LSHTM-UNN Postgraduate Research Assistantship 2026: MSc & PhD Students
If you're a postgraduate student in Nigeria hunting for a fully funded research opportunity with real international exposure, the LSHTM–UNN Postgraduate Research Assistantship 2026 deserves your attention.
This scholarship is the product of a partnership between two heavyweight institutions, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), one of the world's leading public health universities, and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and it's designed to pull emerging researchers into a major international study on Africa's health workforce.
About the Project
The assistantship is tied to a Wellcome Trust funded research project titled "Professional Personhood among Africa's Paradoxically Surplus Health Workers", which looks at the social, cultural, political, and economic dimensions of health worker employment across Nigeria, Zambia, and Uganda.
In plain terms: the study is digging into a strange paradox: how African health systems can suffer from a shortage of workers on the ground while, at the same time, having a surplus of trained professionals sitting idle or migrating abroad.
The roles involve supporting an international project investigating health workforce shortages in government hospitals despite an apparent surplus, using a multidisciplinary approach spanning Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia.
Two research assistantship positions are on offer, and successful candidates won't just be crunching data on the sidelines; they'll be embedded in a genuinely international research effort with LSHTM's global health expertise behind it.
Who Should Apply
According to the official criteria, applicants must be a prospective student or currently enrolled in medical anthropology, sociology, demography, public health, health policy, health systems, development studies, or a related discipline and be interested in health systems and workforce research.
Beyond the academic background, the selection panel is also looking for specific soft and technical skills. Candidates should:
Demonstrate research skills and a willingness to learn
Show good communication and organisational skills
Have experience in research data collection and analysis
Have experience in qualitative research methods, particularly given the multifaceted nature of the project
Both MSc and PhD students are eligible to apply; you just need to be enrolled (or about to be enrolled) at UNN in one of the qualifying fields.
What the Scholarship Covers
This is where the assistantship really stands out; it's genuinely comprehensive. The programme covers tuition fees, monthly living expenses, travel costs, mentorship, and international networking opportunities, and the benefits break down as follows:
Complete Financial Coverage: full academic fees paid, plus a competitive monthly living stipend
Academic Development: direct professional mentorship from internationally recognised professors and global health experts
Methodological Training: advanced, practical exposure to combined methods and qualitative health research
Career Launchpad: guaranteed opportunities for joint authorship of scholarly journal publications and presentations at international academic conferences
Global Networking: fully sponsored travel to other host locations and project partner institutions, meaning you could find yourself collaborating in person with researchers in Uganda, Zambia, or the UK
Duration: support runs for the duration of the MSc or PhD programme, roughly 2 to 4 years depending on the level.
For a student in public health, sociology, or a related discipline, this combination of stipend + mentorship + publication credit + travel is a rare package, especially one anchored to a prestigious, prominent Wellcome Trust study.
Required Documents
To apply, you'll need to prepare the following as a single, clean PDF:
Cover Letter: maximum 2 pages, detailing your background and explicitly explaining your suitability for this specific research project
Curriculum Vitae (CV) detailing your academic and research background
Proof of Enrolment: evidence of your current or prospective enrollment in an MSc or PhD programme at UNN
Academic Writing Sample: a copy of a recent publication, conference paper, dissertation chapter, term paper, or research report that demonstrates your writing capability
How to Apply
The application process is simple but requires attention to detail; get the formatting and subject line wrong, and you risk your application being overlooked. Here's the detailed procedure:
Prepare all required documents listed above.
Merge everything into a single PDF file; don't send separate attachments.
Email your application to either:
Use the correct subject line, depending on your level of study:
"Application for Research Assistant Position – MSc Student"
"Application for Research Assistant Position – PhD Student"
Submit on or before 15 July 2026.
Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for the next stage of the selection process, so don't panic if you don't hear back immediately after submitting.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to submit their applications early to avoid unexpected delays; email systems and urgent document prep have a way of going wrong right before a deadline.