Doctoral & PostDoctoral Awards
Applicants to the awards listed on this page must be preparing to defend their PhD thesis or have had their thesis accepted by SGS and/ or be performing postdoctoral fellowships. Please consult with your department supervisor or principal investigator when reviewing these applications.
Dissertation Awards
CGS/ProQuest
CAGS/UMI
Governors' Gold Medal
Postdoctoral Research Awards
Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program 2011-2012
L'Oreal USA Fellowships for Women in Science
China Scholarship Council Awards
Azrieli Fellowships Program
Government of Canada Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
2012 John Charles Polanyi Prize
Doctoral Awards
Doctoral Completion Award (DCA)
Ontario Council on Graduate Studies Womens Health Scholarship
2012-13 Walter C. Sumner Memorial Fellowships
Postdoctoral Research Awards
Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program 2011-2012 - Now Closed
The objective of the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program is to attract and retain top-tier postdoctoral talent, both nationally and internationally, to develop their leadership potential and to position them for success as research leaders of tomorrow, positively contributing to Canada's economic, social and research-based growth through a research-intensive career. This program is jointly administered by Canada's three federal granting agencies (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC).
70 new two-year awards annually with a total of 140 awards active at any one time. The fellowships will be distributed equally across Canada's three federal granting agencies (SSHRC, NSERC and CIHR)
In light of the small number of awards in this program and the demands of the application and selection processes, universities are encouraged to carefully select and endorse a limited number of the highest quality applicants from both Canada and abroad. As such U of T Supervisors are limited to endorsing one application and may wish to consider all possible candidates prior to choosing to put forth any one individual.
Guidelines for CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC Banting PDF Selection Committees, including roles and responsibilities of committee members can be found here:
Banting PDF Selection Committee Guidelines
Complete details can be found on the Government of Canada's website. Questions may be directed to Banting@researchnet-recherchenet.ca.
L’Oréal USA Fellowships For Women in Science
L’Oréal Canada has announced the For Women in Science Research Excellence Fellowships, with the support of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, which will give two fellowships of $20,000 CAD each to female postdoctoral researchers in the field of Engineering/Pure and Applied Sciences. This fellowship is a part of the For Women in Science Program which recognizes the importance of the contributions of women in the progress of science. Applications will be reviewed by a panel of scientists, including representatives from the Canadian Commission for UNESCO and L’Oréal Canada.
Full application procedures and guidelines are provided through the L’Oreal Philanthrophy Website
China Scholarship Council Awards
The China Scholarship Council (CSC) is a non-profit institution affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education. In partnership with the University of Toronto, the CSC offers scholarships to outstanding Chinese students who will pursue postdoctoral studies at U of T.
Please note that the CSC postdoctoral award (approx. $15 000CAD/ year) does not meet the U of T policy regarding stidend levels for PDFs. PDFs who obtain a CSC scholarship will be required to obtain another award or to investigate top-up funding with their U of T supervisor. Please refer to U of T's policies and guidelines on Postdoctoral Fellows http://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/informationfor/postdoctoral.htm.
For further information, please visit our International Students page the China Scholarship Council website http://en.csc.edu.cn/
Azrieli Fellows Program
The Azrieli Fellows Program welcomes the best and brightest postdoctoral scholars who wish to undertake postdoctoral research in Israel. Scholars may undertake research in any field of study. Applicants must be Canadian citizens or have completed a doctorate at a Canadian university.
The fellowships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence. Candidates are assessed on their potential to make cutting-edge contributions to their respective fields. Aspects of personal merit and leadership abilities are also taken into consideration without regard to race, religion, gender, ethnicity or age.
Eligible applicants are encouraged to visit the Program's website at http://www.azrielifoundation.org/fellows. For more information, please contact the Azrieli Foundation at fellows@azrielifoundation.org.
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Government of Canada Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT), as part of the Government of Canada Awards (GCA), the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program (CCSP) and the Canada-Mexico Awards (CMA), offers one-year post-doctoral research fellowships tenable at recognized public Canadian universities and affiliated research institutes.
Based on reciprocal agreements between Canada and Foreign governments, the PDRF will award approximately 40 to 60 fellowships to selected candidates from twelve countries. These fellowships will provide research opportunities to promising recent doctoral graduates in the natural sciences and engineering, social sciences and humanities.
