Call for Nominations — NSERC Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships
From: Leah Cowen, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives
Date: April 1, 2022
Re: Call for Nominations — NSERC Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) has released its call for nominations for the Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships (formerly the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowships). I encourage you to share this information widely and consider encouraging nominations of eligible candidates, taking into account principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in your identification of nominees.
Up to six McDonald Fellowships are awarded annually to recognize early-stage academic researchers in the natural sciences and engineering and support them to enhance their research capacity, so that they can become leaders in their field and inspire others. Fellows receive a research grant of $250,000 over two years and are relieved of teaching and administrative duties in order to be able to devote their time to research for the two-year period.
Eligible candidates must have held an independent academic position for 10 years or less as of June 1, 2022 and hold a grant from NSERC. The 10-year eligibility window is adjusted to take into account eligible delays in research or periods of inactivity (for example, due to parental leave, bereavement, illness, or delays related to COVID-19).
Nomination Process
Candidates may now self-nominate for the McDonald Fellowships, but must be endorsed by the University of Toronto in order to go forward for consideration by NSERC.
To be considered for endorsement, candidates must:
- Submit an online Expression of Interest (EOI) by April 12, 2022.
- Consult with their divisional/faculty awards coordinator or officer to identify any internal deadlines and review processes specific to their academic division or department.
- Submit an internal nomination package to vpri.awards@utoronto.ca by May 2, 2022, following the documentation guidelines on our Honours & Awards Opportunities page.
The University may endorse up to six (6) nominations for the Fellowships per year. As such, I am establishing an advisory committee of representatives from across the sciences and engineering to review nominations and select the University’s nominees for 2022, adhering to standards of rigor, fairness, respect and equity, diversity and inclusion throughout the process.
Once six nominees are selected for endorsement, my team will work with divisional offices to facilitate the development of full nominations and ensure their submission to NSERC by its deadline of June 7, 2022.
For further information, please contact your divisional/faculty awards coordinator or officer.