Early Career Researcher Workshop Series

PUG supports emerging scholars and postgraduate students in developing research skills and experience, with a particular focus on strengthening research capacity among African researchers. Grounded in a commitment to epistemic justice and to challenging power imbalances in knowledge production, we offer training and workshops that foster critical, engaged, and innovative research.

This Early Career Researcher Workshop Series includes sessions on participatory action research methods and academic writing. In addition to supporting early career researchers, we also run methods training for community members involved in our research, ensuring inclusive participation and shared ownership of knowledge production. These workshops address real-world challenges, encourage critical reflection on power and knowledge, and promote collaboration beyond academia through diverse and innovative methodologies.

Innovative Qualitative Methods: new approaches for understanding climate resilience and sustainability in Africa (2025-2026)

Climate resilience and sustainability research in Africa is growing across disciplines, from technological innovations to community-based adaptation strategies. However, most climate studies rely on traditional research methods like data modelling, surveys and interviews. While valuable, these methods often fail to capture the complex emotions and lived experiences of those most affected by climate change. Our team has been exploring more interactive research methods, such as storytelling, PhotoVoice and WhatsApp diaries, which allow marginalised communities to share their perspectives in ways that are familiar to them (e.g., social media, photos, phones, drama, podcasts). Despite the value of these approaches, African universities rarely offer training in them, making it hard for early-career researchers (ECRs) to use them in their work.

We have received funding from the Mastercard Foundation and University of Cambridge Climate Resilience and Sustainability Research Fund to help address this lack of training for ECRs in Africa. We will host a five-day workshop at the University of the Western Cape to train 15 African ECRs in participatory research methods. The workshop will be hands-on and practical, including a site visit where participants can apply what they learn in a real-world setting. The workshop is designed around a mentorship structure where participants will be grouped with a mentor who will meet with them before, during and after the workshop to help participants set research goals, build connections and apply the training to their own research.

The workshop will take place in early 2026. Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media for updates and application details.

Just Urban Transition in African Cities: British Academy Funded Writing Workshop (2025-2026)

Faced with a polycrisis of climate change, high levels of urbanisation, youth unemployment, and poor governance, African cities find themselves at the cusp of transition. The key question for many African cities is how to shift towards low-carbon economies, climate resilience and reduced resource consumption, whilst delivering infrastructure that prioritises the needs and aspirations of low-income communities (Culwick Fatti et al., 2023).

The workshop is funded by the British Academy, and constituted through a partnership of Cardiff University, the African Studies journal and the Governing the Just Urban Transition project based at the University of the Western Cape’s Politics and Urban Governance Research Group. The workshop will support emerging scholars who are studying, theorising and exploring the ways that African cities are driving towards Just Urban Transitions. The workshops will enhance African scholars’ capacity for publication in high-impact journals and guide promoting their work on other platforms, through providing ongoing support so that young African scholars make their work known on the global stage.

The workshop will take place in early 2026. Applications closed on 4 July 2025.