Application Deadline: December 01, 2025  
Location: Remote within Sub-Saharan Africa with visits to SACEMA South Africa 
Duration: 10 Months 
Start date: 2 February 2026 
 

Overview 

The Policy Modelling Fellowship (PMF) by the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling & Analysis (SACEMA) at Stellenbosch University is a 10-month program that builds Africa’s capacity for data-driven, policy-focused disease modelling. The fellowship addresses the shortage of modellers who work closely with ministries of health to inform real-world decisions. Through practical training, mentorship, and collaboration, fellows gain skills in applying mathematical and statistical modelling to public health challenges, with a focus on measles and polio. 

Participants will work on vaccination programme optimization and immunity estimation while engaging directly with government stakeholders to translate modelling results into actionable policy insights. By bridging the gap between modelling and policymaking, the fellowship aims to strengthen Africa’s epidemic preparedness and promote evidence-based health interventions across the continent. 

Benefits 

• Fully funded travel, meals and accommodation during visits to South Africa.  

• Generous fellowship stipend, contingent on meeting fellowship milestones.  

• Limited child-care support stipend may be available during in-person visits.  

• Limited support for in-country dissemination meeting.  

• All required courses and training fees are fully funded. 

Who Can Apply 

Individuals who have: 

• Training or work experience in a quantitative field.  

• An established working relationship or partnership with Ministry of Health decision makers in your country. 

• Access or ability to gain access to sub-national measles or polio vaccination and incidence data from your country’s surveillance system through the Ministry of Health. 

• If you do you not have direct access to this data and/or existing relationships with decision makers, identify a “champion” within the Ministry of Health who can provide mentorship and facilitation during your process of data acquisition and stakeholder engagement. 

• Some coding experience. 

• Ability and willingness to travel to South Africa for 6-8 weeks mid 2026 and 2 weeks in early October 2026. 

• Availability and willingness to spend 8-10 hours per week on fellowship activities throughout fellowship period (February – November 2026). 

• Awareness of public health challenges in Africa.  

Recommendations: 

• Experience working with public health data.  

• Familiarity with disease modelling techniques or mathematical statistics. 

• Technical aptitude in learning and applying public health modelling tools and methods.  

In recognition of the gender gap in mathematical modelling and data science, women are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Duties and deadlines: 

The Policy Modelling Fellow will develop country-specific policy questions, model the potential impact of measles and/or polio outbreak scenarios and interventions, and present model outputs and recommendations to local policymakers. 

Data Acquisition: 

• Acquire sub-national measles or polio surveillance data through the Ministry of Health (e.g. data on routine vaccination delivery, supplemental immunization activities, and age-specific incidence data) (remote, by middle March 2026). 

Technical Training and Development: 

• Complete preparatory training courses (remote, by end of April 2026).  

• Attend MMED workshop (in-person in Cape Town, late June 2026).  

• Undergo training in specific immunity estimation and modelling methods (in-person at SACEMA, following MMED workshop, for 4 to 6 weeks).  

Policy Modelling and stakeholder engagement: 

• Meet with Ministry of Health and/or national vaccination programme stakeholders to collaboratively develop country-specific policy questions, with mentorship and guidance from SACEMA (remote, first meeting for needs assessment by end of April 2026).  

• Apply immunity estimation methods and outbreak modelling techniques to country data to address research questions (in-person at SACEMA, following MMED workshop, for 4 to 6 weeks).  

• Develop policy recommendations based on immunity estimates and model outputs and prepare policy brief document (remote, by end September 2026).  

• Organise dissemination meeting with Ministry of Health and/or national vaccination programme stakeholders (remote, by end of fellowship period).   

• Visit SACEMA to refine presentations and finalise policy documents (in-person at SACEMA, early October 2026). 

• Host in-country stakeholder engagement meetings, attended by SACEMA staff (in-person in your country, by end of fellowship period).  

Indicative timeline summary (subject to finalisation): 

Activity	Modality	Timing
Contracts, initial drafting of policy questions, introductory reading, and administrative activities	Remote	by mid-March 2026
Data acquisition – sub-national vaccination and incidence data (routine, SIA, age-specific)	Remote	by mid-March 2026
Preparatory training courses	Remote	by end-April 2026
Needs assessments/engagement meetings with government stakeholders	Remote	by end-April 2026
MMED Workshop	In-person, Cape Town	mid-June 2026 (2 weeks)
Training in immunity estimation methods	In-person, Stellenbosch	July–August 2026 (4 weeks)
Policy brief and recommendations development	Remote	August-October 2026
Final visit to SACEMA to refine presentations and policy outputs	In-person, Stellenbosch	October 2026 (2 weeks)
In-country dissemination meeting with MoH stakeholders	In-person, led by Fellow	by end-November 2026

Selection Criteria 

• Shortlisted candidates will be notified via email by 15 December and invited to complete a brief skills exercise assessing programming, data analysis, and communication abilities.   

How to Apply 

Please make sure that you have the following required materials ready: 

1. Comprehensive CV (max 3 pages) highlighting skills and past projects relevant to the fellowship. 

2. Letter of support for data access from a duly authorised Ministry official, or a clear data-acquisition plan identifying the contact person who will facilitate access. This letter or plan must specify who within the Ministry of Health or national vaccination programme will be involved and must include mention of sub-national polio or measles vaccination data and age-specific incidence data. We recommend that you approach and co-apply with a “champion” within the Ministry of Health or affiliated institution, who can provide mentorship and help facilitate data access and stakeholder engagement. If you are not based within a ministry of health or related government entity, identifying and approaching such a champion is a requirement for your application. 

3. Letter of support from your employer/institution, stating that you will be allowed to participate in the programme should you be selected OR an explanation of how you will obtain such a letter.  

Application link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3eaz26OqNtPO4rHGXFYtweDRvU30rjK3aWduR5_xzLLlpmg/viewform  

Click here to apply! 

For more information, please visit SACEMA webpage: 

https://www.sacema.org/opportunities/policy-modelling-fellowships2026/

Further enquires may be directed to: 

Fellowship Manager, Shadé Horn 

shade@sun.ac.za