IDM-Africa Fellowship Programme 2027

Deadline: October 30, 2026

Applications are open for the IDM-Africa Fellowship Programme 2027. IDM-Africa invites applications from early- and mid-career scientists in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for its annual Fellowship Programme in infectious-disease modelling. The Fellowship supports scientists who already have foundational training and practical experience in infectious-disease modelling to develop an applied, policy-relevant modelling project using their own data.

Fellows will receive structured mentorship from leading modellers, infectious-disease experts and policy specialists at partner institutions. The partner sites are The Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) at Makerere University; University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB) and Amsterdam University Medical Center (UMC) with their corresponding training sites being The African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Sciences, Kampala-Uganda (ACE-Uganda); The African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Sciences, Bamako-Mali (ACE-B); and The Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD).

Fellowship Structure

Each Fellowship runs for 12 months

One month of in-person placement at the selected host institution (ACE-Uganda or ACE-B), with intensive mentor-guided project development.

Eleven months of online mentorship, including at least one mentor-mentee session every two weeks, peer-learning activities, monthly progress reporting, and quarterly review meetings.

By the end of the Fellowship, each Fellow will be expected to

Complete a documented and validated infectious-disease model, including reproducible code in R, Python or equivalent software.

Submit a final project report to the IDM-Africa coordinating centre at IDI.

Submit a manuscript as lead author to a peer-reviewed open-access journal.

Produce a policy brief as lead author communicating the relevance of the modelling results to policymakers.

Submit regular bi-weekly progress updates and quarterly performance reports via the IDI iBRIDGE system / Virtual Communities of Learning (VCL) platform.

Attend the monthly peer-fellow meetings.

Present progress during quarterly Fellowship review meetings.

Present research findings at a workshop or regional scientific conference and at the annual IDM-Africa policy translation workshop.

Complete all agreed mentorship, reporting and deliverable requirements to receive a certificate of completion.

Eligibility

Be affiliated with an institution located in sub-Saharan Africa and within the EDCTP Association.

Be resident in, or willing to relocate to, an eligible sub-Saharan African country for the Fellowship placement.

Hold a master’s degree in a quantitative discipline – such as mathematics, physics, data science or statistics or a health-related field, together with short-term training in infectious-disease modelling. Candidates holding or pursuing a PhD in these disciplines are also eligible to apply.

Have practical experience in infectious-disease modelling, including having led a substantial component of a modelling-related project, particularly the mathematical-modelling component.

Be proficient in at least one modelling platform or programming language, such as R, Python or MATLAB, and be able to manage datasets, formulate models, run simulations and interpret results.

Demonstrate a clear commitment to a career in infectious-disease modelling and its application to public-health challenges.

Be willing and able to work in interdisciplinary teams, including with epidemiologists, public-health officers, modellers and policymakers.

Be available for the full one-month in-person placement and the subsequent 11 months of online mentorship.

Commit to completing the agreed Fellowship outputs.

Applicants affiliated with partner institutions, including institutions at IDI/Makerere University in Uganda or ACE-B/USTTB in Mali, are NOT eligible.

Application

Click here to apply

For more information, visit IDM-Africa Fellowship.

Be affiliated with an institution located in sub-Saharan Africa and within the EDCTP Association. Be resident in, or willing to relocate to, an eligible sub-Saharan African country for the Fellowship placement. Hold a master’s degree in a quantitative discipline – such as mathematics, physics, data science or statistics or a health-related field, together with short-term training in infectious-disease modelling. Candidates holding or pursuing a PhD in these disciplines are also eligible to apply. Have practical experience in infectious-disease modelling, including having led a substantial component of a modelling-related project, particularly the mathematical-modelling component. Be proficient in at least one modelling platform or programming language, such as R, Python or MATLAB, and be able to manage datasets, formulate models, run simulations and interpret results. Demonstrate a clear commitment to a career in infectious-disease modelling and its application to public-health challenges. Be willing and able to work in interdisciplinary teams, including with epidemiologists, public-health officers, modellers and policymakers. Be available for the full one-month in-person placement and the subsequent 11 months of online mentorship. Commit to completing the agreed Fellowship outputs. Applicants affiliated with partner institutions, including institutions at IDI/Makerere University in Uganda or ACE-B/USTTB in Mali, are NOT eligible.

Click here to apply

For more information, visit IDM-Africa Fellowship.