Japan: Postdoctoral Fellowships, The United Nations University, Institute of Advanced Studies
1. Introduction
InApril 1996, the UN Secretary-General inaugurated UNU-IAS as an in-housecommunity of scholars mandated to research issues located at theintersection between societal and natural systems. The Institute'smission is to advance knowledge and to promote learning for policymaking to meet the challenges of sustainable development. As anadvanced studies institute, UNU-IAS is, by virtue of its nature,forward-looking and flexible. Our programmatic structure ismultidisciplinary and dynamic.
In October 2000 UNU-IAS added aPostdoctoral Fellowship to its postgraduate education programme. Thisprogramme serves as a complement to the PhD Fellowship Programme thathas already been established as one of the premier activities of theinstitute. So far, more than 140 fellows from some 50 countries havepassed through the PhD and Postdoctoral Fellowship Programmes. Of thosecompleting the programmes, about one third has been women, anddeveloping country participants have outnumbered developed countryparticipants.
The Postdoctoral Fellowship Programmetargets five fellowship positions each year for a period of ten months.The Fellowship Programme has four core aims:
- To provideyoung scholars at the postdoctoral level, particularly from developingcountries, with an opportunity to experience the unique internationalacademic environment of UNU-IAS.
- To provide these youngscholars with an opportunity to participate in and contribute to theresearch activities of UNU-IAS in regard to issues of pressing globalimportance.
- To provide an opportunity for young scholars fromdeveloping countries to interact with the Japanese academic communityand, in doing so, provide a conduit between the host country anddeveloping country academia and also the host country and the UNsystem.
- To provide UNU-IAS and its academic community with anopportunity to benefit from the diverse knowledge, background, andexperience offered by high caliber young scholars from around the world.
Currently, the scope of the institute's research activities is comprised and defined in relation to the following six areas:
- Biodiplomacy
TheBiodiplomacy Initiative (BI) is a multifaceted approach to supportinginternational, regional and national processes concerning developmentand implementation of law and policy relating to conservation and useof biodiversity, access to genetic resources and benefit sharing,protection of traditional knowledge, intellectual property rights,bioethics, biosafety and biosecurity. The BI includes policy research,outreach and capacity building activities. - Sustainable Development Governance
Studieson the governance and effectiveness of institutions for sustainabledevelopment, interlinkages/interplay between MEAs, both at global andregional levels; ethics and the role of environmental principles ininternational governance, WTO and sustainable development in developingcountries, development of markets and policies for environmental goodsand services, WTO and investment in developing countries, and impactsof WTO accession on sustainable development particularly sectoralanalysis on health, welfare, poverty reduction, culture and environment. - Science Policy for Sustainable Development
Studies on policy issues related to the implementation of technologytransfer provisions of Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD),International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food andAgriculture (ITPGRFA), and the United Nations Convention to CombatDesertification (UNCCD); country case studies and best practices inbiotechnology development and transfer in developing countries context;policy studies on the application of science and technology forachieving the millennium Development Goals, particularly in regard topoverty alleviation in Africa; institutional innovations in linkingscience and technology with the development process in developingcountries. - Ecosystems & People
Studies on the linkages between human well-being and ecosystems;poverty and environment; poverty reductions strategies/MillenniumDevelopment Goals related to environment; pro-poor markets forecosystem services, roles of MEAs in improving human well-being; andecosystem assessment leading towards integrated policy making;particularly focused on the development of training and teachingmaterials for policymakers in these areas. Also, this programme has anexisting concentration on Urban Ecosystems - including the applicationof the ecosystem approach to the study and management of cities.Current priorities include exploring the drivers of urban environmentaland ecosystem change, urban metabolism and other ecosystem approachesto understanding cities. The programme is also exploring the relevanceand effectiveness of ecosystem approach influenced policies as they areapplied to urban regions. - Education for Sustainable Development
Further development and implementation of the UNU strategy to promoteeducation for sustainable development (EfSD) and the Decade ofEducation for Sustainable Development (DESD), which started in January2005. Possible topic for research may include, for instance, casestudies of Regional Centers of Expertise (RCE) on EfSD regarding theirdevelopment processes and success factors, development of curricula forpriority topics on EfSD etc. An RCE is a group of organizations thatdeliver education for sustainable development at regional and locallevels. Research may document how an RCE is developed to translate andarticulate a global vision of education for sustainable developmentinto the context of the local community in which it operates, therebycritically examining whether an RCE can serve as a platform to promotedialogues among EfSD stakeholders towards locally relevant andculturally appropriate EfSD. - Sustainable Management of Fragile Ecosystems - Satoyama Area (Ishikawa International Cooperation Research Center- IICRC)
Analyticalresearch on the management of fragile ecosystems, especially theconservation and sustainable use of satoyama (traditional rurallandscape) and its multidimensional values including ecological,social, cultural and economic aspects in Asia (including Japan),Europe, Africa and Oceania.