The program description including eligibility requirements and application information can be found on the Government of Canada’s International Scholarships website.
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2012 John Charles Polanyi Prizes - Now Closed
Purpose
In honour of the achievement of John Charles Polanyi, recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Government of the Province of Ontario has established a fund to provide annually up to five prizes to outstanding researchers in the early stages of their career who are continuing to post-doctoral studies or have recently started a faculty appointment at an Ontario university. In 2012 the prizes have a value of $20,000 each and are available in the 5 areas broadly defined as Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Economic Science.
Value
$20 000 per award
Eligibility
1. Any person who is planning to continue to post-doctoral studies (or has a faculty appointment) in a recognized Ontario university who meets the following criteria may apply for one of the prizes:
a. is normally resident in Ontario and has completed or is near completion of doctoral studies in any recognized university in the world, or has completed or is nearing completion of doctoral studies in an Ontario university; and
b. has received the doctoral degree between September 1, 2008 and April 30, 2012, or if the doctoral degree has not yet been awarded, will have completed all the requirements for the doctoral degree by April 30, 2012. Applicants holding faculty appointments within these time limits may apply. (Note: Applicants who have been on parental leave between the time of completion of the doctorate and the time of application may have their period of eligibility extended by six months.)
2. The prizes are awarded to assist the recipients in their research and professional development.
3. The prizes may be held along with any other financial support or research funds received by the winners.
4. It is hoped that the prizes will be conferred by September 2012. No prize will be awarded without the successful applicant having completed all requirements for the doctoral degree.
Application Procedure
Applications must include the following:
1. The completed application form Polanyi Prizes Website or Forms for students Curriculum vitae (no page restrictions), including information concerning the application. Updates to curriculum vitae will not be accepted after submission;
2. A brief summary of the doctoral thesis (1 page max, to be written by the applicant);
3. A statement of research (or writing) to be undertaken during the period of the award (maximum of 2 pages, plus an additional 1 page for diagrams, bibliography, etc., to be prepared by the applicant);
4. A non-technical summary (maximum 500 words, to be written by the applicant); and
5. Confidential letters from four assessors. These should focus on an evaluation of the applicant’s research (or writing) to date, and the research (or writing) being undertaken. The applicant must ask for their four appraisals to be transmitted electronically directly to their Graduate Unit at U of T. Two of the assessors must not have been associated with the candidate as either a supervisor, or a member of the applicant’s supervisory committee, or a co-author and should preferably be from another university.
Questions
Please visit the award website for further details: http://ocgs.cou.on.ca/_bin/home/polanyi.cfm
DOCTORAL AWARDS
Doctoral Completion Award (DCA)
The aim of the Doctoral Completion Award (DCA) is to support full-time PhD and SJD students who are beyond the funded cohort and within time-limit of degree.
Students who have experienced a delay in their program due to unfortunate personal circumstances should refer to the Emergency Grant program.
Changes have been made to the DCA for the 2012-2013 academic year. The award will now be administered by individual graduate units. Please be sure to check with your home unit about applying.
2011-2012 DCA recipients: the DCA information sheet is available for your reference.
Eligibility
In addition to graduate unit criteria, applicants for the DCA must be:
· beyond the funded cohort as established by graduate unit practice
· within time limit for the degree
· in good academic standing as defined by the graduate unit
· a full-time PhD or SJD student (DMA, EdD and flexible-time PhD students are ineligible).
Value
The DCA value is determined by the graduate unit and it may not be the same for every award holder. Students must be registered to receive award payments and will not receive any payments once degree requirements are completed. A student who withdraws mid-session is expected to return any award funds received in that session.
Application Procedure
The award is administered by individual graduate units. Please contact your graduate unit for all application procedures and details.Back to Top
Ontario Council on Graduate Studies Women's Health Scholarship - Now Closed
Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, a Scholar Awards Program in Women's Health has been established to ensure that Ontario attracts and retains pre-eminent women's health scholars. The community of women's health scholars fostered by this Awards program will excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge about women's health and its translation into improved health for women, more effective health services and products for women, and a strengthened heath care system.
Questions
For more information, please visit the OCGS website
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2012-13 Walter C. Sumner Memorial Fellowships - Now Closed
The Walter C. Sumner Memorial Fellowships is open to any doctoral students engaged in studies in Chemistry, Physics, Electrical Engineering or Computer Science. Students who will be entering a doctoral program in one of those areas in September 2012 are also eligible.
