PhD Positions, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Netherlands

UNESCO-IHE, the Netherlands, and the following partners: University of Makerere in Uganda, KNUST in Ghana, AIT in Thailand, 2iE in Burkina Faso, ITB in Indonesia, UCT in South Africa, UFMG in Brazil, and Colombia Univalle awarded a U.S. $ 8 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant will be used to finance a 5-year capacity building and research projects to stimulate local innovation in sanitation for the urban poor in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.

This project has two main objectives: (i) to stimulate local innovation in sanitation for the urban poor through research, and (ii) to strengthen the sanitation sector in developing countries through education and training.

Direct beneficiaries of this project are individuals from developing countries and academic institutions involved in projects that play a role in stimulating local innovation in sanitation for the receiver end of the project - the urban poor in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.

This project will: (i) increase the number of adequately trained professionals sanitation in developing countries, (ii) provide the possibility of research, education and training for a new generation of sanitary engineers 'department', (iii) make (post-graduate) education in the field of sanitary engineering more accessible to individuals from developing countries, and (iv) strengthen the components of poor sanitation in the academic institutions involved.

5-year project (2011-2016) will be jointly executed by UNESCO-IHE (primary receiver) and 8 partners from developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and South America (sub-recipients), supported by several external party sub-contractors and individuals.

Component
This project contains seven components: (i) post-doctoral program, (ii) a doctoral program and PhD scholarships, (iii) education and scholarship masters MSc, (iv) a new online Master of Engineering Sanitation and scholarships; (v) two new training courses online; (vi) Professional Diploma in new and scholarships, and (vii) online programs and scholarships, and target more than 600 direct individual beneficiaries.

Research Themes
Research part of this project is clustered around the five thematic areas / package of pro-poor urban sanitation, each to be coordinated by one partner (Research Leader Pack - RPL): (i) the provision of sanitation to the slums intelligent and informal settlements ( Makerere University), (ii) emergency sanitation after natural disasters and anthropological (UNESCO-IHE), (iii) resource-oriented sanitation decentralized (AIT), (iv) low cost wastewater collection and treatment (2iE), and (v ) faecal sludge management (KNUST).

Project Outcomes
The project results can be summarized as: (i) research capacity and facilities of partner institutions will be improved, (ii) an international academic network of pro-poor sanitation will be built, (iii) the practical application of innovations in sanitation for the urban poor will be put in place (iv) proposals for a business spin-offs will be developed, (v) human resource capacity will increase in the sanitation sector, and (vi) there will be increasing access to professionals from developing countries for education and training.

To support the research component of the 20 projects PhD to the position of young researchers funded by the project.

PhD position information

This position is based on the premise of the eight project partners.
The PhD fellow will report to the professor in charge of the host academic institution.
PhD position is funded on a partnership arrangement in accordance with standard practices are applied at the host institution;
Start date is expected early 2012;
The duration of the task up to 4 years;
The PhD fellow will have a high degree of involvement in the implementation of the research package assigned to the host institution in this project.
The PhD fellow will be awarded a doctorate by the host institution.

Position requirements

Candidates must be young researchers from developing countries, preferably from sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, but researchers from other developing regions are encouraged to apply;
Candidates should have a Master's degree in a discipline relevant to research themes, such as sanitary engineering, civil engineering, environmental science, environmental engineering, biochemistry, biotechnology, etc.
Applicants must demonstrate strong interest and experience in conducting and managing the experimental and interdisciplinary research related to sanitation;
Applicants with a pronounced affinity for the laboratory and / or practical research and field work will be preferred;
Applicant must be proficient in English and have developed communication and writing skills;
Applicants for positions in Brazil must originate from Portuguese speaking countries in Africa (Palop).

How to apply?
Applications, including curriculum vitae, names and contact details of two referees, and letter of motivation, should be sent via email to a professor in charge of the host institution by December 15, 2011.

Please put the subject heading "PhD application for BMGF project" and clearly indicated in the body of the email preferred thematic areas and the host institution (assuming that the preferred host institutions involved in the thematic areas is preferred).

Short list of candidates will be contacted in the first week in January 2012. For further information please contact the relevant professor (see contact details below).

UNESCO-IHE INSTITUTE FOR WATER EDUCATION
Damir Brdjanovic, PhD
Professor
PO Box 3015
2601 DA Delft
Netherlands
Email: d.brdjanovic @ UNESCO-ihe.org

Bandung Institute of Technology
Tjandra Setiadi, PhD
Professor
Labtek House X
JI. Ganesha No. 10
Bandung, Indonesia
Email: tjandra@che.itb.ac.id

University of Cape Town
Neil Armitage, PhD
Associate Professor
Private bag X3
Rondebosch 7701
South Africa
Email: neil.armitage @ uct.ac.za

ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Koottatep Thammarat, PhD
Associate Professor
PO Box 4, Klong Luang
Pathumthani 12120
Thailand
Email: thamarat@ait.ac.th

THE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Kwame Nkrumah
Esi Awuah, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
Private mail bag
University of Post Office
KNUST - Kumasi
Ghana
Email: esiawuahrt@yahoo.com

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND WATER
Hama Amadou Maiga, PhD
Professor
01 BP 594
Ouagadougou 01
Burkina Faso
Email: amadou.hama.maiga @ 2ie-edu.org

Makerere University
Kasiime Frank, PhD
Professor
PO Box 7062
Kampala
Uganda
Email: fkansiime@muienr.mak.ac.ug

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY Minas Gerais
Marcos von Sperling, PhD
Professor
Av. Antonio Carlos, 6.627 - Campus Pampulha
Escola de Engenharia - Bloco 1 - Sala 4622
31270-901 - Belo Horizonte - Mina Gerais
Brazil
Email: marcos@desa.ufmg.br

For more information, please visit the official site: www.unesco-ihe.org