Three new scholars have been awarded funding under the competitive 2021/22 Africa International PGR Scholarship scheme. Established by the Centre for Doctoral Studies in 2020, this scheme invites students from African countries to apply to a PhD programme at King’s and conduct research that is relevant to Africa, particularly in the interdisciplinary areas across Conflict, Peace and Security, Global Health, Development and Digital Technology. Successful candidates receive full funding for up to four years, including tuition fees, a stipend, and an annual research support grant.
“The Centre for Doctoral Studies is delighted to appoint three new PGR students to our Africa International PGR scholarship program after an exciting competition of truly excellent applicants. We look forward to welcoming our new international students in October who will begin their research projects in the areas of oral healthcare, palliative care app development and the social impact of digital innovation.”
Professor Rebecca Oakey, Dean for Doctoral Studies, Centre for Doctoral Studies
“I’m delighted to welcome three more doctoral researchers to King’s through our Africa International PGR Scholarship programme. This programme is an important strand of our commitment to diversify our PGR community, as described in our Race Equality Charter action plan. Our African scholars will all undertake interdisciplinary projects which focus on African issues, consistent with King’s service ethos and a core value of our internationalisation vision of having a global problem-solving mindset.”
Professor ‘Funmi Olonisakin, Vice President & Vice Principal (International)
2021/22 Africa International Scholars:
| Scholar | Research Project Title |
| Birke Bogale Lema | Health system strengthening, redevelopment and modelling oral healthcare in post-conflict countries and fragile health systems: a case study of Ethiopia |
| Nuhamin Tekle Gebre | Co-development and piloting of an app for community health workers to expand palliative care coverage in Africa
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| Mmekidmfonabasi Umanah | Tech for Good: The Social Impact of Digital Innovation and how it is applied by Social Enterprises in Nigeria |
Comments from the scholars:
“I feel really excited and humbled to be able to win this award out of the hundreds of applicants. This scholarship will enable me to complete my PhD at one of the most prestigious universities in the U.K., researching on a topic that is very dear to me, which is the role of technology in social impact organisations, and working with really experienced and accomplished supervisors. It is really a dream come true and I am super grateful for the opportunities. This research has practical benefits to Africa and I’m excited to be able to work on it because of this prestigious scholarship.”
Mmekidmfonabasi Umanah
“It is a great privilege to be awarded the Africa International PGR scholarship. I am very excited to start my Ph.D. studies at King’s College London, a world-leading institution in health research, to be exposed to the essential experience I require to impact palliative care coverage in Africa.”
Nuhamin Tekle Gebre
We are delighted to welcome Birke, Nuhamin, and Mmekidmfonabasi to King’s College London, and wish them all the best with their innovative research degrees.