UWaterloo's SSHRC postdoc application process
Overview
The SSHRC postdoctoral fellowships support the most promising Canadian new scholars in the social sciences and humanities and assist them in establishing a research base at an important time in their research careers. The fellowship is valued at $70,000 per year for two years. Successful applicants at UWaterloo are also provided with extended health benefits, which are paid for centrally by the University.
Applications and eligibility
There is no institutional deadline to apply for the SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship, and all applicants must apply directly through the agency. If you have previously applied, but have been unsuccessful, you can apply again. However, you may only apply a maximum of two times for this opportunity, and you must ensure you remain within the eligibility window to apply again. You must also not have already received a postdoctoral award (including a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship) from any of the tri-agencies. For full eligibility criteria, please visit the SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship webpage.
Please note that if you are also interested in applying for a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship, you can apply for both the Banting and SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships at the same time, but separate applications must be submitted – an application for the Banting does not automatically submit an application to the agency-specific postdoctoral fellowship program.
We understand that many postdocs, while applying for SSHRC funding, may also be applying to other funding sources. Per the Tri-Agency Research Training Award Holder’s Guide, the tri-agency does not place restrictions on outside sources of funding that an award holder would hold concurrently*. Recipients, however, will need to know what the regulations are for other funding being issued.
*Recipients cannot hold a Banting and a tri-agency postdoctoral fellowship at the same time.
Institutional nomination and commitment form
As part of the application, you will be required to submit an institutional nomination and commitment form. The department chair should complete this form – if you will be supervised by faculty members in more than one department, you should request the form be completed by the chair in the department your proposed primarily supervisor is appointed. You will need to input the department chair’s information into your online application form which will trigger an email to be sent to them with instructions on how to complete this form.
Application support and review
It is best to have your host supervisor review your application and research proposal as they are best suited to ensure your documents align with the proposed arrangements. We also recommend having your colleagues review your materials to ensure completeness and appropriate writing style.
Successful applicants
If you have successfully received a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship, congratulations! Please email our postdoc team, so that we can provide you with information on next steps. If you have not reached out to us in advance, the postdoc team will reach out to you directly, once we have received confirmation of successful applicants from the agency, to obtain required information to set up your appointment and pay at UWaterloo.
Beginning in April 2022, all SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship award recipients will be paid through the eligible Canadian host institution. To facilitate payment of your fellowship, your department will prepare an appointment letter outlining the details of your appointment. Once details of your appointment are finalized and you have provided UWaterloo with all documentation requested to confirm your award, a work order (funding account) will be provided to your Host Supervisor. Your department will then send completed appointment paperwork to Human Resources to arrange payment through payroll and provide you with benefits (paid by the University of Waterloo).
Each year, the host institution is also requested to issue T4As. Additional details and instructions regarding payment of fellowships can be found in the Tri-Agency Research Training Award Holder’s Guide.
For more information on next steps for all incoming postdocs, please visit the Incoming Postdocs section of our website.
Requests for documents and signatures
As a successful applicant, you may be requested to submit a “Degree Completion” form. Please send an email request to our Office Assistant in Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs with a copy of your pre-completed form attached. Include your full name and Waterloo student identification number in the body of your email and she/he will email you the completed copy back as a pdf attachment.
When completing your Request for Instalment form, "Part 4: Confirmation of Status” requests the signature of an “authorized official”. We recommend having the chair of your department sign the form, as they are best suited to confirm that you will be engaged in full-time research. You will then submit your form directly to the agency, and cc the postdoc team.
Who to contact
Please contact the GSPA postdoc team if you have any questions about the SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships.