2025 Fellowships Program

Eligible candidates must be Jordanian nationals who are conducting their master’s or doctoral research or have earned a master’s or doctoral degree (PhD, DPhil, DPH, MD, MSc, or similar degree) in fields related to MIYCN, breastfeeding support,  or diet related non-communicable diseases, and are building a career in policy-relevant research, education, policy, and programming and community engagement. JNIL fellowships are open to everyone without any specific preference. Women, men, youth, and persons with disabilities are welcome to apply, including early-career applicants with research or faculty appointments in Jordan or who already have institutional affiliations in research or academic institutions.

Applicants who have been granted a fellowship cannot reapply and will not be considered. Selected applicants will be asked to sign a conflict-of-interest declaration.

JNIL fellows are expected to play an active role in JNIL’s research and capacity building activities in Jordan. This includes participation in policy and academic seminars, webinars, and a scientific symposium hosted by JNIL.

Illustrative research topics are provided below. Please consider the topic list to be only indicative as we welcome other topics that may meet JNIL's objectives.

A.  Optimal infant and young child nutrition 

• Exclusive breastfeeding – supporting breastfeeding and early initiation of breastfeeding
• Optimal complementary feeding practices, breastmilk substitutes (BMS), BMS code, and managing infant formula
• Micronutrient deficiencies, anemia, poor growth 
• Healthy versus unhealthy dietary patterns and practices
• Non-communicable diseases, especially overweight and obesity-related, that have short-and longer-term impacts on mothers and infants (e.g., gestational diabetes, hypertension, etc.)
• Managing infant and young child feeding in refugee camps in Jordan
• Post-partum depression and effects on optimal infant and young child nutrition
   

B.  Maternal health and nutrition 

• Gestational weight gain
• Optimal nutrition throughout the pre-pregnant, pregnant, post-partum and lactating phase
• Micronutrient status, healthy dietary patterns, and practices in pregnant and lactating women
• Risks of non-communicable diseases that will help inform programs and policies in Jordan and contribute to the development of a comprehensive strategic plan on maternal and child nutrition
• The role of junk food in the diets and health of pregnant and lactating women
• Effects of workload on pregnancy outcomes
• Effects of workload on lactation performance and exclusive breastfeeding potential
• High-risk pregnancies, mental health, depression, anxiety and its pre- and post-natal complications
• Post-partum depression and effects on maternal health and nutrition
   

C.  Nutrition and health outcomes 

• Assessment of maternal dietary diversity in pregnant and lactating Jordanian women
• How and to what extent does social and behavior change communication in Jordan currently focus on improving women’s diet during and post-pregnancy, and the geographic dietary differences and similarities between different communities
• Barriers to optimal breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices and nutrition and its impact on the physical and cognitive growth of a child, including undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies
• Diet-related overweight, obesity, and associated non-communicable diseases, as well as physical and psychosocial wellbeing and other impacts on Jordanian women of childbearing age
• Effect of gender dynamics and other dimensions of social inclusion such as caste, age, and household structure on diet diversity and nutrient availability in pregnant women’s diet during and pre- and post-pregnancy
• Socioeconomic factors and cultural practices that prohibit food consumption and prevent women from achieving minimum dietary diversity during pregnancy
• Role of the rural and urban food systems in addressing poverty, inner house food security, and provision of adequate access to nutritious foods to support MIYCN
• Regulations, guidelines, and interventions from the government of Jordan and other non-governmental organizations that can improve surveillance and governance throughout the food supply chains
• Role of family planning and reproductive health issues in optimal health and nutrition of pregnant and lactating women and their offspring
• Assessment of novel post-partum family planning (PPFP) counseling and its effect/impact on uptake of modern family planning methods in Jordan
• Assessment of the use of modern family planning methods as post-partum family planning method for birth spacing in Jordan
• Perceived barriers of using modern family planning methods for birth spacing in Jordan
• Socio-demographic determinants of use of modern family planning methods in Jordan

D.  Programs and Policies around MIYCN

• Role of public private partnerships in improving delivery and sustainability of optimal MIYCN behaviors and practices
• The use of a participatory nutrition capacity approach to build capacity and create a strong and shared commitment within the local health sectors in Jordan MIYCN
• Integrating MIYCN curriculum into academic curricula at the undergraduate and graduate level as part of the longer-term nutrition research capacity building of Jordanian professionals and students
   

E.  Disabilities in vulnerable populations (women and children)

• Access to good quality health care, neonatal care, and mental health care in limiting disability at birth in Jordan
• Improved understanding of malnutrition in pregnant women and prevalence of disability in Jordan
• Role of improved nutrition in two-way causality link: poor nutrition can lead to disability, but people with disabilities might also have restricted access to good nutrition
• Entry points for early child interventions for children with disabilities 

Applicants will be selected in a two-stage process. Applicants must first submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) to confirm eligibility to submit the full proposal. The deadline for submission of LOIs is December 9th, 2024. Following the submission of the LOI, shortlisted applicants will be required to submit a full proposal.

The application portal (Piestar) will require the following information:

• Applicant’s full name, sex, and nationality/resident status, with personal postal address, email, and phone contact details
• Applicant’s current employment or affiliation, with institutional address, email, and phone contact details
• Applicant’s educational history, listing all degrees earned by year and field, with titles of theses (if any)
• Proposed Mentor's name and affiliation, with institutional address, email, and phone
• Letter of Intent (1 page, single-spaced, no less than 1 cm margins) in MS Word format, (12 font, preferable Times New Roman), describing how you will work on your topic of interest. Applicant's must download the Letter of Intent Template provided here and upload it to the portal.
• Applicant's Curriculum Vitae (PDF). Applicant's CV must demonstrate their capabilities and capacity to undertake the fellowship. 
• Mentor's Curriculum Vitae (PDF). Mentor's CV must demonstrate expertise in the area of research proposed by the applicant.

   

For any questions regarding the Fellowships Program or application, please reach out to our team at jordannutritioninnovationlab@tufts.edu.