UAE Africa Institute Fellowships 2027 for Senior and Postdoc Positions
The Africa Institute at Global Studies University has opened applications for its 2027 Research Fellowships Program, inviting senior academics, emerging postdoctoral researchers, independent authors and public intellectuals to undertake residential research in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Four positions are available across African studies, African diaspora studies, literature, visual culture, performance, gender, feminism, social sciences and the critical humanities. Senior fellows will receive a one-year residency, while postdoctoral researchers will be appointed for two years.
Applications opened on July 6, 2026, and must be submitted by September 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Gulf Standard Time.
Who Should Consider Applying?
This is not a conventional scholarship for students beginning a master’s or PhD degree. It is a residential research opportunity for established scholars and researchers who have already completed their doctoral training.
Applicants can quickly determine their eligibility through two main categories:
- Senior Fellowships: Open to associate professors, full professors and scholars holding equivalent positions inside or outside universities. Recognised independent authors and public intellectuals may also qualify.
- Postdoctoral Fellowships: Open to researchers whose PhD was awarded within the five years preceding the start of the fellowship.
The published eligibility rules do not list a nationality restriction. International researchers whose work connects meaningfully with Africa or the African diaspora can therefore assess their suitability for the relevant fellowship.
Four Fellowships Available for the 2027 Intake
The program is not limited to one narrow academic department. Each fellowship is named after an influential intellectual and supports a distinct area of research.
1# Toni Morrison Senior Fellowship in African Diaspora Literature and Cultural Studies
The Toni Morrison Senior Fellowship is designed for established academics, authors and intellectuals whose work engages with African or African diaspora literature, culture and related fields. Suitable areas may include:
- African diaspora literature
- Literary and cultural studies
- Critical theory
- Black intellectual traditions
- African American experiences
- Cultural production across the African diaspora
Applicants should normally be associate or full professors, or independent writers and public intellectuals whose published work has earned critical recognition. The selected fellow will undertake a full-time, one-year residency in Sharjah from September 2027 to June 2028.
2# Ali A. Mazrui Senior Fellowship in Global African Studies
The Ali A. Mazrui Senior Fellowship is open to well-established scholars examining Africa and its diaspora through the humanities, social sciences or interdisciplinary research. Relevant fields may include:
- African studies
- Global African studies
- African diaspora studies
- History and politics
- Sociology and anthropology
- International and cultural studies
- Interdisciplinary humanities and social sciences
Associate professors, full professors, equivalent senior researchers, independent authors and critically recognised public intellectuals may apply. This is also a one-year residential appointment running from September 2027 until June 2028.
3# Okwui Enwezor Postdoctoral Fellowship in Visual Culture, Performance Studies and Critical Humanities
The Okwui Enwezor Postdoctoral Fellowship targets emerging scholars whose research connects Africa or the African diaspora with visual and performance-based disciplines. The fellowship may suit researchers working in:
- Visual culture
- Performance studies
- Art history
- Art criticism
- Curatorial studies
- Cultural studies
- Critical humanities
Applicants must have earned a PhD within the previous five years before taking up the position. The successful researcher will be based in Sharjah for two academic years, from September 2027 to June 2029.
4# Fatema Mernissi Postdoctoral Fellowship in Social and Cultural Studies
The Fatema Mernissi Postdoctoral Fellowship supports emerging social-science researchers whose work examines Africa or the African diaspora through subjects associated with social and cultural change and priority areas include:
- Gender studies
- Feminist studies
- Cultural studies
- Visual cultures
- Sociology
- Sociopolitical change
- Islam and society
- African and African diaspora studies
Candidates must hold a PhD awarded within the last five years. Like the Okwui Enwezor Fellowship, this is a full-time, two-year residential appointment from September 2027 through June 2029.
What Applicants Must Submit?
The application is heavily research-focused. A generic CV and cover letter will not be enough; candidates need to show that they have a serious, achievable project that fits the intellectual scope of their selected fellowship.
Required documents include:
- A research abstract of no more than 300 words
- A project statement of between 1,000 and 2,000 words
- An optional one-page bibliography containing key sources
- Two published or unpublished writing samples
- A letter of interest
- A current curriculum vitae
- Contact information for three referees.
Application Deadline
The last date to apply for the Africa Institute Senior and Postdoctoral Fellowships Program 2027 is September 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Gulf Standard Time.
Senior fellowship appointments will run from September 2027 to June 2028, while postdoctoral fellowships will run from September 2027 to June 2029. Researchers planning to apply should begin preparing their project statements and writing samples early, particularly because the application also requires the details of three academic or professional referees.