2022 Fellowship Program

jnil logo

Jordan Nutrition Innovation Lab Fellowships Program
 

The USAID-supported Jordan Nutrition Innovation Lab (JNIL) at Tufts University, in coordination with the JNIL Technical Advisory Committee and Mindset, a Jordan-based research firm, is pleased to announce 6-month Fellowships each totaling $5,000 USD (3544 JD) to be awarded to emerging Jordanian researchers and scientists in the maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN) field.

JNIL pursues research to generate evidence on the potential for large maternal, infant, and young child nutrition and reproductive health programs, such as the USAID Community Health and Nutrition Program (CHN), to improve the health and wellbeing of pregnant and lactating women and their children in Jordan. JNIL also aims to build academic capacity to support research on optimal health and nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women (PLW) and children under the age of two. For more information on JNIL, visit our page here.

For 2022, JNIL will award three fellowships to Jordanian faculty, researchers, scientists, and graduate students conducting their master’s or PhD research to support optimal infant, young child, and maternal nutrition and health.  

The Letter of Intent review process is now underway. Shortlisted applicants will be notified and invited to submit a Full Proposal after March 2.  Final proposals will be due by March 31, 2022. 

Download Full Application Information [PDF]
Download Research Proposal Template [Word]
Download Budget Template [Word]
Download Workplan Template [Word]


Click Here to Access Full Proposal Submission Portal

 

Eligible candidates must be Jordanian nationals or residents 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 non-communicable diseases and are building a career in policy-relevant research, education, policy, programming, or community engagement. 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.

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.  COVID-19, nutrition, and health 

  • Assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nutrition and health service delivery in Jordan
  • Assess the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy, antenatal, and postnatal care services in Jordan
  • Association between fluctuations in mobility, travel restrictions, and retail food prices during the COVID-19 pandemic across the different Jordan governorates
  • Mental health effect of the COVID-19 pandemic among pregnant and lactating women
  • Impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods and household food security
  • Factors contributing to COVID-19 vaccinations in pregnant and lactating women, including perceptions, community response, and acceptance of vaccines
  • Barriers and challenges to improved uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations in pregnant and lactating women
     

E.  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
     

F.  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 February 15, 2022. 

LOIs will then be assessed by a review committee, and shortlisted applicants will be informed no later than March 2, 2022.

Shortlisted applicants will then be invited to submit a full proposal. Full proposals must be submitted by March 31, 2022.

Finalists will be invited for an interview to be undertaken on or after April 15, 2022.

Selected candidates will be notified by April 30, 2022. JNIL-awarded fellows are likely to begin their 6-month fellowship any time after May 1, 2022.
 

Summary of Key Dates:

  • Letter of Intent (LOI) must be submitted by February 15, 2022
  • LOI shortlist will be finalized by March 2, 2022
  • Full proposals from shortlisted applicants must be submitted by March 31, 2022
  • Finalists will be interviewed on or after April 15, 2022
  • Selected applicants will be notified by April 30, 2022
  • Fellowships begin after May 1, 2022
The application portal 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. This abstract should provide the following information:  
    1. Title of the project, specifying topic and location as briefly as possible (~10-20 words)
    2. Scientific Background
    3. Policy relevance and significance of proposed research
    4. Aims and Objectives
    5. Research Question/Hypothesis
    6. Materials and Methods (including study design, types of data collection)
  • Applicant's Curriculum Vitae (Word or PDF). Applicant's CV must demonstrate their capabilities and capacity to undertake the fellowship. 
  • Mentor's Curriculum Vitae (Word or PDF). Mentor's CV must demonstrate expertise in the area of research proposed by the applicant.

     

*To be completed only if shortlisted in the LOI stage

Once shortlisted, applicants will submit the following information through our submission portal once it becomes available after March 2, 2022. Full proposals must be submitted by  March 31, 2022. The following details will be required to submit a full proposal: 

A.  Applicant and Mentor Contact Details

  1. Applicant’s full name, gender, and nationality/resident status, with personal postal address (if available), email, and phone
  2. Applicant’s current status (employment/student), type of affiliation, with institutional address, email, and phone
  3. Applicant’s educational history, listing all degrees earned by year and field, with titles of theses
  4. Proposed Mentor’s name and affiliation, with institutional address, email, and phone
  5. Name and affiliation of another reference from whom you have requested the support letter 

B.  Research Proposal (max. 3,000 words)

When preparing the proposal, use the section headings provided below:

  1.  Title of the project, specifying topic and location as briefly as possible (~10-20 words)
  2.  Abstract summarizing the project for a general audience (max. 500 words)
  3.  Scientific background and significance of the problem (max. 500 words)
  4. Policy relevance
  5. Aims and objectives
  6. Research question/hypothesis
  7. Materials and methods (including study design, types of data collection, sample size, sampling strategy, data analysis, including description of existing data and work to be complemented by new data collection (if any), analyses)
  8. Communication plan (writing, presentation, and submission of findings to peer-reviewed journal)
  9. Timeline and workplan in the form of a table (template to be sent to eligible applicants)
  10.  Budget of no more than $5000 USD inclusive of all costs, including any remuneration for mentors, fellow's stipend, travel, etc. (template to be sent to eligible applicants)
  11. Statement by applicant on the importance of the proposed research towards future career development (max 300 words)

C.  Curriculum Vitae 

Please append two separates CV in any format (Word or PDF)

  1.  Applicant CV
  2.  Mentor CV

D.  Letters of Support

Please submit two letters of support from the proposed mentor and another reference. Letters of support are typically no longer than two pages.

  1. One letter must be from the proposed mentor and should describe the applicant’s training, previous work, professional potential, and potential impact of the proposed application. The letter should outline the mentor’s professional relationship with the applicant and how the mentor will contribute to the proposed project. 
  2. The second reference letter should also describe the applicant's professional potential and the potential impact of the proposed application. 
     

Full Proposal Portal to Open After 3/2/22

For any questions regarding the Fellowships Program or application, please reach out to our team at JNILFellowships@gmail.com.