Scholarship details
The Francis H. Brown African Scholarship Fund was established to further human knowledge and scholarly interest in earth sciences and botany relevant to human beginnings by offering financial support to East African researchers and students working in these fields. The fund will also encourage research that builds on the work of Dr. Francis H. Brown and strengthens East African universities’ capacity in the earth and botanical sciences.
About the Scholarship:
The Leakey Foundation’s aim is to advance scientific understanding, education, and public awareness of human origins, evolution, behavior, and survival. The Leakey Foundation supports primatology fieldwork as well as other study into human origins. The Leakey Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charity. We’re committed to sponsoring scientific study into the numerous facets of human origins and disseminating the findings through our cutting-edge educational initiatives. We are situated in San Francisco, California, and we are the only financing organization in the United States dedicated only to human origins research and education.h The fund will also encourage research that builds on the work of Dr. Francis H. Brown and strengthens East African universities’ capacity in the earth and botanical sciences.
The Leakey Foundation advocates for a comprehensive approach to human origins research. We give out more than $1 million in field and laboratory grants each year for important new research and long-term initiatives. We give extra encouragement to early-career scientists who are asking novel questions about human evolution and looking for fresh strategies to answer them. Dr. Louis S.B. Leakey, a pioneering scientist and an ardent promoter of science outreach, founded the Foundation in 1968 to fund his work. We understand that education and public outreach stimulate and progress science, in keeping with Louis Leakey’s ideas. Our dedication to these objectives is evident in our outreach and educational activities, which are meant to provide the general public with the opportunity to learn about scientific achievements firsthand. Dr. Louis S. B. Leakey was a famous anthropologist and a persistent champion of science education and public outreach in the twentieth century. Dr. Leakey encountered a group of enthusiastic individuals who were inquisitive about human origins and evolution during his travels to the United States in the 1960s to lecture and collect money for his studies. They formed a collective to promote a multidisciplinary approach to human origins research, inspired by Dr. Leakey’s ideas. They established The Leakey Foundation in 1968 to fund Louis and Mary Leakey’s fieldwork as well as the innovative research of young scientists like Jane Goodall, Don Johanson, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas. Many of the important investigations that enrich our understanding of human prehistory were funded by The Leakey Foundation during its first decade of operation. The Leakey Foundation continues to fund groundbreaking research by scientists like Zeresenay Alemseged, Jill Pruetz, Dan Lieberman, Frederick Grine, Sileshi Semaw, and others. The Leakey Foundation provided funding to several of today’s famous human origins researchers. The Leakey Foundation was founded on the principles of education and public outreach. What began as a way to help Louis and Mary Leakey’s study has grown to include a variety of activities over the years. The Annual Speaker Series on Human Origins has provided opportunity to hear firsthand from renowned experts in the area for the past 50 years. The Leakey Foundation has expanded its reach in recent years by launching new initiatives such as the Origin Stories podcast, our YouTube channel, and a robust online and social media presence.
Scholarship Sponsor(s): The Leakey Foundation
Host Country(s): San Francisco, USA
Scholarship Worth: $25,000.
Study Level: PhD
Nationality: International Students
Scholarship Offer:
The maximum payout is $25,000 dollars.
Eligibility for Scholarship
Students or researchers of African ancestry who are Kenyan, Ethiopian, or Eritrean citizens
(a) are pursuing a PhD degree at an accredited university, preferably but not only in Sub-Saharan Africa; or (b) are pursuing a doctoral degree at an accredited university, preferably but not exclusively in Sub-Saharan Africa.
(b) have finished their PhD degrees within the last six years before applying for financing from this source.
Following completion of their degree, applicants must demonstrate a commitment to a career in their field of study, with a focus on research and teaching in their home country.
Nationality
The Leakey Foundation 2022 The Francis H. Brown African Scholarship
is open to all International Students
Application Procedure
You will be requested to upload attachments to your application during the application process. Please follow the instructions for each attachment listed below. Except for the application photo, all attachments must be supplied as PDF documents.
Body of the Proposal
Please describe your education or training plans, research interests, professional aspirations, and employment prospects in your home country. Please keep this attachment to one page, single spacing, and a 12-point font.
Budget Proposal in Detail
To obtain a copy of the Budget Worksheet, please click here.
Costs that are allowable
Analysis costs in a laboratory to which the applicant might not otherwise have access, including, but not limited to, elemental, isotopic, or genetic analysis of geological or botanical specimens. It is expected that analytical costs will be charged at in-house rates in cases where analytical costs are different for internal vs. external users of a laboratory. It is intended that the applicant will participate in the measurements in order to enhance his or her capabilities, and not simply send materials to a laboratory for analysis.
Travel costs for the applicant to a University for the purpose of preparing samples for measurement, or for making measurements such as those described in the section above. Funding may be provided to offset the cost of economy airfare, lodging, and/or subsistence during the time an individual is visiting an institution where the measurements are made.
Travel costs for the applicant to a field site in order to collect materials for analysis which would otherwise not be available. It is intended that such travel will be of short duration (i.e., normally less than two weeks, unless the fieldwork warrants a longer trip), and that the travel is for the express purpose of sample collection. Such costs may include economy airfare, food, lodging, vehicle rental and maintenance, fuel, locally competitive salary for temporary field assistants, and costs of visas or other documents necessary for travel.
Minor supply items such as sample containers (e.g., bags, bottles, markers, etc.).
Defrayment of tuition for a recipient of support from this fund, preferably for only the final year of study.
Excluded items
No funds shall be provided from this fund for:
Salary or wages for the applicant, coworkers, or assistants other than those specified above.
Institutional “bench” fees.
Travel to conferences or professional meetings.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the timing of travel for purposes of research coincides with a meeting by a professional society at no additional cost to the traveler, then there is no objection to dual use of funds from this source.
Pertinent Curricula Vitae
Please include your CV as well as the CV of your advisor. Each CV should be limited to two pages.
Sponsor Letter of Support
Your sponsor’s letter of support may be uploaded as a PDF. If your sponsor prefers to send the letter directly to us, it may be sent to [email protected]
Applicant Photo
Please include a photo of yourself. This photo may be. jpg or .tiff format.
References
If you would like to include references, please upload them in PDF format. Please limit the references to two pages. References should be listed in APA style. Examples of APA reference style are available at Purdue.edu
If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]
Application Deadline
The application deadline for The Leakey Foundation 2022 The Francis H. Brown African Scholarship is July 15, 2022
