Meryl Williams Fellowship

Aug 8, 2019 | GEAReD
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GEAReD is inviting applications for the first offering of the Meryl Williams Fellowship to participate in a women’s leadership program, funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). The leadership program will support women in agricultural research for development to enhance their leadership skills and increase their impact through a combination of immersive learning, mentoring, networking and professional development. The program will involve a variety of activities that take place across a 15-month period fromJanuary 2020 to April 2021.This first offering of the Meryl Williams Fellowship is open to emerging women leaders in agricultural R&D in Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam.Purpose and Structure 

 

“Experience demonstrates that gender equality, economic growth and development are mutually reinforcing and significantly correlated.” DFAT Gender equality and women’s empowerment strategy, 2016 The Fellowship recognises that women face personal, social and institutional challenges to become effective leaders and have more impact. Fellowship holders will participate in a series of activities designed to increase their management, leadership and professional skills, helping them achieve their career goals and have greater impact in agricultural research for development.The focus of the program is to strengthen the agricultural research for development sector of target countries in the Indo-Pacific region. And, through strengthening the R&D sector, to contribute to more effective development of agri-food systems, including the promotion of greater gender equity and social inclusion along agricultural value chains.The Fellowship program involves a series of immersive and interactive learning processes where participants share experiences and learn from each other as much as from trainers. Fellows will identify and develop their own management and leadership approaches that reflect their own strengths and also recognise the reality of the social and institutional contexts in which they operate. It includes analysis and comparison of the issues and constraints affecting women in the workplace, within and between the institutions and countries of the participating Fellows. This will allow Fellows to identify approaches to navigate constraints and to progress their own professional development.The program also includes a mentoring program, where every Fellow will have a mentor in their own country, plus an Australian mentor. The mentors will provide support and guidance to Fellows as they proceed through the program and build their personal development and career development plans.The Fellowship program offers additional professional development customised to the needs of each Fellow. This professional development might be in a technical/research discipline or subjects such as research management, policy and strategy development. Depending on the Fellow’s needs and personal circumstances, it might include, for example, a placement of one to three months in a relevant Australian (or other international) institution, or participation in an international training workshop or conference.Specific Activities

 

The Meryl Williams Fellowship supports a 15-month program comprising:
  • The program commences with a two-week immersive workshop in Australia to develop Fellows’ management and leadership skills to assist them to be more effective and have more impact in the agriculture research for development sector. To be held 20th January to 1st February 2020.
  • Immediately following the immersive workshop, a six-day Mentoring Orientation Workshop will be held (3rd to 8th February 2020). This workshop brings Fellows and mentors together to explore the mentoring process and agree mentoring plans.
  • 15-months of mentoring support from a mentor in your home country plus a mentor in Australia.
  • Opportunity to participate in a professional development activity that may be an internship of 1 to 3 months in a relevant institution in Australia (or other country) or other professional development activities such as attendance at a relevant international conference or specific skills training workshops.
  • A final five-day workshop to be held in April or May 2021 in Australia. This final workshop will include a scientific writing workshop plus a synthesis of what has been learned through the program.