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Provost’s Postdoctoral Awards for Indigenous and Black Scholars

Competition closed

At the University of Calgary we have made foundational commitments to inclusive excellence, to attracting and supporting emerging talent, and to creating future-focused and equitable pathways for the next generations of scholars and scholarship in the academy.

Indigenous and Black scholars have historically been underrepresented in many fields of research and scholarship. We seek to close these gaps for Indigenous and Black researchers. Building on our Indigenous strategy (ii’ taa’po’to’p), and our Anti-Black Racism initiative, our goal is to build a more equitable, diverse and inclusive academy. 

Research on diversity in Canadian universities and institutions highlights that Indigenous and Black scholars are among the most underrepresented in postdoctoral positions, in tenured positions in the professoriate, and in university leadership. As such, the Provost’s Postdoctoral Awards for Indigenous and Black Scholars are aimed at amelioriating this underrepresentation, and are an integral element of the University of Calgary’s commitment to creating and supporting Equitable Pathways to produce the next generation of diverse researchers and community engaged scholarship. These awards will provide, on a competitive basis, salary support and access to mentorship and support.

Deadline:
Competition is now closed.

This initiative was developed in accordance with section 10.1 of the Alberta Human Rights Act.
 

Questions?

Review the complete Award Information below.

Questions about this program can be submitted to vprawards@ucalgary.ca.

Value: $50,000

Salary of $50,000 per year, plus benefits (Plan C, CPP, EI, and WCB), plus $5,000 research allowance.

Duration: 2 years

One year, with possibility for renewal for a second year, subject to satisfactory performance and submission of the Annual Progress Report.

Number

Up to 4 will be awarded in 2021 (2 for Indigenous scholars and 2 for Black scholars), with future calls expected to be bi-annual (every 2 years).

Eligibility

Scholars who meet the following requirements are eligible: 
•    identify as Indigenous (recognized by First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit communities) and scholars who identify as Black (e.g. Canadian, African/Caribbean descent); 
•    have completed a PhD in any field, normally within the last five years from the start date of the funding, with a possible extension of this window due to career interruptions;
•    have arranged supervision from a full-time faculty member of the University of Calgary; 
•    anticipate starting a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Calgary within 12 months of application.

Terms

•    Postdoctoral scholars holding this award are expected to apply for all other postdoctoral awards for which they are eligible, including those from provincial or national agencies. If a scholar holding this award receives another postdoctoral award or fellowship the value of the Provost’s Postdoctoral Award will be adjusted. If the other fellowship is valued at less than $50,000, then the new value of the Provost’s Postdoctoral Award will be the difference between the full award ($50,000) and the other fellowship(s), plus $2,500. All other conditions follow the University of Calgary postdoctoral policy and procedures, as approved by the Vice-President (Research).
•    Open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. 
•    A scholar who already holds a postdoctoral position at the University of Calgary or who has previously held a postdoctoral position at the University of Calgary is ineligible to apply.
•    Funding cannot be allocated to a postdoctoral scholar who received their PhD from the University of Calgary, except in cases where established relationships to local community(ies) are important to the scholar’s research, or where personal circumstances require the postdoctoral scholar to remain in Calgary, or where there is a significant proposed change in research context (e.g., new supervisor, Institute, or Department/Faculty).

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Award information

  • A postdoctoral scholar is defined as an individual with five years or less of full-time training after PhD or other advanced degree. This window can be extended in cases of career interruption for extenuating circumstances, such as parental leave, illness, health-related family responsibilities, etc.
  • Funding cannot be allocated to a postdoctoral scholar who received their PhD from the University of Calgary, except in cases where established relationships to local community(ies) are important to the scholar’s research, or where personal circumstances require the postdoctoral scholar to remain in Calgary, or where there is a significant proposed change in research context (e.g., new supervisor, Institute, or Department/Faculty).
  • A scholar who already holds a postdoctoral position at the University of Calgary or who has previously held a postdoctoral position at the University of Calgary is ineligible to apply.
  • Individuals obtaining external support (i.e. tri-council, AIHS, MITACS, or equivalent) or any other internal funding must immediately inform the Postdoctoral Program Director.

Review criteria will include, but not necessarily be limited to:

  • Record and quality of previous research and creative contributions, respecting the stage and nature of the applicant’s career path;
  • Quality of the proposed project, in terms of novelty, originality, feasibility, and expected impact (e.g., for discovery, society, policy, practice, community engagement);
  • Record of direct engagement with Black Canadian (e.g. African descent, Caribbean) and/or Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and/or Inuit) communities in Canada; 
  • Supervisor’s current research and training environment; early career supervisors are eligible and encouraged to apply; 

The application requires you to:

  1. Fill out an online application form,
  2. submit a PDF of additional documents, and
  3. have 2 references submit letters. 

You must provide the following in your online application form:

  • Personal contact information
  • Faculty supervisor information
  • Reference information
  • Community engagement summary
  • Research project summary

The following documents must be attached as a single PDF, in the order listed below: Please include your first and last name in the PDF file attachment name
e.g. "Last Name, First Name Application.pdf"):

All documents must be on 8.5x11 pages, single-spaced with minimum margins of 2 cm and minimum font size of 11 in Arial font. 

  1. Research Project Proposal / Description (3 pages maximum including references)
    • The description should outline the scholar’s proposed research project, its relation to the doctoral studies and training, and the scholar’s future career goals
  2. CV
    • Including a list of the publications, presentations, awards, scholarships and grants received
  3. Confirmation of PhD degree completion (not required if degree is pending)
  4. Faculty supervisor's statement
    • A letter of support from the proposed postdoctoral supervisor at UCalgary. The proposed supervisor should explain their capacity to enable the applicant to become a future leader in their chosen field and career, including the nature of the academic, mentoring, and networking support to be provided.

We must also receive 2 letters of recommendation to vprawards@ucalgary.ca on or before the application deadline. These must be submitted by the referees, and not by the applicant. 

Letters of reference must be on institutional letterhead and include the name, title, and signature of the referee. 

Application checklist

Confirm eligibility

Review complete Terms of Reference to confirm your eligibility for the program. 

Scholars must identify as Indigenous (recognized by First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit communities) and scholars who identify as Black (e.g. Canadian, African/Caribbean descent), and have arranged supervision from a full-time faculty member of the University of Calgary to be eligible.

Download Terms of Reference

Compile documents

The following documents must be compiled into a single PDF file, in the following order:

Project description (3 pages maximum)

CV

Confirmation of PhD degree completion

Faculty supervisor's statement

Review Application Requirements above for more details.

Apply

Apply for funding using the online application form. You will attach your compiled document PDF to your application form. 

The applicant's two references must submit their letters of reference to vprawards@ucalgary.ca by the deadline. 

Deadline: Competition closed