Where?
American University Cairo, AUC Avenue, New Cairo 11835, Egypt.
When?
October 10th – 11th 2023, 1.5 days.
Background
The RUC PhD/ECR Seminar at the American University Cairo is part of a series of PhD seminars, workshops, and conferences within the African-German project “Resilient Urban Communities” funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education. RUC is a collaborative African-German project that addresses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals “sustainable cities and communities” and “quality education” through research and dissemination of knowledge related to the subject areas “good governance” and “local government”. Encompassing a research, networking and education component, RUC aims to improve urban supply systems and infrastructure for vulnerable groups in deprived local communities and enhance the governance of African megacities. The research program of RUC focuses on social enterprises (SEs) and nonprofit organizations (NPOs) as subsidiary social service providers and vehicles for participation and integration that contribute to the resilience of urban communities. RUC meetings and adjunct PhD-seminars are stepping-stones for the development of a network of current and future experts (scholars and practitioners) on social economy, good governance, and philanthropy in Africa.
PhD Seminar Call:
The PhD/ECR seminar aims to improve the research and careers of current PhD candidates and early career researchers (post-docs) by giving them the opportunity to discuss their work in a supportive environment. Participants receive feedback from peers and leading senior researchers as well as advice on career strategies and an opportunity to network with the international RUC community. The call 2023 is open to all enrolled doctoral candidates and ECRs doing research in social entrepreneurship, non-profit studies, urban studies, development economics, philanthropy, or related fields.
The key themes for seminar include discussions on types of research approaches and designs, managing the relationships with supervisors /receiving feedback and the
publication of high-quality academic articles. The central attraction to this seminar are the small group sessions: each student is allotted time to discuss her/his work and obtain feedback from peers and faculty. The seminar also includes opening and closing plenary sessions and at least one professional development session with presentations by leading scholars in the field. Additionally, the PhD seminar shall feature the 3-minute Thesis Competition.
RUC shall provide limited financial support to attend the seminar.
PhD Seminar Applications:
Each application for the PhD seminar must include:
• A research paper not exceeding one 750 words that refers to the stage of your thesis.
• A personal motivation statement of about 400 words explaining what you hope to get from the seminar.
• An official document confirming your status as a doctoral candidate or a post-doc researcher at your University or similar institution.
Eligibility criteria for PhD applicants:
• Applicants must be researchers (Ph.D. candidates or postdoc scholars) with at most five years Ph.D. qualification.
• Applicants are expected to conduct research connected to the fields of non-profit studies, social entrepreneurship, urban studies, development economics, or civil society studies as well as to the local context of Africa.
• Applicants should be able to participate in the entire Ph.D. seminar to be held in Cairo, Egypt.
• Applicants should be prepared to present and discuss their work with peers and faculty, and to actively participate in group discussions.
Deadlines:
• Submission of Abstracts Deadline: July the 1st 2023
• Acceptance of the Abstracts Deadline: August the 1st 2023
Contacts:
Conference and Seminar Inquiries/Submissions: ruc_gerhartcenter@aucegypt.edu