Call for Applications: Post-Doctoral Fellow on the Sustaining the African Health Initiative Community of Practice Project

The Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS) is seeking young and motivated researchers for a full-time postdoctoral fellowship. This postdoctoral research opportunity will be focused primarily on implementation science research using data collected for the evaluation of the African Health Initiative (AHI) health systems strengthening programmes in Ghana – the Ghana Essential Health Interventions Programme (GEHIP) and the Programme for Strengthening Community-Based Health and Planning Services (CHPS+)

Interested candidates must have recently completed (within the past five years) or anticipate completing a PhD or equivalent degree in the social sciences, public health, or biomedical sciences before the start of the fellowship.

Fellows would be given a year of funding. They will be paid a monthly stipend and provided office space. The postdoctoral fellows will be located at Regional Institute for Population Studies with opportunities to collaborate with partner institutions in the AHI Community of Practice.

As part of the postdoctoral program, fellows will be trained in important career areas such as grant writing and research communication. During the fellowship, postdoctoral fellows will have the opportunity to be mentored by experienced implementation science researchers within the African Health Initiative Community of Practice.

Responsibilities: 

The responsibilities of the postdoctoral fellow include:

• Conduct of research using data from African Health Initiative funded research studies.
• Production of at least one paper for submission to peer-reviewed journals.
• Dissemination of findings at conferences and seminars.
• Submission of at least one research proposal for funding.
• Development of policy briefs and fact sheets to share research findings with policy makers and practitioners.
• Participation in any project data collection activities.
• Participation in stakeholder engagements and project dissemination activities.
• Participation in team meetings.
• Participation in all trainings organised for early career researchers on the project.
• Supporting the coordination of local convenings and other project activities.
• Making presentations at least one RIPS Research Seminar and one RIPS Capacity Building Seminar for Graduate Students. 

Required qualifications: 

The ideal candidate will be interested in conducting health systems and policy research. The candidate must have:

• A PhD or be near completion of their PhD programme.  Applicants need not have completed their doctoral training prior to applying but training must be completed prior to the start of the fellowship in September 2025.
• Familiarity with statistical software, (e.g., Stata, R).
• Experience in quantitative methods. Knowledge of qualitative will be considered a plus.
• Strong written and interpersonal communication skills.
• Previous experience with research on health systems or health-related topics preferably including peer-reviewed publications.
• Fluency in English.

Application procedure: 

Interested applicants should submit the following materials:

1. Cover letter
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Personal statement describing research interests to be pursued during fellowship.
4. One lead-author published or unpublished manuscript.
5. Names and contact information of two references who will provide letters of recommendation. References will be contacted to submit their letters of recommendation.

Applications should be submitted to: ahi_cop@ug.edu.gh

Deadline for submission

Applications should be submitted by Friday 8th August 2025.