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LEARN Co-funded PhD Scholarship

Purpose

The LEARN co-funded PhD Scholarship will provide a stipend for a PhD student from a developing country to benefit from having supervision from a researcher based at a institution in New Zealand. The Scholarship is for a maximum of three years duration and the student can be enrolled in a PhD programme in their home country or at a New Zealand Institution to receive the Scholarship.  The Scholarship aims to build capacity amongst emerging scientists to facilitate their future or ongoing participation in research, development and extension activities or programmes directly related to the mitigation of livestock greenhouse gas emissions.  For those students enrolled in a PhD in their home country the Scholarship also provides a travel allowance for the PhD student to participate in a 12 month (maximum) PhD placement (note that this may be split into multiple visits over a 3 year period but must total no more than 12 months). The PhD placement must be taken in New Zealand.

The Scholarships seek to:

  • Attract and support emerging researchers from developing countries to work alongside and learn from researchers in New Zealand institutions.
  • Aid the transfer of knowledge on agricultural GHG emissions measurement, modelling and mitigation technologies and practices that assist agriculture to reduce GHG emissions and increase the efficiency of agricultural production systems.
  • Advance the use of tools/techniques to increase the level of scientific skills and technological capabilities within developing countries.
  • Build enduring collaborations between New Zealand institutes and researchers and those in developing countries.

The Scholarships are designed to support the completion of a PhD; the Scholarships DO NOT support conference visits. Scholarships are administered by the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) on behalf of the New Zealand Government.

Eligibility Requirements

The Co-funded PhD Scholarships are open to students from developing countries who are members of the LEARN network. The Scholarship will co-fund a student from a developing country for three years (maximum) to complete a PhD in an area of research aligned with livestock GHG emissions mitigation.  For those students enrolled in a PhD in their home country a 12 month research placement (note that this may be split into multiple visits over a 3 year period but must total no more than 12 months) must be taken in New Zealand during the PhD programme.

To be eligible to complete an application for an award, you must:

  • Be a high achieving student (supported by academic transcripts, letters of recommendation and publishing record (if appropriate)).
  • Be enrolled or in the process of enrolling in a PhD programme in an area of research aligned with livestock GHG emissions mitigation in your home country and/or a New Zealand Institution.
  • Have secured or are likely to receive co-funding (this could be a Scholarship or a stipend) from an organisation in your home country or elsewhere.
  • Be a registered member of the LEARN network.
  • Have identified a suitable PhD supervisor in a New Zealand research organisation.
  • Be resident in a developing country as defined by the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD (DAC) list of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) recipients. The list is available online via this link.
  • Satisfy New Zealand Government requirements for international entry into New Zealand.
  • Be able to speak and understand English to a level sufficient to function in a research role.

Please note that prior to receiving the Scholarship you must be enrolled in a PhD programme and have secured co-funding.

How to Apply

Download the application form and budget sheet from the LEARN or NZAGRC websites. A two stage process applies.

Stage One

An Expression of Interest (EoI) form must be completed and submitted to the NZAGRC Operations Manager - International to determine eligibility.

doc LEARN PhD scholarship Expression of Interest (0.28MB) 

Stage Two

Once the NZAGRC Operations Manager - International has confirmed eligibility, the candidate will be invited to submit a full application to be considered by an assessment panel.

Submission of full applications can occur anytime throughout the year however, full applications will be assessed on a quarterly basis on the following dates:

  • January 30th
  • April 30th
  • July 30th
  • October 30th

The full application process is as follows:

  1. Develop a proposal for the training programme in close collaboration with a New Zealand research organisation. Complete a budget with all supporting evidence of associated costs.
  2. Complete relevant sections of the application form in English.
  3. Sign and date the declaration.
  4. Attach any supporting documents as stipulated on the application form.
  5. Send completed application documents to the New Zealand organisation participating in this exchange; this is the organisation where you would be based while in New Zealand.
  6. Submission of the application by the New Zealand organisation with all supporting documentation to the Operations Manager (International) at the NZAGRC.
        

More Information

For more information or clarification about the LEARN Technician Award visit the following websites: