A Lecturer at the Department of Educational Foundations Studies of the University for Development Studies, (UDS), Dr. Christian Christian Evadzi, has been selected for the “Promoting Interdisciplinary Research in West Africa: A Writing Workshop for Early Career Researchers in the Humanities and Social Sciences”.

The programme, which is scheduled to kick off online 10th of October, 2023 from 9:30 will consist of a mix of presentations and breakout sessions that will explore the nature of interdisciplinary research and provide advice on how to overcome the challenges of interdisciplinary research and make the most of the opportunities.

The “Promoting Interdisciplinary Research in West Africa” is a Writing Workshop for Early Career Researchers in Humanities and Social Sciences” organized by the University of York (UK) in collaboration with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

The project stems from the background of addressing global challenges which requires that the next generation of researchers possess interdisciplinary expertise. It is a series of training workshops intended to foster collaboration between the Humanities and Social Sciences and other disciplines including but not limited to the Life and Health Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Agriculture    and Engineering.

Led by senior researchers from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana) and the University of York (UK), and funded by the British Academy, this three-part training programme, is aimed at early career researchers from English-speaking West Africa. The project which was opened to researchers working on major global challenges in areas such as Health, Food Security, Environment and Climate, and are keen to enhance their interdisciplinary research and writing skills received applications from Ghana, The Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

PROGRAMME DETAILS
The Programme will offer hands-on training in getting interdisciplinary research published and provide mentoring opportunities. 

The first part of the programme is an online workshop to be held on 10th October, 2023 from 9:30am till 12:30pm (Ghana time), consisting of a mix of presentations and breakout sessions that will explore the nature of interdisciplinary research and provide advice on how to overcome the challenges of interdisciplinary research and make the most of the opportunities.

Attendees at the online workshop will be made to apply for the second part of the programme, which consists of an intensive three-day workshop at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana (planned for January 2024). This will provide training in how to publish interdisciplinary research and how to apply for successful interdisciplinary grants. Attendees will submit a 5,000-word manuscript and a 500-word research proposal prior to the workshop and will receive extensive feedback on these from the workshop leaders.

The third part of the programme consists of a series of online mentoring sessions that will enable the in-person workshop attendees to finalize and submit their manuscripts to a leading journal.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
Early Career Researchers from Ghana, The Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, who have completed their PhD in the past five years had to apply and compete for selection. Applicants had to submit a brief CV and a 250-word statement on why they wish to be considered for the programme.

At the end, one of our own, Dr. Christian Evadzi of the Department of Educational Foundations Studies at the Faculty of Education who teaches courses including Advanced Research in Education and Inquiry and Action Research at the postgraduate and undergraduate levels respectively met the criteria and was selected accordingly.

The UDS Community is proud of Dr. Evadzi!!