Thandika Mkandawire Scholar

The Nordic Africa Institute invites applications for 2025-2026, a 1-year position
The Nordic Africa Institute is a centre for research, knowledge, policy advice and information on Africa. Based in Uppsala, Sweden, the institute is a government agency, funded jointly by Sweden, Finland and Iceland.

Job Description
The Nordic Africa Institute’s African Scholar Program employs an established scholar for one year from an African university or research institution. The program is targeted towards a scholar with a demonstrated record of academic accomplishment who wants to engage with Nordic decision-makers in government, and with related change-makers, to convey messages from their research and present perspectives on contemporary Africa.

We welcome applications from scholars covering innovative research that is consistent with the impact areas identified in the NAI 2022-2026 strategy, which can be found here.

Successful candidates might use the period of employment at NAI to engage with Nordic decision-makers, complete ongoing research, develop a research project, or complete articles and policy-relevant outputs. A scholar-researcher should take advantage of the intellectual and logistical resources of the Nordic Africa Institute and expect to contribute meaningfully towards actualizing NAI’s vision and mandate and its policy outreach activities in return.

The research may take a comparative view, explore a thematic area, or present an in-depth analysis on a specific country focus. The strong emphasis at NAI is upon contextually informed, well-nuanced, field-based research in the qualitative social sciences or economics.

It is anticipated the position runs for an academic year from the end of August 2025 until July 2026.

Qualifications

• A PhD degree in anthropology, geography, sociology, gender studies, international development, development economics or related subject.
• A senior scholar with 7 or more years’ experience post-PhD conducting academic research.
• A current research/teaching position in a university or research institution in Africa.
• Record of high-quality scholarly research.
• Record of science communication and policy/practice engagement with non-academic stakeholders.
• Strong ability to present complex issues to non-academic audiences.
• Knowledge of African scientific communities, and policy environments, and other stakeholders and actors relevant to the research topic.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.
• Excellent knowledge of spoken and written English.

The application

• Proposal not exceeding 5 pages presenting a realistic work plan for the length of stay at the Institute (1 year) – detailing proposed intellectual activities/research projects, expected outputs (such as publications, dissemination activities, participation at seminar/workshop/conference activities, and policy engagements).
• Complete CV with a list of scientific publications clearly indicating which publications are formally considered peer-reviewed.
• Indication of internet addresses to the applicant’s own publications relating to his/her research (a maximum of three publications)
• Evidence of policy engagement / science-policy communication to non-academic audiences (a one-page summary, or up to three non-academic outputs)
• Names and contact details of at least two references.

Apply through our online recruitment system.

Closing Date for applications: 30 November 2024

We may perform background checks on selected candidates for security purposes.

Condition of Service

The contract period will be 12 months and expected to start in the end of August 2025. The position is fixed term; there is no possibility of extending the contract beyond 12 months.

Salary is negotiable within the Institute’s current salary levels and remuneration packages. The position includes attractive benefits and conditions offered for employees of the Swedish civil service.

NAI provides a return airfare for the senior researcher and covers costs incurred in obtaining a visa. As this is a temporary position for one year, it does not cover travel or related costs for family members.

NAI facilitates liaison with the Swedish Migration Agency for visa purposes.

The senior researcher is responsible for obtaining accommodation, with support during this process.

The duty station is Uppsala. The position will likely include travel within the Nordic region and/or to the African continent, including the senior researcher’s home country, as part of official duties and research.

It is expected the senior researcher can obtain one-year leave of absence from their home institution.

 

About the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI)
The Nordic Africa Institute (NAI) was founded in 1962 and since then has provided knowledge in the form of high-quality research, timely information and extensive documentation on Africa. Over half a century, NAI has remained committed to academic and policy research, information dissemination and documentation on African issues. NAI has followed the trends and development of Africa studies in the Nordic region and the African continent, and also actively initiated new ideas and forms of engagement to fulfil its mission as the main center for African knowledge in the Nordic countries and to serve its stakeholders in the Nordic countries and globally. NAI is a Swedish government agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (not a university) and its research staff combines a commitment to high-quality scholarly outputs with science-policy outreach to decision-makers based in the Nordics and Africa. NAI is currently developing a new institutional strategy for the 2022-2026 period whose mission is to ensure Nordic decision-makers and associated change-makers have a deeper understanding of modern African perspectives and societal dynamics.

NAI offers a stimulating intellectual environment, an interdisciplinary research orientation, a team of researchers from different social and natural scientific backgrounds, a professional communications unit, and a library with modern facilities. In addition, the institute is linked to an extensive network of research institutions in Africa and the Nordic countries.