Vacancies

1. Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Social Science Research

The Training and Research Unit of Excellence (TRUE) is a vibrant health organization specializing in high-quality research, especially in children and pregnant women. TRUE seeks a suitably qualified, highly motivated, and hardworking candidate to fill its Post-doctoral Research Fellow position in its Blantyre offices. The appointment will be fixed for six months.

Job Summary:

The Fellow is responsible for implementing the research protocol, collecting, preparing and analyzing the data and displaying the data for storage and presentation in research conferences and manuscript publication. In addition, the post entails executing administrative and logistical tasks that aid in preparing, implementing, and closing programs and research goals.

Duties and responsibilities

Duties shall include but are not limited to the following:

1. Lead on a nested area of research within the larger study.
2. Submit the protocol for local IRB approval.
3. Develop budgets to support data collection activities.
4. Compile, update and maintain a site investigator file.
5. Participate actively in team meetings with overseas collaborators and in-country leads.
6. Active engagement with work package leads and principal investigators to support data collection and project data analysis.
7. Contribute to research dissemination and uptake, including preparation of dissemination materials.
8. Publish in a reputable journal as a first author.
9. Provide administrative support to the project when required.
10. To carry out any other duties that may be assigned by Work package Leads or Principal Investigators

Desirable Qualifications, Skills, and Competencies

To be eligible, you must possess:

1. A doctoral degree in Public Health with an emphasis in qualitative/social science research methods from a recognised and accredited institution
2. You must have received your PhD degree recently or within the past three years
3. Exceptional organisational, planning, administrative and communication skills
4. Ability to work in a dynamic and diversified environment
5. Knowledge of the research ethics and research governance process and procedures.
6. Understanding of the procurement processes
7. Must have a clean driving licence

Remuneration and Benefits

The position will attract a remuneration package which includes a competitive salary package commensurate with the position and experience.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

TRUE is an equal opportunity research organisation and does not discriminate according to nationality, gender or religion. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. All interested applicants with the required qualifications and experience should complete their application using the APPLY button below.

In addition, please email the following information to hr@true.mw:

1. Your name and contact details (as provided on the online submission)
2. Copies of your academic certificates (no more than 6 certificates)
3. Letters of recommendations (not more than 2, maximum 2 pages each) – optional
4. List of scientific/academic peer-reviewed publications with active links to the published manuscript.
5. Contact details for 3 references (at least, one should be academic, one from a mentor)

TRUE will acknowledge only short-listed candidates. The closing date for receiving applications is 1 December 2023. Only short-listed candidates will be acknowledged.

2. PhD Fellowship in Implementation Science Research

Project description

This PhD is supported by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), a funding body that exists to accelerate the clinical development of new or improved medicinal products for the identification, treatment, and prevention of poverty-related and neglected infectious diseases, including re-emerging diseases. The PhD research will be embedded in a large, and exciting multidisciplinary research project in Malawi as well as Bergen, Norway. The research proposal and project will be in the areas of implementation science (Public Health) within a cluster-randomized pragmatic trial on the implementation of Post-Discharge Malaria Chemoprevention (PDMC) in Malawi in liaison with the Ministry of Health.

The PhD student will be registered at the University of Bergen (UiB) and will be jointly supervised in Malawi and Norway. The work is led by Profs Kamija Phiri (TRUE) and Oddvar Kaarboe (UiB). PhD students will register and obtain a PhD degree after meeting the mandatory requirements of UiB which includes:

1. Registration at University of Bergen.
2. Develop a study proposal and carry out data collection within TRUE in Malawi.
3. A training component consisting of successful attendance of mandatory courses in Bergen, Norway.
4. Publication of three scientific articles as first author in peer-reviewed journals
5. Mandatory dissemination of research at three or more local and international conferences

The PhD programme at University of Bergen is based on a five-year Norwegian master’s education according to the Bologna process, Norwegian postgraduate programme or professional study, or equivalent education as approved by the Faculty of Medicine.

