Summary
Date Posted: Thursday, February 08 2024, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), in partnership with the University of Rwanda's Center of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management, has established the Volcanoes Landscape Collaborative Research Initiative to support impact-oriented biodiversity research in the Volcanoes National Park area.
The initiative aims to undertake solution-oriented, community-engaged research projects that will generate insights and models to inform planning and implementation of integrated conservation and development programs in the landscape. Specifically, the research will explore key ecological, socioeconomic, and land use topics to guide habitat expansion, livelihood enhancement, climate resilience strategies, and sustainable growth in the Volcanoes ecosystem.
The collaborative model aligns AWF's decades of applied conservation experience with the Center's specialized expertise in biodiversity assessment and ecosystem monitoring. By bringing practitioners and academics together, the initiative will refine innovations for balancing ecological and community goals and contribute replicable models for conservation-centered development.
The 2024 call for proposals will select 5 early career researchers who have recently completed a master’s or PhD degree. The selected researchers will be supported to undertake an 8–12-month research project addressing a strategic priority question for the Volcanoes landscape intervention. Researchers will receive mentorship, technical guidance, facilitation of site access, and a stipend to carry out their project.

The scope of suitable research topics includes, but is not limited to:
1. Assessing habitat suitability, connectivity, and climate resilience in the expanded Volcanoes National Park area to inform ecological restoration plans.
2. Impacts of climate change on endemic flora and fauna and related adaptation strategies
3. Innovations in sustainable agricultural practices and value chains for community livelihoods
4. Assessing gender roles, needs and opportunities to inform livelihood enhancement and resilience building.
5. Assessing viability of community-based tourism enterprises
6. Analyzing ecosystem valuation and natural capital accounting approaches for the Volcanoes landscape
7. Developing biodiversity and ecosystem services monitoring protocols and baselines for the Volcanoes landscape
8. Evaluating effectiveness of human-wildlife conflict mitigation strategies
9. Evaluating value chain optimization models for selected high-value crops and products.
10. Developing an integrated land and water management plan for the Volcanoes buffer communities

Eligibility Criteria
Applicants should meet the following eligibility criteria to be considered for the Volcanoes Landscape Collaborative Research Initiative:
1. Recently completed a master’s or PhD degree within the past 2 year from an accredited university.
2. Demonstrated strong research design and methodology capabilities through academic work and/or publications.
3. Have prior fieldwork experience relevant to biodiversity analysis, social science methods, community assessments or related areas.
4. Display proficiency with statistical analysis programs/methods such as R, Stata, SPSS etc.
5. Exhibit a sound knowledge and understanding of major issues and concepts in environment, conservation, and sustainable development.
6. Clearly align proposed research concept note with one or more of AWF’s published strategic priorities for the Volcanoes landscape.
7. Be a resident or citizen of an East African country.
8. Have a proven interest and commitment to conservation evidenced through academic/professional experiences.
9. Demonstrate strong scientific documentation, writing and communication abilities.
10. Be able to work closely with rural communities in a culturally sensitive manner.
11. Available to undertake an 8–12-month long research project, including fieldwork, and produce results in a timely manner.
The selection panel will screen all applications stringently on eligibility to ensure candidates have the capabilities and alignment required to successfully undertake this applied research fellowship. Only eligible candidates will proceed to the proposal review and interview stage.

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 24

Level of Education: Postgraduate Degree

Job application procedure
Eligible candidates interested in applying for the Volcanoes Landscape Collaborative Research Initiative must submit the following documents:
1. Updated Curriculum Vitae clearly highlighting academic qualifications, research and fieldwork experience, publications, and other relevant expertise areas.
2. Scanned copies of academic transcripts and certificates for Masters/PhD and other mentioned qualifications.
3. A 2-page concept note for the proposed research topic aligned with published AWF Rwanda strategic priorities for the Volcanoes region. The note should provide:
• An indicative title
• Rationale and justification
• Objectives
• Proposed methods
• Expected outputs.
• Possible limitations and mitigations
4. A 1-page personal statement of interest describing your motivation in applying for this research program, alignment with focus areas, prior relevant experience, and future career goals in biodiversity conservation.
The complete application package must be submitted in PDF format to ResearchRwanda@awf.org  by 11:59 pm GMT+2 on 7th March 2024 with the subject line: "Application: Volcanoes Research 2024". Incomplete applications or those received after the deadline may not be evaluated.
Shortlisted candidates will be contacted within 6 weeks of the deadline to schedule video interviews. Kindly ensure your contact information in the CV is accurate. For questions regarding the application process, eligibility criteria, or other administrative matters, contact: CKayijamahe@awf.org . Queries will be responded to within 5 working days.
We strongly encourage early-career African researchers aligned with biodiversity conservation to apply for this opportunity to build experience, and networks and contribute to sustainability solutions. Female researchers are particularly welcome to apply.

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