This scholarship is a component of the UBC Public Scholars Initiative (PSI), aimed at fostering connections, community, and capability among doctoral students who wish to directly link their doctoral research to public benefit areas and incorporate broader, career-relevant scholarship forms into their doctoral studies.
Students can receive up to $10,000 twice, totaling $20,000 per student, to support innovative or collaborative projects that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to pursue. This funding can be allocated for a research allowance, including provisions for professional development or travel pertinent to their scholarly work, as well as a student stipend if their current funding source doesn’t permit alternative projects.
Every year, funding is available for about 30 new students across all faculties at UBC and UBCO. Scholars selected for the cohort are also eligible for renewal funding for a second year. Additionally, the 2024-25 applications introduce the special ‘Health Equity Stream,’ developed in collaboration with UBC Health. This stream aims to boost the number of PSI scholars from various faculties and departments whose research addresses health issues and aims to influence health equity on local, national, and global scales. Further information, including a dedicated Health Stream FAQ section, is provided below.
Scholars interested in applying for the Health Equity Stream can do so through the qualtrics page when submitting their application documents. Otherwise, the applications remain identical for all candidates.
UBC Public Scholars Award in Canada 2024/25:
- Host Country: Canada
- Host University: University of British Columbia
- Degree Level: Doctoral
Eligible Regions:
- Canadian
- Permanent Resident
- International
Benefits of the UBC Public Scholars Award in Canada 2024/25:
- Recipients will receive $10,000 twice annually for their educational pursuits.
- The grant can be used as a travel allowance to support professional development or research-related scholarly activities.
- If a student’s current funding source is insufficient, the grant can be used as a stipend to cover expenses.
Eligibility Criteria:
- UBC Vancouver doctoral students (PhD, EdD, DMA, including part-time PhD students) in years 1-5 and UBC Okanagan doctoral students in years 1-5 are eligible to apply.
- Applicants must have completed no more than 48 months of doctoral study as of August 31, 2023.
- Applicants must be registered in a UBC doctoral program as of September 1, 2023.
- Applicants in their 6th year (48 to 60 months of doctoral study) will be considered only in exceptional circumstances.
Requirements for Funded Students:
- Submission of a report at the end of their first (and if applicable, second) year of funding.
- Presentation of their work at a Network event, PhDs Go Public.
- All students, faculty, and collaborators will be required to complete a questionnaire at the end of their funding/involvement. Student dissertations and student completion and career outcomes will also be evaluated as part of the assessment of this pilot initiative.
Evaluation Criteria
We will look at two main things when reviewing applications:
- Your Background and Potential:
- What you’ve achieved in the past and what you could do in the future.
- We want to see that you have a wide range of interests and accomplishments. It’s also important that your interests align with the project you’re proposing.
- How Your Project Fits with PSI Goals:
- We want your project to connect with the goals of PSI. These goals are all about making doctoral education broader:
- Your work goes beyond just academic stuff and traditional subjects.
- You get experience in different types of scholarship that can be useful after you finish your degree.
- Your work is evaluated seriously, showing that the university thinks these diverse forms of scholarship are important.
- You get more career opportunities, and people see that getting a doctorate is valuable.
- Your work contributes to the public good in different ways through serious scholarship.
- We’ll also look at the quality of your proposed project. Here’s what matters:
- Your project needs high-level expertise in a subject or method.
- Your goals are clear, realistic, and tackle important questions.
- You’re ready and understand the subject well.
- Your methods make sense for what you want to achieve.
- You have good plans to share your work with others.
- Your work is important and will benefit the public.
- We’ll also consider if you need other sources of funding for your project.
- Finally, we’ll think about how diverse your project is across different subjects.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
- Download the PSI Fellowship Application 2024-2025 and PSI Fellowship Application Instructions 2024-2025 from the link provided in the ‘Further Information’ section.
- Once downloaded, rename the application form as LastName_FirstName_PSI and save it after editing.
- Fill out the Application form following the provided guidelines. Each section should not exceed 4000 characters or one page.
- Upload the completed PSI Fellowship Application 2024-2025 form along with your Canadian Common CV as a single PDF file on the Qualtrics page. Ensure all documents are ready before proceeding.
- Read the Overview section on the Qualtrics page carefully before submitting your application to ensure it is done correctly.
- For the mandatory supervisor letter of support and optional letters of support from collaborators, share the Qualtrics form link with your letter writers. They can complete the form and upload the letters.
- Once all steps are completed, your application will be submitted.
DEADLINE:
12 May 2024