African Climate Collaborative PhD Fellowships 2027 at UCT

The African Climate Collaborative at the University of Cape Town is recruiting 12 doctoral fellows for a four-year training programme. The first year is structured coursework and the next three years are thesis research, with the stated aim of building a new generation of African scholars who work on the continent's most pressing climate and development challenges.

Who can apply

The fellowships are for Africans: the programme is open to citizens of African countries only, and African applicants living outside the continent are also welcome. Candidates apply for a specific research topic, so read the topic list on the programme page and make sure your master's degree matches the disciplines accepted for that topic before you start.

How the programme is structured

Because the first year is taught, the fellowship suits applicants who want a doctorate with formal research training rather than a project they design alone. The research topics sit between climate science and social science, covering questions such as adaptation, energy transitions and governance, which is why the programme looks for strong qualitative research skills as well as subject knowledge.

Deadline

Applications close on 15 October 2026 at 23:00 South African time. The online form does not save partial answers, so prepare the text and documents separately and submit everything in one sitting.