The Killam Scholarship and Prize Programmes were established in memory of Izaak Walton Killam through the Will of his wife, Dorothy J. Killam, and through gifts made during her lifetime. Their primary purpose is to support advanced education and research at five Canadian universities and the Canada Council for the Arts. The UBC Killam Doctoral Scholarships are provided annually from the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Fund for Advanced Studies. It was Mrs. Killam's desire that those selected to receive scholarships: "Be likely to contribute to the advancement of learning or to win distinction in a profession. A Killam scholar should not be a one-sided person... Special distinction of intellect should be founded upon sound character."
Killam Doctoral Scholarships are the most prestigious awards available to graduate students at UBC. Approximately 25 awards are offered each year to the top doctoral candidates in the Affiliated Fellowships competition. At present, the Killam Doctoral Scholarship provides an annual stipend valued at $40,000 for two years*.
*Killam Doctoral Scholarships awardees on the UBC-Vancouver campus also become Four Year Fellowship holders and receive additional tuition funding from the 4YF program if they are eligible.