Type of employment
Fellowship
Funding
$120,000 over four years
Application deadline
March 15, 2026
The Systems Design Engineering (SYDE) Department at the University of Waterloo is pleased to invite applications for the Cornfield Sustainable Systems Design PhD Fellowship. This fellowship will address multi-scale, interconnected, highly complex, and dynamic socio technical systems with a special focus on energy, climate action and system resilience.
This prestigious award provides $120,000 over four years ($30,000 per year). When combined with advisor support ($10,000 per year), Faculty of Engineering support ($5,000 per year) and one guaranteed teaching assistantship per year, the Cornfield Sustainable Systems Design PhD Fellows are expected to receive approximately $50,000 of support per year. The funding will be prorated for students currently enrolled based on their year of study. Award applications are due March 15, 2026, but will be made on a rolling basis starting on February 15, 2026.
This opportunity is open to exceptional candidates with relevant experience who want to extend their interests to advance research in this field. The department expects to award up to eight fellowships in Fall 2026. The fellowship selection committee serves as the annual progress review committee that awards subsequent years of funding based on progress.
This fund is made possible by a donation from David J. and Linda Archer Cornfield.
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- Hold an incoming average of at least 80%
- Have applied for the Systems Design Engineering PhD program for full-time studies starting in Fall 2026, or are currently enrolled as a full-time student in the SYDE MASc or PhD program
- Plan to research sustainable systems design in their PhD
What is Sustainable Systems Design?
In the context of this fellowship, sustainable systems include technical, environmental, social, and economic dimensions of durable, efficient and long-lasting systems with a special focus on energy, climate adaptation and system resilience. This fellowship is focused on research directly and indirectly related to energy systems.
Research on sustainable systems design contains all aspects of producing, delivering and the consequences of using energy for social and economic purposes. This work integrates energy sources, disruption, recovery, generation and delivery (transmission and distribution) with human decisions. It includes the social, environmental and economic impacts of energy use, including climate adaptation. Application areas may include alternative and legacy energy systems, climate change adaptation, climate change literacy, climate disaster recovery, electric vehicles, aircraft and equipment, energy consumption reduction, energy storage systems, life cycle analysis, smart grids, and system resiliency.
How to Apply
Completed applications should be merged into a single PDF file including the following:
- A completed application form
- A 1-page description of the applicant’s experience and motivation for studying sustainable systems design
- A 1-page description of their proposed research focus/questions that will be pursued during their PhD study
- A support letter from a faculty supervisor in the Systems Design Engineering department, who agrees to provide the Faculty of Engineering minimum guaranteed PhD funding.
- Transcripts from prior graduate studies (students applying to PhD without a master’s must include undergraduate transcripts)
- Submit the PDF in the below form