Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

 Allocation:

• A minimum of 10 Fellowships are available for the 2024 competition. Each Faculty will be awarded at least one Fellowship.

 Value:

• Fellowships will provide a minimum stipend of $60,000/year (pending any association agreement changes) plus benefits for two years. Western Research will contribute up to 50% of the Fellowship stipend.
• Matching requirement: The host faculty and/or supervising faculty member are responsible for securing the remaining 50% of the Fellowship stipend, which must be secured and confirmed at the time of application.
• Western Research will also contribute a $5,000/year research allowance over the 2-year term. For further details, see program guidelines.   

 See Program Guidelines for full eligibility details.

• Western University guidelines on Postdoctoral Scholars
• The applicant’s PhD (including PhD-equivalent or health professional degree) must have been granted (official convocation/graduation date) within five (5) years prior to the proposed start date of the Postdoctoral Fellowship. All PhD requirements must have been met by the start date of the award.
• As applicants can face interruptions due to various life events which may affect their project work, career trajectory and academic achievements within the outlined 5-year period, that window of eligibility could be extended (refer to Guidelines document).
• Applicants who currently hold a postdoctoral position at Western, or have previously held a postdoctoral position at Western, are not eligible to apply.
• Applicants cannot currently hold a permanent faculty position, or a faculty position leading to permanency.
• Successful applicants cannot hold a postdoctoral position at another institution while holding this award.
• Applicants must secure written commitment of a qualified faculty member at Western who has the expertise, experience, and capacity to act as the host Supervisor of the Postdoctoral Fellow and their proposed project. Supervisors must also hold a research-eligible position at Western.
• Western Research may consider applications where postdoctoral scholars are also retained by Western to teach one or more courses. In these cases, the proposed Fellowship will be reduced proportional to remunerated teaching, on a case-by-case basis in consultation with SGPS.
• Applicants who are not Canadian citizens will be required to secure all necessary permits, visas, or documentation required by all relevant jurisdictions. More information can be found on Western’s School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies’ website.

See Program Guidelines and Application Form for full details.  

This is a two-phase process for this competition.

1. The Postdoctoral Fellow applicant must submit a complete Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Application Form to their Faculty Dean’s Office with the following required attachments:

• Research Project Proposal (4 pages max.); 
• Bibliography/References (2 pages max.);
• Host Supervisor Statement (3 pages max.)
• CV for the Postdoctoral scholar (5 pages max.);
• Most significant contributions (1 page max.); 
• Proof of PhD (original document plus translation as required); and
• Letters of support from two (2) referees.
  • If the applicant is engaging in community-based research a letter of support is required from the community partner and can be included as an additional (third) Referee letter.

2. All faculty-level application submissions must be received by Research Grant Management and Services, Western Research no later than February 27, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. ET via the online submission portal. The submission must include:

• Postdoctoral Fellowship program complete application package for each candidate.
  
• Summary PDF file indicating average scores, ranking and comments from the Faculty selection committee.
  
• The Principal Supervisor (in consultation with the Postdoctoral Applicant) must submit a Western University ROLA Proposal for the application by this date. 

What is the deadline for application submission at my Faculty?
Please refer to the Faculty Contacts & Deadlines section on the website. If information is not available online, please connect with your faculty contact for details.

How do I submit my application?
Applications will go to the faculty where you are applying for a Western Postdoctoral Fellowship. Please reach out to the faculty contact for details of the application process.

Am I able to revise my application after submission to the Faculty?
After review of your application at the Faculty-level, you may be provided with feedback to incorporate before the Faculty submission to Western Research deadline of February 27, 2024, 3pm ET. The application process is managed by the Faculty, so there may be differences between Faculties. Please reach out to the faculty contact for details.

If my Letters of Support are submitted directly to the Faculty Dean’s Office, how will I attach them to my application?
Letters of Support will be attached to your application by the Faculty, so there is one master file for your application to be submitted to Western Research, should your application be one of the top 3 applications being submitted for consideration.

How many Western Postdoctoral Fellowship grants will be awarded?
There will be a minimum of 10 applications awarded in the 2024 competition. Each Faculty will be awarded at least one Fellowship.

When will results be available?
This is a two-phase review process, and the Western Research deadline is February 27, 2024 @ 3pm ET. We expect final decisions to be available in April 2024.