ELIGIBILITY:

The Program selects professionals with substantial experience in and ties to the Global South, a clear intent to return to the Global South after completing the period of residency at Brookings, and a passion and demonstrated commitment to improving learning opportunities and life outcomes for girls, young women, and gender non-conforming people in and through education.  

Applicants should have a background in education, gender and/or women’s studies, international development, public policy, economics, or a related social sciences or humanities area, with a minimum of 10 years of professional experience in research/academia, non-governmental, community or civil society organizations, or government. Candidates with experience in both academic or government settings and community organizations are especially encouraged to apply. 

A Master’s degree is required. 

The Echidna Global Scholars Program welcomes applications from leaders in gender equality in and through education from across the geographic Global South. In line with recent research on the status of gender and education globally (for example, EGER, 2023), applicants working in the following areas will be given special consideration for the Program in 2025:  

Geographic priorities: West Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Middle East and North Africa.   

Context priorities: Countries and regions marked by conflict and crisis, as well as those with high levels of gender-based violence, child marriage, early childbearing, and low levels of sexual and reproductive health and rights. 

Targeted actors and communities of interest: Socio-economically and politically marginalized girls, young women, and gender non-conforming people; children or young people experiencing homelessness; indigenous, migrant, displaced, or nomadic populations; out of school children and youth; and LGBTQ+ youth.  

Research priorities: Echidna Global Scholars’ research topics must be focused on education priorities for girls, young women, and/or gender non-conforming people, as they are relevant in their specific contexts, and build off a gender transformative framework, seeking to actively challenge discriminatory social norms and/or strengthen the agency of girls, young women, and/or gender non-conforming people. Special priority will be given to projects that focus on ensuring learning and skill development (as opposed to a primary or sole focus on access/enrollment/attainment); improving life outcomes, for example by supporting transitions to higher education and employment; research that employs intersectional feminist and/or decolonial methodologies and moves beyond disciplinary or practitioner silos, and research that focuses on the following key questions for education systems transformation: 

What are the most important barriers to receiving a high-quality education and how do those barriers differ for girls, women and gender non-conforming people? 

How do these barriers interact with the combined or intersectional effects of inequality in education? 

What are the most effective policies or programs to address those barriers both locally and globally? 

How do compounding and systemic issues (for e.g., conflict, climate change, political and/or religious contexts) change what we know about the barriers for these populations and the solutions for addressing them? 

Applicants who have not worked explicitly on gender equality and education previously are welcome to apply but should include an explanation of how this focus on improving learning opportunities and outcomes for girls, young women and gender non-conforming people can be integrated successfully into their current and future work.   

BENEFIT:

Benefits: Please note that this position is a short-term fellowship at Brookings (it is not an employee position). Applicants selected for the Fellowship will receive a stipend totaling $25,000 USD to support living costs during the pre-residency and residency periods (subject to U.S. tax withholding and reporting). In addition, CUE will cover the costs associated with the visa process, single-occupancy housing for the 4-month residency period, round-trip travel expenses, and a limited health insurance plan.  

Program Requirements: Echidna Global Scholars must be able to participate fully in the pre-residency activities (15-20 hours/week), including the completion of pre-arrival data collection, and be available for a full-time, on-site affiliation with the Brookings Institution for the entire duration of the residency.  

Upon completion of the fellowship, scholars transition to the Echidna Global Scholars Alumni Network, a growing community of practice aimed at promoting their significant, sustained, and collective influence on gender-transformative education globally, regionally and locally.