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The Arab Water Academy PhD Programme focused on the institutional and policy dimensions of water management in the Arab world: call for application

The Arab Water Academy PhD Programme on Water Governance and Policies: Building Capacity in the Arab Region through Cross-Learning:

A call for applications will be launched in early 2010 for a September

2010 start. Because the focus of the program and the topics envisaged are interdisciplinary,

students from all disciplines are invited to apply to the program. Social scientists (planners,

political scientists, economists, human geographers, sociologists, etc.) will gain understanding of

the technical aspects of water management while students with a “hard science” background

(agronomy, hydrology, engineering, etc.) will widen their scope and training to include social and

institutional issues.

Full merit-based scholarships will be granted by the Academy for a period of 3 to 4

years each. The total number of scholarships to be awarded in 2010/2011 is expected to be

between 8 and 10, with 4 granted by the Academy and additional scholarships provided by the

project partners. Prospective contributors include the Institut de Recherche pour le

Développement (IRD, France) and cooperation agencies (IDRC, DFID, AECID, etc). Admissions to

the program will be staggered over two years (2010 and 2011). Candidates will be citizens and

residents from different MENA countries (non Arab already in possession of a scholarship might

be considered).

Students will be registered in PhD program at different universities, depending on

their research topic, the country where field work is to take place, and the nature of the

scholarship made available. Examples of partner universities include SOAS-King’s College (UK),

University of Paris X (France) and the University of Wageningen (the Netherlands). However,

because universities have different time frames and academic requirements, the number of

universities involved will be kept to a minimum. Other partners will include research institutions

which agree to provide fieldwork expenses to associated PhD students (e.g. the International

Water Management Institute).

Theses will ideally take the form of a “sandwich” program, with the students

spending most of their research time in the country of residence/field study (Arab country).

Typically, with possible variations according to the university, the first six months will include the

study of required courses and the writing of the thesis proposal. The final 10 months, during

which the thesis should be written up, will be spent at the university to which the student is

affiliated. Research topics will focus on local and national issues and will not address

transboundary issues (to ensure homogeneity of the set of studies.) Transboundary issues might

be addressed with a further call for applications.

Research proposals will have to be holistic in their approach to water systems (water supply or

irrigation schemes, aquifers, river basins, national resource systems, etc.) and problems (pollution,

scarcity, overexploitation, conflict, etc.) They may address issues of planning, management, regulation,

policy-making, political economy, governance, socio-economic and institutional change, etc., related to

water. Emphasis is laid on institutions and policies but analyses will have to consider both the physical

and societal aspects of the resource.

The Arab Water Academy in Abu Dhabi invites applications for its scholarship programs to pursue

doctoral studies. Successful candidates are expected to begin the program in fall 2010 and will be

expected to finish their theses in three to four years.

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

· must be a citizen and resident of one of the MENA countries. Candidates will have a moral

commitment to go back and work in their home countries (or the MENA region) for at least 2

years after completion of the PhD program.

· must hold a master’s degree or equivalent that is recognized as valid for admission to PhD

programs offered by international universities.

· must be proficient in the chosen language of study (French, English, Spanish).

Applicants must submit the following documents:

o An application form

o A detailed Curriculum Vitae

o Certified copies of their degrees along with undergraduate and Master’s degree

transcripts

o A certificate of the applicant’s proficiency in the language of study (English, French,

Spanish)

o A motivation letter explaining, in particular, the student’s reasons for wishing to join the

program and his/her capacity to integrate approaches from other disciplines.

o Two letters of recommendation

o A two-page research proposal, outlining the topic and research questions that the

candidate proposes to address in his/her PhD. The proposal will include:

(a) background; (b) topic; (c) justification; (d) research questions. In addition, the

applicant is invited to indicate two alternative subjects that he/she would also be

interested in researching.

Applications must be addressed to the Director of the Arab Water Academy and sent to the following

email address: phdprogram@awacademy.ae

The deadline for applications is 20 April 2010. Only applications postmarked on or before this date

will be accepted.

Contact information	The Arab Water Academy (email: phdprogram@awacademy.ae) Phone: By Fax (this form, once signed): Admissions Committee +971 2 446 3339
News type	Vacancies
File link	http://awacademy.ae/id17.htm
Source of information	The Arab Water Academy
Keyword(s)	water supply, irrigation schemes, aquifers, river basins, national resource systems, water governance
Subject(s)	AGRICULTURE , ANALYSIS AND TESTS , CHARACTERISTICAL PARAMETERS OF WATERS AND SLUDGES , DRINKING WATER , DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION : COMMON PROCESSES OF PURIFICATION AND TREATMENT , HYDRAULICS - HYDROLOGY , INFORMATION - COMPUTER SCIENCES , INFRASTRUCTURES , MEASUREMENTS AND INSTRUMENTATION , METHTODOLOGY - STATISTICS - DECISION AID , NATURAL MEDIUM , POLICY-WATER POLICY AND WATER MANAGEMENT , PREVENTION AND NUISANCES POLLUTION , RIGHT , RISKS AND CLIMATOLOGY , WATER DEMAND , WATER QUALITY
Geographical coverage	United Arab Emirates
News date	05/03/2010
Working language(s)	ENGLISH , FRENCH , SPANISH

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