PhD positions available at UNESCO-IHE in collaboration with Makerere University and the Kampala City Council in Uganda
An interdisciplinary research program entitled "*Integrated approaches and strategies to address the Sanitation Crisis in Unsewered Slum Areas in African mega-cities (SCUSA)*", funded by the UNESCO-IHE Partnership Research Fund (UPaRF), will be carried out by UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education (Delft, The Netherlands) , Makerere University, and the Kampala City Council, both in Uganda.
The SCUSA research program addresses one of the most relevant developmental issues worldwide: a reduction of under-5 child mortality rates due to water-borne diseases, and malnutrition in low-income unplanned urban settlements. As such, the project will contribute to the realization of Millenium Development Goal 7, Target 10 (i.e. to halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water). The SCUSA research program has identified three projects, centered around a slum area of Kampala. To carry out these research projects, three strongly interdisciplinary PhD positions are vacant.
Project description
The development and expansion of informal settlements in the peri-urban areas of African cities is widespread, while these cities harbour the majority of the urban population. Peri-urban areas, or slums, are characterized by, among other things, poorly constructed houses, poor water supply and sanitary conditions, and lack or inadequate support services.
Besides the spreading of diseases related to surface water (e.g. malaria), one of the main problems associated with sanitation and water in peri-urban areas is related to the pollutant load entering and leaving the peri-urban catchment, either as surface water or groundwater. This water is polluting drinking water (with increased incidence of cholera and diarrhoea) or eutrophying surface water, due to extremely high nutrient fluxes discharged from the surrounding catchments. As a result, the main research question of the SCUSA research program is: *How to improve sanitation in peri-urban urban slum areas?*
Ph.D. project
1: Wastewater and solid waste treatment and reusePh.D. project
2: The socio-economic aspects of improving sanitation Ph.D. project
3: Hydrology and contaminant transport
*The following applies to all 3 Ph.D. positions:*
- All topics will be carried out in a so-called sandwich construction with different phases at UNESCO-IHE in the Netherlands and field research in Uganda (with regular contacts with Ugandan and Dutch supervisors) .
- PhD positions are funded with a fellowship for which NUFFIC regulations apply.
- Starting date: January 1, 2009, for 4 years.
- Qualifications: MSc degree (average mark: 80% or above) in a discipline relevant to the topic, e.g. environmental engineering, sanitation, socio-economics of the water sector, water resource economics, hydrology and water resources.
- The applicant must demonstrate a strong interest and experience in conducting interdisciplinary research.
- The applicant must be willing to do research in a team, share his results with the SCUSA research team and advise fellow Ph.D. researchers when necessary.
- The applicant should be willing to co-supervise MSc research projects.
- The applicant must be fluent in English (e.g. TOEFL paper based score of at least 550).
- Excellent reporting skills and shown ability to publish in the scientific literature.
- Knowledge of the African sanitation field is desirable.
- Age: 40 years and below.
For questions, please mail Prof. Dr. Frank Kansiime ( fkansiime@muienr. mak.ac.ug) or Dr. Jan Willem Foppen of UNESCO-IHE ( j.foppen@unesco- ihe.org).
Applications, including curriculum vitae, a motivation letter and 2 letters of recommendation, as well as the names and contact details of three contactable referees, all in one pdf file, should be sent by email to t.morgenstond@ unesco-ihe. org before *September 1st 2008*.
Please mention in the subject heading "PhD application SCUSA project *x*", where *x* refers to the Ph.D. projects mentioned above. Short-listed candidates will be contacted before October 1st 2008 to set a date of an interview, possibly via video-conferencing.
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