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Three (3) PhD positions for candidates from East Africa - Preferably from Tanzania

Three (3) PhD positions for candidates from East Africa
Preferably from Tanzania


Theme 1: Context modelling for human sensor webs
Theme 2: Citizens’ reporting behaviour
Theme 3: Information and public accountability

Theme 1: Context modelling for human sensor webs

a. Research question

Under which conditions can the context of a human sensor be used in a (web) software environment to enhance the understanding and reliability of human sensor information and how does context play a role in scalable human sensor networks?

b. Tasks

The PhD student will design a method to express human sensor context in a formal language, which will be tested with use cases based on non-fictive human sensors in water and health. Formalised parameters and methods of geo-visual analytics shall be implemented in an open source software prototype following common design principles for software design. The PhD student will work closely together with the software developer to create and test the SEMA prototype software with the stakeholders in three iterations of ‘learn and deploy’.

c. Requirements

MSc in Computer Science or Geo-information Science and Geo-visualisation
Field experience in East Africa is an advantage
Fluency in English and academic writing skills

d. Modalities and general requirements

The PhD position is for a total duration of 4 years with a Doctoral Degree awarded by the University of Twente. The PhD candidate will spend approximately two years in the Netherlands and two years in Tanzania. The PhD grant is approximately € 1500/month for the two years spent in the Netherlands and € 1000/month for the two years spent in Tanzania.

PhD candidates should be nationals of East Africa, preferably of Tanzania, and hold a Master of Science degree from a recognized university. A broad and multidisciplinary attitude is required. We strongly encourage female candidates to apply. PhD candidates are co-supervised by the research consortium and the PostDoctoral Scientist. PhD Candidates have a period of 6 months to fully develop their research proposal and qualify for the graduate programme. After the successful qualifier, the PhD candidates will attend advanced research skills courses at selected research schools in The Netherlands, depending on the PhD topic.

All candidates interested in the announced PhD position have to register online through the
ITC graduate registration application form. Click here for help with the online application.
The closing date of the application is December 31, 2011. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview either in person or by teleconferencing.
Further information can be obtained from: Dr. Juma Lungo and Prof. Dr. Yola Georgiadou


Theme 2: Citizens’ reporting behaviour

a. Research question

How can Tanzanian citizens behave in relation to the human sensor web (HSW) and become legitimate reporters of the quality of water and health services?

b. Tasks

The researcher will conduct literature review on common pool resources in online settings as well as focus groups of users of text-for-change initiatives in Eastern Africa. The researcher will ‘follow the problem’ by tracing the use of HSW and how people distribute their trust over time and scale. Data will be collected through survey first, then participant observation and documents, and analyzed through socio-political mapping of the resources and beliefs and behaviour of users. Comparative sub-case studies will be identified to refine the prescriptive part of the study.

c. Requirements

MSc in Information Science or Sociology; affinity with Science and Technology Studies (STS)
Knowledge of Kiswahili; Field experience in East Africa is an advantage
Fluency in English and academic writing skills

d. Modalities and general requirements

The PhD position is for a total duration of 4 years with a Doctoral Degree awarded by the University of Twente. The PhD candidate will spend approximately two years in the Netherlands and two years in Tanzania. The PhD grant is approximately € 1500/month for the two years spent in the Netherlands and € 1000/month for the two years spent in Tanzania.

PhD candidates should be nationals of East Africa, preferably of Tanzania, and hold a Master of Science/Arts degree from a recognized university. A broad and multidisciplinary attitude is required. We strongly encourage female candidates to apply. PhD candidates are co-supervised by the research consortium and the PostDoctoral Scientist. PhD Candidates have a period of 6 months to fully develop their research proposal and qualify for the graduate programme. After the successful qualifier, the PhD candidates will attend advanced research skills courses at selected research schools in The Netherlands, depending on the PhD topic.

All candidates interested in the announced PhD position have to register online through the
ITC graduate registration application form. Click here for help with the online application.

The closing date of the application is December 31, 2011. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview either in person or by teleconferencing.

Further information can be obtained from: Dr. Juma Lungo jlungo@udsm.ac.tz and Prof. Dr. Yola Georgiadou georgiadou@itc.nl


Theme 3: Information and public accountability

a. Research question

Will water and health care officials/providers in Tanzania accept ‘human sensor web’ (HSW) or other open source information systems as part of their information and accountability structures?

b. Tasks

The research design is based on triangulation and comparative strategies between surveys and in-depth case studies. Based on the survey outcomes, interesting cases will be selected for in-depth investigation through ethnographic work (observation, text analysis, and unstructured interviews). Especially accountability structures and individual discretion can be mapped through systematically asking who talks to whom about what. Theory-informed triangulation between surveys and case studies, and careful between-case comparisons will deliver the answers to the research questions.

c. Requirements

MSc in Public Administration; affinity with Science and Technology Studies (STS)
Knowledge of Kiswahili; field experience in East Africa is an advantage
Fluency in English and academic writing skills

d. Modalities and general requirements

The PhD position is for a total duration of 4 years with a Doctoral Degree awarded by the University of Twente. The PhD candidate will spend approximately two years in the Netherlands and two years in Tanzania. The PhD grant is approximately €1500/month for the two years spent in the Netherlands and €1000/month for the two years spent in Tanzania.

PhD candidates should be nationals of East Africa, preferably of Tanzania, and hold a Master of Science/Arts degree from a recognized university. A broad and multidisciplinary attitude is required. We strongly encourage female candidates to apply. PhD candidates are co-supervised by the research consortium and the PostDoctoral Scientist. PhD Candidates have a period of 6 months to fully develop their research proposal and qualify for the graduate programme. After the successful qualifier, the PhD candidates will attend advanced research skills courses at selected research schools in The Netherlands, depending on the PhD topic.

All candidates interested in the announced PhD position have to register online through the
ITC graduate registration application form. Click here for help with the online application.

The closing date of the application is December 31, 2011. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview either in person or by teleconferencing.

Further information can be obtained from: Dr. Juma Lungo jlungo@udsm.ac.tz and Prof. Dr. Yola Georgiadou georgiadou@itc.nl


SOURCE: CLICK HERE



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