Research proposals should relate clearly to one of the above current research areas of UNU-IAS.
Eachfellow is expected to help strengthen the intellectual capacity ofUNU-IAS and enhance the spirit of the academic community.
Underthe supervision and general direction of the Programme/Project Manager,each fellow will work on specific research projects, or initiatives,and may be responsible for activities in one or more issue areas.Responsibilities may include: general research and writing activities,contributing to the development of research agendas, assisting in thedefinition of methodologies and advanced research approaches, assistingin the design and development of course materials, developing andmanaging scientific networks, organizing conferences and seminars,developing promotional materials, formulating funding proposals,preparation and presentation of research within the UNU-IAS community,contribution to the UNU-IAS Working Paper Series, and preparation ofother possible in-house and external publications.
Applicantsmust have obtained a PhD (or at least a successfully defended PhDthesis) in an area broadly associated with the UNU-IAS thematicdirection described above prior to 12 May 2006. Language proficiency in English is essential.
Applicants from developing countries and women are particularly encouraged to apply.
Theperiod of the Postdoctoral Fellowship is ten months. Fellows will beprovided with their own desk within a dedicated study room in theInstitute, a networked PC, and full Internet access including anindividual e-mail account.
Fellows will have access to the UNUCentre Library in Tokyo, which includes an excellent collection of UNdocuments. They will have access via the UNU Centre Library to variousJapanese university libraries and computer database.
Thefellowship provides for a monthly stipend of 290,000 Japanese yen, fromwhich a monthly usage charge for accommodation is deducted (see below).A one-time only installment of 80,000 yen will be granted to eachfellow at the commencement of the programme for adjustment expenses andincidental costs.
Eligibility for a second 10-month appointment may be considered based on the Fellow's performance.
PostdoctoralFellows will be provided with accommodations by UNU-IAS, located inYokohama City, 30 minutes from the Institute. The accommodations arefurnished and include kitchen and bathroom facilities. Usage chargesother than utilities (electricity, water, gas, telephone, etc.) are asfollows:
Single room apartment (for one person) 80,000 yen or more per month
Twin room apartment (for couples) 130,000 yen or more per month
UNU-IAS provides fellows with return air tickets between his/her country of residence and Narita Airport.
7. Starting Date and Deadline for Applications
ThePostdoctoral Fellowship Programme begins on 1 October each year andselected fellows are required to be in Yokohama by this date.
The deadline for applications for the 2006 Fellowships is 12 May 2006.
Completed application form must be received by post on or before 12 May 2006 to the address below:
Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme
United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies
6F, International Organizations Center, Pacifico-Yokohama
1-1-1 Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama 220-8502 Japan
Fax: +81-45-221-2303
Application forms are available for download as Microsoft Word (.doc) and Portable Document Format (.pdf ) files. The application form can also be obtained through email fellowships@ias.unu.edu.
In addition to the application form, the following documents in English must be submitted:
- Certified copies of academic transcripts (Master's and PhD courses if applicable) and a copy of doctoral degree certificate
- Two publication samples (if unavailable, please send two chapters from your dissertation)
- Two original supporting letters of reference
- Evidenceof English language proficiency (only required if Ph.D. dissertationwas not submitted in English) eg. TOEFL score, certificate ofproficiency.
