HEALENAE Doctoral Network – Fully Funded PhD Opportunities

The HEALENAE Doctoral Network (Health and Environment in Africa and Europe) is an innovative, cross-continental PhD programme bringing together seven leading universities: Aarhus University (Denmark), University of Cape Town (South Africa), University of Edinburgh (UK), KU Leuven (Belgium), Makerere University (Uganda), University of Nairobi (Kenya), and the University of Oslo (Norway).

HEALENAE offers a strongly interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral approach rooted in anthropology, global One Health, environmental studies, and regional studies. The programme aims to document and analyse how health and environmental challenges intersect across Africa and Europe, addressing urgent global issues such as climate change, environmental degradation, public health, mobility, and social inequality.

All doctoral positions are fully funded for three years, with a planned start date of 1 September 2026.
Application deadline: Deadlines vary by programme and recruiting institution, generally falling between January and March 2026.

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Available PhD Projects

1. Agricultural Intensification, Metabolic Health and Environment
Explores how changes in agriculture, land use, and food production shape metabolic health and environmental outcomes in African and European contexts.

2. Climate Change, Migration and Elder Care
Examines how climate stress and migration patterns affect caregiving arrangements and wellbeing of elderly populations.

3. Toxic Layering and Environmental Exposure
Investigates the cumulative effects of toxic exposure in air, water, and soil, and how these shape health and everyday life in precarious environments.

4. Livestock, Natural Resources and Zoonotic Risk
Studies livestock management, biodiversity, and zoonotic disease risks at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health.

5. Epidemics, Disease Control and State Formation
Analyses how responses to epidemics and public health crises shape governance, policy, and state institutions.

6. Climate Crisis, Youth Migration and Health
Focuses on youth migration linked to environmental change, exploring health impacts and adaptation strategies.

7. Urban Living in Landscapes of Extraction
Explores how extractive industries shape urban environments, toxicity, and social life.

8. Gendered Cancer Epidemics and Environmental Risk
Examines environmental, social, and political drivers of gendered cancer patterns, particularly in African contexts.

9. Toxic Knowledge, Evidence and Civic Protection
Studies how knowledge about pollution and toxicity is produced, circulated, and used for public health and environmental protection.

10. Biosecurity, Food Systems and Animal Disease
Explores animal disease outbreaks, food security, and biosecurity governance in Africa and Europe.

11. Non-Communicable Diseases, Environment and Repair
Investigates links between environmental conditions, social inequalities, and non-communicable diseases.

12. Urban Commons, Infrastructure and Health
Examines how shared urban infrastructures influence health, environmental governance, and social inclusion.

13. Youth Mental Health, Gambling and Environmental Crisis
Studies youth gambling practices in relation to environmental, economic, and social precarity.

14. Epidemics, Disasters and Emerging Economies of Response
Analyses how epidemic and disaster responses create new economic and institutional arrangements.

15. Vector-Borne Diseases and Climate Frontiers
Explores climate-driven changes in vector-borne diseases affecting humans and livestock, and related adaptation strategies.

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Funding and Benefits

• Full-time employment for 36 months
• Competitive salary and favourable pension benefits
• Funding for fieldwork, research expenses, conferences, training, books, and equipment
• International research environment with cross-continental supervision and mobility
• Strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion

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Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must:

• Hold an internationally recognised Master’s degree (120 ECTS or equivalent) in anthropology or a related social science or humanities discipline
• Not hold a doctoral degree at the time of recruitment
• Comply with mobility rules (not having resided or carried out main activities in the recruiting country for more than 12 months in the 36 months prior to 1 September 2026)

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Application Requirements

Applications must include:

• Motivation/cover letter outlining research interests
• Curriculum vitae
• Detailed PhD project proposal (including research questions, theory, methods, and ethics)
• Project literature/reference list
• Copies of Bachelor’s and Master’s degree certificates and transcripts
• Additional documents as required by the recruiting university

Apply here.

Application deadline: Deadlines vary by programme and recruiting institution, generally falling between January and March 2026.

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The HEALENAE Doctoral Network offers 15 fully funded PhD positions addressing critical health and environmental challenges across Africa and Europe through an interdisciplinary anthropological lens. With strong institutional support, international collaboration, and generous research funding, HEALENAE provides an exceptional opportunity for early-career researchers seeking to contribute to globally relevant scholarship and impact.

For more opportunities, click here.