Background

The Center for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa) is a World Bank-supported African center of excellence for education and research at the College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University (CHS AAU). The main aim of CDT-Africa is to serve as a platform for equitable access to interventions (medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and complex interventions) and bring about sustainable development in Africa through high-quality capacity development for innovative medical discovery.

As part of this effort, CDT-Africa would like to hire an experienced PhD Program Coordinator who can coordinate all matters related to PhD program of the Center: teaching-learning, resource acquisition, dissertation, and completion of the PhD training.

Duties and Responsibilities

At a minimum, the responsibilities of the PhD Program Coordinator are:

• Serves as a point person and information source for Faculty and PhD students;
• Coordinates the selection and inclusion of guest professors in consultation with Faculty;
• Assists Faculty in some teaching and laboratory demonstration sessions;
• Coordinates students’ attachments and site visits to external institutions;
• Supports students in their proposal and thesis works;
• Follow-up and manage the timely completion of course works and exams;
• Oversees the PhD day-to-day teaching-learning activities;
• Ensures the students have the support and regular resources including classrooms, workspaces, and laboratories required to undertake effective academic and research works;
• Ensures that assigned supervisors are monitoring progress effectively;
• Keeps copies of students’ grade reports, research protocols, and all correspondence about their academic and research works;
• Creates opportunities for experience sharing and research dissemination, including conferences, seminars, and panel discussion events where the PhD students present their progress to a wider community;
• Creates short-term training opportunities for PhD students relevant to their projects;
• Performs other related duties as assigned by the immediate supervisor

Terms of Employment

• Six months on a full-time basis, with the possibility of extension

Job Requirements

Qualification and experience

• Holds PhD in biomedical sciences relevant to translational medicine;
• Proven familiarity with specific university legislations and administrative processes, and more desirable if the candidate has prior experience of the academic system and culture of the Addis Ababa University;
• Being active in research within the last five years as evidenced by peer-reviewed publications, grants, or other such expressions appropriate to translational medicine;
• Preferably in active contact with national, regional, and international academic institutions.

Other Competencies

• Ability to work collaboratively with CDT-Africa Faculty and staff and build trust in colleagues; able to foster cooperation among academic and research teams and relevant stakeholders.

Accountability

• The PhD Program Coordinator is responsible for reporting on activities to the CDT-Africa Training Lead.

How to Apply

The application should be submitted with a short CV (maximum length 4 pages), covering letter (maximum 2 pages) as well as supporting documents and credentials to the Human Resources Department of the College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University (College of Health Sciences Building, 1st Floor). The covering letter should describe how the candidate meets the requirements for the position.

The recruitment will involve an interview and/or a written exam. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

The application deadline is 21 January 2021 until 5:00 pm.