Apply

Participation is open to master’s and PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, untenured faculty within five years of their PhD. There are no restrictions based on citizenship, country of study, or employment, but we will prioritise applicants from African countries. There is no registration fee for participating in SICSS-Covenant, and most of the costs will be covered. The language of instruction will be English.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, fields of study, and countries within Africa. We strongly encourage women, residents in Northern Nigeria, and other minority groups to apply. About 20 participants will be invited, and participants are expected to fully attend, participate, and engage in the entire program.

Participants with less experience with social science research will be expected to complete additional readings in advance of the Institute. Participants with less coding experience will be expected to complete a set of online learning modules on the R programming language. Students doing this preparatory work will be supported by a teaching assistant who will hold online office hours two months before the Institute.

Applications will be evaluated based on:

• Applicant’s professional experience. Preference will be given to postgraduate students, researchers/academics within five years of their PhD, junior officers in statistical offices, government ministries, and agencies.
• Applicants experience with coding or the potential to be proficient before the Institute
• Motivation and ambition to make a personal contribution to computational social science
• Research experience, particularly at the postgraduate level or a demonstrated ability to build the capacity of others.
• Potential to fully participate and engage in the entire program

How To Apply

Applicants must submit the following documents:

• A curriculum vitae (max 4pages).
• A motivation letter (max two pages) describing why do you wish to attend SICSS-Covenant, your current research interests, future plans and how these intersect with the goals of this partner location.
• A supporting letter from a supervisor/head of department/line manager/mentor that can attest to applicant’s competence/potential and availability.
• Optional: Link(s) to one or two recent projects – this/these could include research publications, an online application developed by the applicant, or a tutorial led by the applicant.

Application materials were accepted until March 18 March 30. All applicants will be notified via email by April 15.

Inquiries can be sent to cepder.sicss@covenantuniversity.edu.ng

Application Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply to more than one Summer Institute location?

Yes, you can apply to more than one Summer Institute location, but not simultaneously. For example, you can apply to SICSS-Covenant, and then if you are not accepted, you can apply to one of the other locations if it has a later deadline. However, you cannot have applications under review at two locations simultaneously.

Can I participate in SICSS-Covenant if I have already participated in SICSS at another location?

No. Every year we have more applicants than we can accept, and we would like everyone to have a chance to participate in SICSS once before we allow folks to participate twice.

I have limited coding experience. Should I still apply?

Yes, provided that you can demonstrate that you would have become proficient with coding before the Institute. Participants do not have to be proficient with coding during application but must become familiar with coding before attending the summer institute in June.