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Postdoctoral Fellowships

Regulations Governing Fellowship Applications
Definitions

Objectives
Description
Value and Duration
Eligibility
Evaluation and Adjudication
Application Process
Administrative Regulations
Related Funding Opportunities
More Information

Objectives

The Postdoctoral Fellowships program supports the most promising Canadian new scholars in the social sciences and humanities and assists them in establishing a research base at an important time in their research careers.

Description

Postdoctoral Fellowships provide stipendiary support to recent PhD graduates who are:

• undertaking original research;
• publishing research findings;
• developing and expanding personal research networks;
• broadening their teaching experience; and
• preparing to become competitive in national research grants competitions.

Fellowships will normally be awarded to candidates affiliated with a university other than that which awarded the PhD.  SSHRC postdoctoral awards are tenable in Canada or at a foreign university.

Value and Duration

Postdoctoral Fellowships are valued at $38,000 per year, plus an accountable research allowance of up to $5,000 per award. These are non-renewable fellowships, tenable for a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 24 months. The award may begin on the first of any month between May 2010 and January 2011.

Eligibility

Eligibility to Apply in the 2010 Competition (Deadline Fall 2009)

To apply to this program, applicants must:

• be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
• have earned a first doctorate from a recognized university no earlier than October 1, 2006 (date all degree requirements were completed, not the date of graduation), or have completed a first doctorate no earlier than October 1, 2003, but have had their career interrupted or delayed for the purpose of childrearing;
• not hold a tenure or tenure-track faculty position;
• have finalized arrangements for affiliation with a recognized university or research institution;
• have applied not more than twice before for a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship; and
• not be applying in the 2009-10 academic year to NSERC or CIHR scholarship or fellowship programs.

Applicants who obtain their PhD from a foreign university are eligible to apply only if they wish to hold their award at a Canadian university.

Applicants are eligible to apply to hold their award at a foreign university only if their PhD was earned at a Canadian university.

Eligibility to Hold a Fellowship

To hold the award, applicants must:

• have completed all requirements for their doctoral degree before taking up the Postdoctoral Fellowships award,  or, at the latest, by December 31, 2010;
• engage in full-time postdoctoral research for the period of the award; and
• not hold or have held a tenure or a tenure-track position or hold any other employment.

Candidates who do not complete all requirements for their doctoral degree by December 31, 2010, will have their offer of an award withdrawn. Note that withdrawn or declined awards will be included in the calculation of the three-application limit for this program.

Federal government employees are eligible to hold a Postdoctoral Fellowship award only if they are on an unpaid leave of absence (no salary or special allowances permitted).

Research Eligibility

It is the subject matter and the objectives and content of a proposal, rather than research methodology or the institutional affiliation of the applicant, that determine research eligibility. Research programs proposing only the adaptation of doctoral theses for publication, the editing of textbooks, translation or the acquisition of a foreign language are ineligible. In other words, the research proposed in the application for a Postdoctoral Fellowship must be significantly different and distinct from, or add significantly to, that related to the doctoral thesis.

Evaluation and Adjudication

Evaluation Criteria

Multidisciplinary selection committees evaluate applicants solely on academic merit, measured by:  

• fellowships, scholarships or other awards obtained;
• previous research experience and/or publications;
• the duration of the doctoral studies;
• originality, potential significance and feasibility of the proposed program of work;
• comments of the referees and of the supervisor at the intended place of tenure; and
• appropriateness of the intended place of tenure, evidenced by the institutional nomination form.

Competition Process

For all applicants

Step 1: On or before  the deadline, the applicant submits to SSHRC his or her completed application and supporting documents.

Step 2: SSHRC staff forward all eligible applications to the multidisciplinary selection committees.

Step 3: In January of each year, the multidisciplinary selection committees evaluate all eligible applications. Committee recommendations are subject to approval by SSHRC.

Step 4: SSHRC informs all applicants of the outcome of their applications. Results are announced in February of each year. Results are not provided by telephone or email.

Application Process

Before submitting your application, you must:

• ensure that you meet the requirements specified in the Eligibility section;
• create your account in the Enterprise Award Management System (EAMS);
• complete the online application form in EAMS;
• contact the following individuals who must each create an EAMS account in order to submit supporting letters for your application:
• two research appraisers;
• the research supervisor; and
• the head of the department (or designate) at the institution of affiliation; and
• prepare your CV in the Canadian Common CV (it must be attached and transferred electronically to your EAMS application form).

Administrative Regulations

All applicants and fellowship holders must comply with the Regulations Governing Fellowship Applications and with the regulations set out in the Fellowship Holder's Guide.

SSHRC reserves the right to determine the eligibility of applications it receives, based on the information provided in those applications. It also reserves the right to interpret the program regulations that are stated in its published materials.

SSHRC Postdoctoral Prize

This annual prize is awarded for most outstanding SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship recipient.

Aileen D. Ross Fellowship

This fellowship is awarded to an outstanding SSHRC Doctoral Award or Postdoctoral Fellowship holder conducting research in sociology, specifically for research on poverty.

Sport Participation Research Initiative Postdoctoral Fellowship Supplements

These supplements are designed to help support SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship holders doing policy-relevant research on participation in sport in Canada.

Standard Research Grants

SSHRC’s Standard Research Grants program offers support for investigator-chosen research in the social sciences and humanities conducted by individuals or teams. The broad purpose of the program is to support research and develop excellence in research activities in the social sciences and humanities.

More Information

Please address questions about SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships to:

Postdoctoral Fellowships Program
Fellowships and Institutional Grants Division
SSHRC
350 Albert Street
P.O. Box 1610
Ottawa, ON
K1P 6G4

Tel.: 613-943-7777
Fax: 613-943-1329
Email: fellowships@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca