Call for Research Proposals for the Structural Transformation of African Agriculture and Rural Spaces (STAARS) project

Application deadline: January 31, 2021

The STAARS Fellowship application process is managed by Cornell University, in collaboration with PIM. Applicants must prepare a maximum 2500-word research proposal, which motivates the selected research issues and objectives, outlines data sources and proposed methodology, and contains a convincing plan for completing the project by December 15, 2021. Projects that propose to use data that are not publicly available must provide documentation that they have access to those data. All proposals shall be prepared in English. All proposals will be peer-reviewed by experts from Cornell University and/or PIM.

The deadline to submit a research proposal is January 31, 2021. Applicants should submit their completed proposals via email to staars@cornell.edu. Accepted applicants will be notified by early March 2021 and are expected to begin remote collaboration with their mentor immediately upon acceptance.

Research Proposal Template

• Completed 2021 STAARS Fellowship Applicant Information Form.
• Research Proposal (2500 words max.):
• Title of the proposed research
• Targeted country(-ies)
• Introduction and motivation that includes clear statement of research objectives and hypotheses.
• Description of data source(s) and any prior experience working with the proposed data.
• Proposed Methodology
• If applicable, summary of any preliminary results.
• Proposed timeline for the research

In addition to the Research Proposal (not included in the 2500 words):

• Bibliographic references
• CV of the applicant
• If proposing to use data that are not publicly available, a letter or other documentation from the data steward(s) indicating that the applicant will have access to the data to use in the proposed project
• Photocopy of the passport biodata page and, if applicable, any current US visa

Shortlisted applicants will be asked to provide the following:

• Letter of support from applicant’s supervisor, clearly indicating that the applicant will be granted time to work on this project, if selected
• Stata/R assessment

Download the Application Packet here: http://barrett.dyson.cornell.edu/files/Staars_Application.zip
Learn more here: http://barrett.dyson.cornell.edu/staars/staars-fellowships.html