Written by admin• October 15, 2025• 3:06 pm• Opportunities for Women, Women Spotlight

Application Open for the Data Science to Advance Women’s Health Fellowship

The Data Science to Advance Women’s Health Fellowship (DSAWH) funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a 9-month program targeting women researchers in Africa. The program focuses on women’s health broadly covering health issues that affect women biologically (sex) and through gender / social determinants. The program is organised by Data Science Africa (DSA), an organisation that builds capacity in data science, machine learning, AI, especially for African researchers.

This fellowship provides opportunities to 20 early career researchers who are based in the Eastern and Southern Africa with significant experience in addressing issues in women health using Data Science and scientific methods. This program also provides the mentorship opportunities, tools and visibility to become leading voice in health research in the African Continent.

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What the Fellowship Offers

Through this program, participants will benefit from:

Professional Career Mentorship: Fellows will receive a one-to-one mentorship support to help them refine their research focus, strengthen technical and analytical competencies, and develop the leadership skills necessary to advance their careers. Mentors provide continuous guidance on navigating professional pathways, and building impactful collaborations across Africa and beyond.
Advanced training in modern data science and analytical methods: The fellowship provides intensive training in cutting-edge data science tools and methodologies, including statistical modelling, machine learning, and computational health analytics. Participants learn to manage, analyse, and interpret complex datasets to generate insights that address women’s health challenges.
Comprehensive support in scientific writing, and research: Participants will be guided through every stage of scientific writing from conceptualising research ideas to preparing high-quality manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals. The programme offers writing retreats, peer review sessions, and access to experienced editors who help fellows strengthen their papers for international publication
Full sponsorship to attend the prestigious DSA Annual Summer School & Workshop: All fellows are fully sponsored to attend the annual Data Science Africa (DSA) Summer School & Workshop, a high-impact event that brings together data scientists, researchers, and industry professionals from across the continent. The in-person experience offers hands-on sessions, technical tutorials, keynote lectures, and collaborative projects. It also provides a valuable opportunity for fellows to network, present their work, and engage in cross-disciplinary learning.
Funding coverage for open-access journal publication fees: To promote equitable access to scientific knowledge, the fellowship covers the costs of open-access publication fees for fellows’ research papers. This ensures that their work reaches a global audience without financial barriers and contributes to a broader exchange of ideas in women’s health and data science. By removing publication cost constraints, the programme empowers fellows to focus on producing quality, impactful research that informs health policy and practice.

Who is Eligible?

To apply for this program, the candidate must:

Identify as women and be citizens or residents of countries in Eastern or Southern Africa.
Hold at least a Master’s degree (or be enrolled in a postgraduate programme such as MSc or PhD) in a relevant field such as public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, computer science, data science, or health informatics.
Be early-career researchers working in, or planning to work in, women’s health research or data-driven health policy.
Have an interest or experience in applying data science tools and methods to address women’s health challenges (e.g., maternal health, reproductive health, non-communicable diseases, mental health, or gender-related health inequalities).
Demonstrate the capacity to commit to the full nine-month fellowship, including attending all virtual sessions, writing retreats, and the in-person DSA Annual Summer School & Workshop.