A one-day
seminar on “Unlock Global Research Opportunities and Make Your Career with
HEC's IRSIP (International Research Support Initiative Program) Fellowship was
organized for the PhD Students of the faculty of Social Sciences at the video
conference room of the Main Campus of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan.
In the opening
remarks, Dr. Syed Rashid Ali, Associate Professor of Sociology, highlighted the
importance of such seminars, which equip PhD and even MPhil students with the
skills needed to secure these scholarships. He stressed the need to conduct the
IRSIP seminar regularly.
First, Dr.
Muhammad Zahid (Chief Proctor AWKUM), an IRSIP fellow at the University of
Bath, UK, thoroughly discussed the eligibility criteria of the IRSIP
fellowship. During the discussion of the basic criteria for IRSIP, required
documents, and the application procedure, Dr. Zahid explained each step in
detail. He also described his own experience as an IRSIP fellow of HEC.
As a second
speaker, Dr. Muhammad Bilal (Director, University Advancement & Career
Development Center, AWKUM), an IRSIP fellow at the University of Toronto,
Canada, spoke about how to obtain an IRSIP acceptance letter and about future
career opportunities with the IRSIP fellowship. Dr. Bilal discussed how to
write a well-structured email to a foreign professor and the possible responses
from that professor. He also explained possible opportunities related to IRSIP,
such as postdoctoral positions, jobs, and research projects.
Dr. Sanaullah,
an Assistant Professor of Sociology, delivered closing remarks and praised the
speakers' efforts and UA&CDC. Dr. Sanaullah also indicated that other
scholarships should be brought up for discussion in future seminars. He further
added that the students' interest in availing such opportunities is mandatory.
