Graduate Traineeship

About the Refugee-Led Research Hub

The Refugee-Led Research Hub (RLRH) supports individuals with lived experience of displacement to become leaders in fields of their choice, including human rights, forced migration, politics, law, and other areas of interest. We do so by delivering academic and professional development programming to a global cohort of students who have been affected by displacement, supporting access to graduate degrees and advanced professional opportunities. RLRH also creates opportunities for researchers with displacement backgrounds to lead primary and secondary research studies, from start to finish. The mission of RLRH is embodied in our leadership structure: the majority of our team have lived experience of displacement. Our network of colleagues, researchers, students, and other professional affiliates is comprised of 1400+ individuals across 100+ countries.

RLRH has five active offices: we were founded in Nairobi in 2020, opened an office at the University of Oxford in 2021, and have since developed physical hubs in Kakuma refugee camp, Kuala Lumpur, and the Oxfordshire community. In May 2026, we will open an office in Kampala.

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN: Graduate Traineeship

A six-month programme providing scholars affected by displacement with training, mentorship, and professional development support to transition into research and professional careers.

Key Details:

LOCATIONS: A cohort of 6 trainees will be recruited in each RLRH hub:
Nairobi (Kenya)
Kakuma refugee camp (Kenya)
Kampala (Uganda)
Applicants must specify one location and be based there for the full programme.

TIME COMMITMENT:  15 hours per week, across 3 days, in-person at RLRH offices.

MONTHLY STIPEND: £450 per month + local travel costs

PROGRAMME ACTIVITIES:
Workshops & training
Peer learning groups
1:1 check-ins
Mentorship and professional development
Capstone project

Programme structure

PHASE ONE: Foundations May – July 2026
All trainees developing a broad base of foundational professional skills essential for workplace success.

Key skills:

• Critical thinking
• Leadership.
• Communications
• Task management.
• Presentations
• Appropriate use of Al

PHASE TWO: Research & project coordination Aug Oct 2026
In-person workshops and activities enabling trainees to develop their own projects and contribute to RLRH’s mission.

Key skills:

• Research design.
• Data analysis.
• Literature review.
• Event planning.
• Problem solving
• Reporting

Trainees will work on a capstone project, a tangible final output demonstrating their learning and professional growth.

What you’ll gain

• £450/month stipend plus local travel reimbursement
• Support to access onward paid opportunities at RLRH or partner organisations
• Participation in events and networking opportunities
• Professional development support continuing after the traineeship: career planning, application writing, 1:1 meetings, and RLRH resources
• Be part of a global community of 1400+ researchers, learners and professional affiliates of RLRH

POST-TRAINEESHIP PATHWAYS

We are committed to supporting trainees’ professional development. Trainees who engage consistently and meet programme expectations will be supported to access a range of paid professional and research opportunities at RLRH and its partner organisations.

Eligibility

• Identify as having been affected by displacement (e.g., as a current or former: refugee, asylum seeker, IDP, stateless person, or another category).
• Able to be based in Kakuma, Kampala or Nairobi from May – October 2026. RLRH is not able to provide relocation costs.
• Have completed a master’s degree, or due to complete by 1 May 2026, in any field of studies. Applicants who don’t have a master’s degree but have completed their bachelor’s degree may be considered.
• Willingness to actively engage, learn, seek feedback, and uphold RLRH’s values.
• Desire to develop research and project coordination skills.
• Able to commit 15 hours a week for 6 months.
• Recent graduates and alumni of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at any partner university are especially encouraged to apply.

Selection process

All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application. Applications are assessed on:

• Understanding of the traineeship and a clear interest in what it offers.
• Willingness to learn and tap into opportunities provided.
• Alignment with RLRH’s values and mission of refugee leadership and motivation to grow in your chosen field.
• Ability to work collaboratively, contribute to group activities, and form peer connections.
• Originality and authenticity of writing. We want to understand how you think and what motivates you! Please avoid overly polished or generic language and use your own  voice.

Al Policy

RLRH does not allow the use of Al tools or chatbots (such as ChatGPT or DeepSeek) to generate or rewrite application content.

Applicants must not submit text that has been copied or adapted from Al-generated outputs. The only permitted use of Al is for limited grammar and spelling checks, using tools such as DeepL or Grammarly.

While there is no fully reliable way to detect Al-generated content, such submissions are often repetitive and follow similar patterns. As a result, applications that rely on Al-generated text face a high risk of rejection.