Nanofellowships for prospective graduate students

The Nanofellowship Competition is now open! New Deadline is February 7^th 2023.

Application Process

The Nanofellowships competition is held annually. Applicants must hold an active graduate status, with a minimum of two terms remaining in their program, at the University of Waterloo (UWaterloo). Applicants must satisfy the general eligibility requirements for the University of Waterloo graduate scholarships.

For Prospective Graduate students:

Please review the Nanofellowship Program Guide for Prospective Graduate Students.pdf carefully.
You must have already applied to Graduate Studies at the University of Waterloo to be eligible for a Nanofellowship.
Complete the Prospective Nanofellowship Application form.pdf and email to nanofellowship@uwaterloo.ca (submit as LastName_FirstName.pdf) with the subject line: Nanofellowship Application.
All documents must be received electronically at WIN by the deadline. Late applications will not be accepted.

Summary guidelines and tips for completing your application: Eligibility and Guidelines for Application 2023

NOTE: All awardees are required to provide a poster presentation of their research in nanotechnology at the Annual Nanofellowship Ceremony, usually held in the Fall term as a condition of award acceptance. Incompliance will result in forfeiture of the award.

The notification of the decision will be made in the Spring Term of the academic year. Selection of recipients for the award will be made by the Nanofellowship Adjudication Committee.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Nanofellowships

The first section of the FAQs applies to all Nanofellowship applications. If you have further questions, please contact us at win-office@uwaterloo.ca.

When is the deadline for submitting my application?

Applications are due by February 1 at 11:59:59 pm.

I am an international student. Am I eligible for the award?

Yes, International students, Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada are eligible for the WIN Nanofellowship.

I have just completed a Masters degree from UWaterloo and I am now continuing my graduate studies for as a PhD at UWaterloo. Am I considered an existing or a prospective student?

Yes, you would be a prospective student. Please sign the consent form to review your University of Waterloo graduate application and that you will not need to re-ask your references to supply a duplicate letter of reference for you.

I have completed a Masters degree from another university and am applying for PhD studies at UWaterloo. Am I considered an existing or a prospective student?

You would be considered a Prospective Student if you completed a Masters degree from another university.

Does my supervisor need to be a WIN member to be eligible for a Nanofellowship?

No, your supervisor does not need to be a WIN member. You must demonstrate that your research is directly related to and contributes to the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the field of Nanotechnology.

If my supervisor is a WIN member, I am wondering if providing both references from the UWaterloo is preferred or will have a special consideration during reviewing process?

Please refer to slide 8 on the following link for the list of acceptable references: Eligibility and Guidelines for Application 2023

Whom should I ask to provide a letter of reference for me?

Please refer to slide 8 on the following link for the list of acceptable references: Eligibility and Guidelines for Application 2023

The program guide does not have references listed as a requirement for prospective graduate students while the presentation says it will count as 20% of the evaluation. Are references required for prospective students or not? If not, are they a way to boost an application for prospective students?

For the prospective student applications, the consent provided by the applicant to review their UWaterloo graduate application and the reference letters already submitted to UWaterloo will be reviewed. Prospective students’ reference letters are evaluated at 20% of the overall score, the same as for existing students.

The award is for $10,000 CAD paid out over 2 terms. Can I apply for only one term to receive $5,000 CAD?

No, a student must have at least two full terms left in their graduate program in order to be eligible to win the award.

Do I have to be enrolled in the Collaborative Graduate Nanotechnology option to be eligible for the scholarship?

No, you do not need to be enrolled in the Collaborative Graduate Nanotechnology program/option. You must demonstrate that your research is directly related to and contributes to the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the field of nanotechnology.

Can the Nanofellowship award be held simultaneously with other awards and scholarships (such as NSERC, OGS or the Engineering Excellence Fellowship)?

The WIN Nanofellowship does not restrict the number of other awards a student can hold. There are, however, some awards that do restrict the number or amount of scholarships/monetary awards you can receive. You will need to check with those agencies for compatibility and compliance guidelines.

What are my chances of winning a Nanofellowship?

Every year is different, depending on the performance of the endowment. In a typical year, an application has a 25-30% chance of winning.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Prospective students applying for a Nanofellowship

The second section of the FAQs applies to prospective Nanofellowship applications only. If you have further questions, please contact us at win-office@uwaterloo.ca.

What is the definition of a prospective student?

Prospective Students are defined as a student who has applied to graduate studies at the University of Waterloo and has not yet started their graduate program (not yet taking courses or started research, and tuition fees have not been arranged for that term). In this case, a student would fill out the Prospective Nanofellowship Application form.pdf and consent to allow the Nanofellowship Review Committee to view their application to UWaterloo Graduate Studies which includes transcripts, reference letters and supplemental information already submitted.

To be eligible for the Nanofellowship, you must have already applied to or will apply to UWaterloo Graduate Studies before the February 1^st deadline.

If you have submitted your application to UWaterloo Graduate Studies eight (8) months or longer before the time of application to the Nanofellowship, your application may no longer be on file. Please check with the department to which you originally applied to ensure your application is still valid and on file.

Please read the guidelines for Prospective Students.

Am I a prospective student?

You are a Prospective Student if you have applied to UWaterloo Graduate Studies but have not yet started your program. You must have already applied to, or will apply to UWaterloo Graduate Studies before the February 1^st deadline.

I just applied to UWaterloo graduate studies. Am I eligible for the award?

Students must be accepted to and enrolled in the UWaterloo graduate program to which they have applied to be eligible for the scholarship. Payment of the award will start when the student starts their program.

I applied to UWaterloo graduate studies and was accepted but I have not started the program yet. Am I considered a prospective student?

Yes, depending on how much time has elapsed. This form uses your UWaterloo graduate studies application. If too much time has gone by since you submitted your application to UWaterloo (8-12 months or longer) then you will need to check if your UWaterloo grad application is still on file.

Do prospective students need to provide letters of reference?

Prospective Students are not required to submit letters of reference for the Nanofellowship, as the UWaterloo Graduate Studies application which includes references is used as part of the application to the Nanofellowship. This is designed so that the applicant does not need to ask their referees for another letter so soon after completing the application to graduate studies.