The NIH grant (No:  1D43TW010131) entitled: Developing Research Innovation, Localization and Leadership (DRILL) was awarded to the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in 2015 to support a research training and induction programme for early career academics and health professional staff members, under the scientific areas of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), Mental Health, Health Professions’ Education, Health Research Ethics and Health Systems Research.

The Principal investigators of this grant are:

Prof Jonathan Burns (Mental Health)

Dr Mosa Moshabela (HIV/AIDS)

Prof Doug Wassenaar (Cross-cutting)

Prof Fatima Suleman (Health systems strengthening)

Prof Petra Brysiewicz (Health Professions Education)

The core tenets of the research training programme are mentorship and support (using senior and mid-career staff), research skills and values, research leadership and inclusion in an accelerated staff development track, building communities of practice to cultivate Fellow-led knowledge hubs and responsiveness to local health priorities.

The programme will identify approximately 20 researchers in the first two years of the four year programme (entry to mid-level teaching and/or research careers in the academic institution of UKZN including but not limited to Lecturers, Senior Lecturers and Associate Professors) and implement mentoring of assigned projects (in one of the areas) and training in research.  There will be two streams of students: the first being PhD students and the second being postdoc level.

The training programme is structured so that each DRILL Fellow has two individuals for support. The first is a Mentor and the second is a Supervisor who will provide more direct day-to-day research supervision.

This call is for the first cohort of 10 DRILL Fellows.

Interested applicants are invited to complete the attached Application Form and provide the relevant documentation no later than 15th July 2016 to Ms Aruna Sevakram - email address: sevakrama@ukzn.ac.za

Contact no: 0312604781