geography, environmental management, environmental governance, ecology, sociology, economics, legal and other social sciences
-Demonstrated research skills in similar areas
-Ability to design and implement research involving fieldwork
-Fluency in English is essential, and a working knowledge of other languages is desirable
Governance for Sustainable Development
The selected fellow will work at the forefront of applied research relevant to Governance for Sustainable Development. One focus of the project is governance related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This includes implementation mechanisms and governance of the SDGs at national or regional levels, comparison of implementation among different countries and actors, science–policy interface, interlinkages between the SDGs and other international agreements as well as synergies and trade-offs between targets. In terms of issues, the primary focus is on Goal 12 and Goal 17, including their linkage with other relevant goals, but is not limited to them.
Required qualifications:
-A PhD degree (no ABDs) in a related field, including but not limited to political science, sociology, economics, legal and other social sciences, and civil engineering (socio-economic modelling)
-Demonstrated research skills in similar areas
-Ability to design and implement research involving fieldwork
-Fluency in English is essential, and a working knowledge of other languages is desirable
Education for Sustainable Development
The Education for Sustainable Development in Africa (ESDA) programme at UNU-IAS engages in capacity development and applied research which aims to enhance the sustainable development of Africa through skills development and youth entrepreneurship. The selected fellow will be expected to work with a multi-disciplinary team to carry out research on this theme with regard to one or more of the following issues: Africa’s sustainable development agenda such as Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); accelerating development of skills and technology; promoting and driving entrepreneurship and regional partnerships which enhance skills development and youth entrepreneurship; sustainability science; and rural-urban linkages. The fellow will be encouraged to link their research to ESDA’s flagship initiatives which are: (i) Master’s programmes in Mining and Mineral Resources (MMR), Sustainable Urban Development (SUD), and Sustainable Integrated Rural Development in Africa (SIRDA) run by 8 leading African universities; (ii) The African Youth Entrepreneurship initiative which aims to promote and drive enterprise development among African youth in partnership with young African academics; and (iii) Rural-urban linkages in Asia and Africa.
Required qualifications:
-A PhD degree (no ABDs) in a related field, including but not limited to political science, sociology, economics, legal and other social sciences, and civil engineering (socio-economic modelling)
-Demonstrated research and communication skills in similar areas
-Ability to design and implement research involving fieldwork
-Fluency in English is essential, and a working knowledge of other languages is desirable
Water for Sustainable Development
The selected fellow will work at the forefront of applied research relevant to water issues for sustainable development in developing, semi-urban cities in Asia. The primary goals of the planned project are to (i) identify socio-economic scenarios to realize the sustainable water environment which the 2030 Agenda envisages and (ii) provide analytical tools for necessary policy options and a roadmap for actions. A successful candidate will have research interests aligned in this direction, allowing for contribution to the project by conducting field surveys in Asia and providing policy options under the supervision of the project leader.
Required qualifications:
-A PhD degree (no ABDs) in a related field, including but not limited to remote sensing, political science, environmental policy, economics, law and other social sciences, sanitary engineering and civil engineering
-Demonstrated research skills in similar areas
-Ability to design and implement research involving fieldwork
-Fluency in English is essential, and a working knowledge of other languages is desirable

Application
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