Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA)
Needles Hall, second floor, room 2201
In honour of the achievement of John Charles Polanyi, recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Ontario Government established a fund to provide up to five prizes annually to outstanding researchers who are in the early stages of their career and at Ontario universities. The prizes (tax-exempt) are valued at $20,000 each and are available in the areas broadly defined as Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Economic Science.
For full information, including eligibility, application form and selection criteria, and notes for assessors, please visit the Council of Ontario Universities website.
Applicants wishing to receive endorsement from the University of Waterloo, must email a pdf of their application materials to Heidi Mussar in Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) by December 1, 2023. A complete application is comprised of the following:
*Reference letters must be emailed directly to Heidi Mussar by December 1, 2023. The letters must be signed and on letterhead.
Waterloo’s adjudication process
All applications received will be evaluated by an adjudication committee consisting of senior leaders and academics at the University of Waterloo. All committee members will be required to undergo unconscious bias training prior to reviewing the applications and determining which candidates will receive institutional endorsement.
Institutions are limited to submitting a maximum of three applications from each of the five areas of study (Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Economic Science).
GSPA will submit applications selected for institutional endorsement to the Council of Ontario Universities by their deadline of January 31, 2024.
Questions regarding this competition at Waterloo can be directed to Heidi Mussar in Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
Updated September 19, 2023
Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA)
Needles Hall, second floor, room 2201
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.