Eligibility
Applicants must:
1. Be engaged in or about to start doctoral studies in either Chemistry, Physics, or Electronics (including Electrical Engineering and Computer Science);
2. Be a Canadian citizen;
3. Be domiciled in Canada, although at the time of application a candidate may be studying outside the country;
4. Hold a degree from a Canadian university other than the one at which the doctoral studies will be conducted during the tenure of the fellowship;
5. If only a degree at the Bachelor’s level is held, the applicant must have at least two years experience in either teaching or industry in the chosen field of study; and
6. If awarded a Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier, NSERC, CIHR or SSHRC), a participant must inform the Walter C. Sumner Foundation.
Value
At the discretion of the Foundation, approximately forty (40) fellowships, valued at $6,000 will be awarded each year. Candidates must be nominated by one of the participating universities.
Application & Instructions
All applicants must complete the official application form attached with this announcement, or available at: http://dalgrad.dal.ca/docs/sumnerapp.pdf
Application Part I – to be completed by the applicant
Application Part II – to be completed by two referees *please read application instructions for details on selecting appropriate referees
Application Part IIIA – to be completed by the applicant’s Graduate Chair
Application Part IIIB – will be completed by SGS once application is received from the Graduate Unit
Deadline
Students applying for this award are required to submit their completed application and all supporting documentation to their graduate unit by the unit’s deadline.
Dissertation Awards
Canadian Association for Graduate Studies and ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award
Purpose and Criteria
The CAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards recognize Canadian doctoral dissertations that make unusually significant and original contributions to their academic field. The two CAGS/UMI categories are broadly defined as “Engineering/Medical Sciences/Natural Sciences” and ”Fine Arts/Humanities/Social Sciences”. One award is available nationally for each category.
Value
Recipients will receive up to $1,500.00 for travel expenses to attend the CAGS Annual Conference at which they will be presented with an honorarium of $1,500.00 as well as a Citation Certificate.
Eligibility
All applicants must have completed and had their dissertation accepted by SGS between July 1st (up to two years earlier) and June 30th of the competition year. Two fields of study for this award are rotated annually: the fields of competition for 2013 are Biological & Life Sciences and the Humanities & Fine Arts. The 2014 competition will be Social Sciences and Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Engineering.
Application Procedures & Deadline
Graduate Nominations for this competition occurs in summer/ June. Visit the CGS Website for further information.
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Council of Graduate Schools and University Microfilms International (CGS/UMI) Distinguished Dissertation Award
Purpose and Criteria
The CGS/UMI Distinguished Dissertation Awards recognize Canadian doctoral dissertations that represent original work making an unusually significant contribution to their disciplines. Two awards are given annually in rotating fields of study. Both methodological and substantive quality of the dissertation will be judged.
Value
The two national winners receive a $1000.00 honorarium and Citation Certificate at the CGS annual meeting.
Eligibility
All applicants must have completed and had their dissertation accepted by SGS between July 1st (up to two years earlier) and June 30th of the competition year. Two fields of study for this award are rotated annually: the fields of competition for 2012 will be Social Sciences and Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Engineering. The 2013 competition will feature Biological and Life Sciences as well as the Humanities and Fine Arts.
Application Procedures and Deadline
Graduate Nominations for this competition occurs in summer/ June. Visit the CGS Website for further information.
Governor General's Gold Medal - Now Closed
Purpose
Purpose
The Office of the Governor General annually offers gold medals to honour academic excellence at the graduate level. Three gold medals are available at the University of Toronto. For 2011-2012, one medal will be awarded to a candidate from Division I or II; and one medal will be awarded to a candidate from Division III or IV; the third medal will be awarded to an outstanding candidate in any division.
Value
All nominated candidates will be invited to attend the awards ceremony in early June hosted by Brian Corman, Dean of Graduate Studies and Vice-Provost, Graduate Education. Medals will be presented to the recipients at this ceremony.
Students do not receive any monetary award.
Application Procedure
Graduate units must submit each nomination as a single PDF document as per instructions sent to units.
Students may not apply directly.
Deadline
Winter of each year.
If you would like more detailed information, please see the Governor General's website.
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