Early- and mid-career transitions to research leadership in Africa

Wellcome Open Research

article

Linda Mtwisha¹  Jose Jackson²  Alison Mitchel³  Ama de-Graft Aikins⁴  Harriet Kebirungi⁵  Karim Outtara⁶  Clare Viney⁷ 

[1] Research Division, University of Cape Town;Alliance for African Partnership, Michigan State University;Department of Diversity and Inclusion,, Lincoln University, Lincoln;Institute of Advanced Studies, University College London;Gender Mainstreaming Unit, Kyambogo University;Swiss Center for Scientific Research, Abidjan University;Careers Research and Advisory Centre

关键词: Transition;    early career researchers;    mid-career researchers;    research leadership;    professional development;    Africa;   

DOI  :  10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16540.2

学科分类：内科医学

来源: Wellcome

【 摘 要 】

This article examines the early-and mid-career transition to research leadership in Africa. Much of the available African literature on research leadership indicate several challenges related to poor conceptualisations of career transitions and gaps in the availability of research training. Qualitative data were collected using individual interviews (n=24) and focus groups (n=27) to identify key transition points of early career researchers (ECRs) and mid-career researchers (MCRs) in selected African countries. The qualitative data was complemented with quantitative survey questionnaires (n=250) and a triangulation approach was adopted to analyse the results. The findings were themed into different categories describing the common career paths, stages and challenges of research leaders. The latter part of the findings present a discussion on development approaches to attract and retain researchers in African universities. By focusing on the African continent, this study contributes to the current body of literature on research leadership in the Global South.

【 授权许可】

CC BY