University of Bergen also approves one-year master’s degrees as a basis for admission to the PhD programme if the relevant degree

• is part of an overall higher education that consists of a completed bachelor’s and master’s degree or integrated course of at least four years that can be approved as university education in Norway, as defined by NOKUT’s General recognition of foreign higher education and
• contains a master’s thesis which has a scope corresponding to a minimum of 30 credits (ECTS).

Education from abroad is evaluated according to NOKUT’s criteria, please see www.nokut.no/en. This may take some time and we recommend that you apply as soon as possible.

All candidates admitted to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Medicine must reside at the faculty for a total of at least 3 months.

The PhD fellow’s funding will be for three years. For more information on PhD studies at UiB, visit https://www.uib.no/en/med/126486/prospective-phd-candidates.

Personal Attributes

1. Demonstrate the capacity for analytical thinking that leads to the development of independent academic ideas.
2. At least four years of research experience.
3. Experience in managing research project(s) and leading teams.
4. Experience with various research and epidemiology methods.
5. Experience in data management and basic statistics using basic statistical packages.
6. Experience in presenting research results at national/international conferences
7. Sensitivity to cultural differences and the ability to relate to people from a variety of backgrounds
8. Excellent communication skills, both written, verbal and using modern online platforms such as Zoom and MS Teams
9. Excellent spoken and written English
10. Excellent organisational and administrative skills, with a high level of attention to detail
11. Ability to work in resource-constrained settings and efficient use of resources
12. Demonstrated commitment to and enthusiasm for a research career

Duties and responsibilities

The PhD Fellow must demonstrate analytical thinking, creativity, and critical thinking in the development of independent research ideas and pursuant of targeted academic goals. The Fellow must have good collaborative skills to enable them to function in a multidisciplinary and international context. He/she will be responsible for supporting the coordination of a study team in the Mangochi and Salima sites during the execution of the project. He/she will support the Principal Investigators/academic supervisors in providing leadership, oversight of the day-to-day study activities, timely reporting and supervision of research personnel, and management of the budget in liaison with PIs/academic supervisor. He/she will contribute scientifically at a doctoral level by demonstrating appropriate leadership in data analysis and manuscript writing. He/she will liaise closely with the principal investigators/academic supervisors locally and internationally and will be required to spend considerable time in the study sites.

Qualification requirements

At the minimum, the candidate should have a Master of Science (MSc) degree in a health-related field such as epidemiology, public health, global/international health or health systems from an accredited university. An experience of working in an LMIC healthcare system will be beneficial. The successful candidate should be proficient in spoken and written English, and scientific publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals will be an added advantage. The candidate should demonstrate ample experience with collaborative research and work in a multidisciplinary team. In addition to these academic skills, the candidate should have team leadership skills.

We can offer

1. Exciting development opportunities as part of your role in a strong professional environment, nationally and internationally
2. An internationally competitive stipend while in Malawi (and Bergen, Norway if applicable)
3. A small research budget for running expenses including international travel

APPLICATION PROCESS:

TRUE is an equal opportunity research organisation and does not discriminate according to nationality, gender or religion. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. All interested applicants with the required qualifications and experience should complete their application using the APPLY button below.

In addition, please email the following information to hr@true.mw:

1. Your name and contact details (as provided on the online submission)
2. Copies of your academic certificates (no more than 6 certificates)
3. Letters of recommendations (not more than 2, maximum 2 pages each) – optional
4. List of scientific/academic peer-reviewed publications with active links to the published manuscript.
5. Contact details for 3 references (at least, one should be academic, one from a mentor)

TRUE will acknowledge only short-listed candidates. The closing date for receiving applications is 1 December 2023. Only short-listed candidates will be acknowledged.

Get in touch with us on careers

Contact Details:

Tel: +265 (0) 881 222 672 | +265 (0) 994 171 557

Email: true@true.mw

Web: https://true.mw