Provost’s Program for Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars - Application and selection process

How to apply

Step 1: Identify a primary supervisor and a co-supervisor 

Please note that applicants to the Provost’s Program for Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars must have a primary supervisor and a co-supervisor from a different faculty or department at the University of Waterloo, representing both sides of the interdisciplinary nature of the proposed work. At least one of the identified supervisors must be a fully-appointed faculty member at the University of Waterloo. 

Applicants are encouraged to visit the University of Waterloo faculty/departments/school pages, which provide a list of faculty members and their respective research areas. Applicants should consider the proposed faculty member’s research and the alignment with their own research expertise and background prior to reaching out to the proposed supervisor(s). Please visit our finding a supervisor webpage for more tips on how to identify and reach out to a potential supervisor.  

Once a primary and co-supervisor have been confirmed, applicants may move on to the remaining steps in the application process. 

It is recommended that this step be completed and submitted at least a week before the December 2nd deadline to allow sufficient time to complete the other steps in this process. 

Step 2: Receive official endorsement from the primary and co-supervisors 

Once a partnership has been arranged between a proposed scholar (applicant) and the University of Waterloo faculty members, the proposed primary supervisor* who is in support of the candidate’s application will complete and submit the supervisor endorsement form with the proposed co-supervisor. The applicant will receive an email notification confirming the endorsement form has been submitted. 

*Although there is no limit as to how many applicants a proposed supervisor can endorse, given the competitive nature of this opportunity, and the expectations there will be on the supervisor to provide the strongest possible support of the applicant, faculty members are encouraged to be very selective in who and how many they endorse. 

Step 3: Contact referees to submit letters of reference  

Please note that reference letters must be sent directly to GSPA from the referee through the reference letter submission form. GSPA will not reach out to the referees to follow up on reference letters; it is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure the referees submit letters of reference by the deadline. 

The Provost’s Program for Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars application requires two reference letters:  

Reference letter one: The first reference letter must be from a referee who is at arm’s length from the applicant.  

The arm’s length referee should be an expert in the field of the proposed research and should be able to assess the research proposal and academic CV in that capacity. Examples of an arm’s length referee include, but are not limited to, the external examiner from the applicant’s doctoral defence or a specialist that the applicant met at a conference. It is not necessary for the applicant to have met the arm’s length referee. The arm’s length referee cannot be someone with whom the applicant or proposed supervisor have had previous associations that could be perceived as biasing an assessment. 

Examples of those who would not qualify as an arm’s length referee would include those who are: 

• A relative, friend, or anyone else with whom the applicant has a personal relationship; 
• Affiliated with the applicant’s current and/or proposed institution(s); 
• Professionally affiliated with the applicant as a result of but not limited to: 
• Being the applicant’s supervisor or trainee, 
• Collaborating, publishing or sharing funding with the applicant or proposed supervisor. 

The proposed supervisors may be able to assist the applicant in identifying a colleague to write the arm’s length reference letter. 

Reference letter two: The second referee must be either the applicant’s doctoral research supervisor, committee member, or the internal/external reviewer. The proposed postdoctoral supervisors may only provide a reference if they’ve supervised the candidate in the past (e.g., as their PhD supervisor). 

General reference letter information 

Referees must be able to provide relevant evidence, perspectives and insight to support the review of the application. The assessments contribute to a major part of the evaluation of the application and its potential success. It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide the referees with the information they require in order to complete an informed and strong assessment. 

Reference letters must address the following criteria: 

• Applicant’s research excellence and demonstrated leadership in the research domain 
• Merit of the applicant’s proposed research program 

Referees will be required to upload a PDF copy of their letter (signed and on letterhead) that addresses the above criteria, directly to GSPA through the reference letter submission form by 9:00 am EST on December 2, 2024. 

Step 4: Submit the Provost’s Program for Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars application 

All applicants must complete and submit the online application form by 9:00 am EST on December 2, 2024. 

The components of the application require the following: 

• Completion of all fields within the application form. 
• Providing a lay abstract which provides a brief summary of your proposed research and how it meets the criteria for the Provost’s Program for Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars (maximum of 2000 characters). 
• Uploading an up-to-date copy of an academic curriculum vitae (CV); applicants are encouraged (but not required) to complete a CCV using the Canadian Common CV (CCV) website. 
• A statement of the proposed research* (max 5 pages) written jointly by the applicant and the proposed supervisors that clearly identifies the interdisciplinary nature of the project. 
• A statement (1 page max) written jointly by the applicant and the proposed supervisors on the alignment between the research proposal and the University’s strategic plan. 
• A statement (1 page max) from the supervisors that articulates how the support from the Provost’s Program for Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars will stimulate and catalyze additional external research support. 
• Providing a special circumstances statement, if applicable, with regards to the window of eligibility criterion; it is essential that the applicant provide specific dates for delays and/or interruptions, including the exact number of months or days of these interruptions. 
• Uploading a copy of the PhD degree/diploma or a letter from the institution from where they completed (or intend to complete) their PhD degree requirements that confirms the date (or expected date) of fulfilment of all degree requirements. 
• Identification of two referees (as selected in step 3). 

*Research statement details: Statement can be a maximum of 5 pages (excluding references, which can be an additional maximum of 4 pages and uploaded as a separate document) with 11-point font, single-spaced, 1” margins on all sides. 

Step 5: Ensure all required application documents are provided to GSPA 

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all required application documents are submitted to GSPA by the application deadline. This includes: 

• Completed supervisor endorsement form (completed by the proposed primary supervisor)
• Completed application form (completed by the applicant)
• Two letters of reference (uploaded through the submission form directly by the referee)

GSPA will not follow up with identified referees or supervisors to ensure documents are received. Applicants will receive a confirmation email immediately following the submission of the supervisor endorsement form, and immediately following the submission of each letter of reference.

• Any applications that are not completed (e.g. any of the above documents have not been received or have not been completed in full) will not be considered by the adjudication committee. 

The selection process

All applications received will be evaluated based upon the above selection criteria by an adjudication committee consisting of a diverse group of senior leaders and academics at the University of Waterloo. All committee members will be required to undergo unconscious bias training and will be supported in competency and capacity building, including training for equitable recruitment and selection, Indigenous ways of knowing, anti-oppression, and anti-Black racism. It is anticipated that training will support selection committee members in developing criteria and ensuring an equitable, anti-oppressive and anti-racist recruitment process. 

A shortlist of candidates will be identified by early to mid-January 2025. The shortlisted scholars may be invited to participate in an interview either on campus or remotely with the committee, with decisions and offers being made by mid-February 2025. Scholars will have until March 31, 2025 to accept the position. 

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Considerations

The University of Waterloo regards diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to employment equity and accessibility for all employees. As such, we encourage applications from women, Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) peoples, Black people and People of Colour, persons with disabilities, members of diverse gender identities, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. At Waterloo, scholars will have the opportunity to work across disciplines and collaborate with an international community of scholars and a diverse student body, situated in a rapidly growing community that has been termed a “hub of innovation”.