UBC Public Scholars Award

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Deadline

25 May 2018

Annual Value

Up to $10,000

Citizenship

Canadian
Permanent Resident
International

Degree Level

Doctoral
 

ApplicationS for the 2018/19 PSI Award are now closed. thank you very much for your interest. the applicants will be contacted with results in early july.

This award is part of the UBC Public Scholars Initiative (PSI) which intends to build connections, community, and capacity for doctoral students who are interested in explicitly linking their doctoral work to an arena of public benefit and integrating broader and more career-relevant forms of scholarship into their doctoral education process.

Up to $10,000 twice, for a total of $20,000 per student is available to support innovative/collaborative scholarship which the student would otherwise be unable to pursue. Funding can be used for:

  • Student stipend, if the student’s current funding source would not allow the alternative project(s)
  • A research allowance (including allowance for professional development or travel relevant to the scholarly work)

Funding is available for up to 30-40 new students in 2018-19. Students may be eligible for renewal for a second year (pending new PSI funding).

Listen to the PSI Info Session from March 9, 2016:

 

Eligibility

  • UBC Vancouver doctoral students (PhD, EdD, and DMA) in years 1-5
    • Applicants must have completed no more than 48 months of doctoral study as of 31 August 2018
    • Applicants must be registered in a UBC doctoral program as of 1 September 2018
    • Applicants in their 6th year (48 to 60 months of doctoral study) will be accepted only in the most exceptional circumstances

Requirements for all funded students:

  • Submission of a report at the end of their first (and if applicable, second) year of funding
  • Presentation of their work at a Network event PhDs Go Public. 

All students, faculty, and collaborators will be asked to complete a questionnaire at the end of their funding/involvement. Student dissertations and student completion and career outcomes will also be reviewed as part of the assessment of this pilot initiative.

Evaluation Criteria

  • Student’s past accomplishments and future promise. Breadth of interest and accomplishment will be important, as well as an indication of the student’s fit with the proposed project.
  • Project’s relationship to PSI goals, which is to encourage and enable a broadened conception of doctoral education, such that:
    • Students gain experience in the environments and types of scholarship they may productively engage in post-graduation
    • Students’ work is evaluated as part of the degree, ensuring it is of the highest quality, and signaling that the university considers these diverse forms of scholarship worthy of recognition
    • Students gain enhanced career opportunities and they foster positive public perception of the value of the doctorate
    • Students can contribute to the public good in diverse ways through rigorous scholarship
  • Quality of proposed scholarship. The following factors will be taken into account:
    • The work requires a high level of expertise in a discipline(s) and/or methodology
    • The goals are clearly defined, realistic, and identify important questions
    • Adequate preparation for and understanding of the subject is indicated
    • Appropriate methods are proposed to achieve the goals
    • Plans to document and disseminate the work are appropriate and effective
    • The work has significance and is likely to contribute positively to the public good
  • Need for alternative funding sources
  • Consideration will also be given to breadth of the initiative across disciplines

Application Procedures

Applicants are to submit the completed PSI application form (download) and attachments (Canadian Common CV, letters of support, and checklist) to graduate.awards@ubc.ca by 4:00pm on Friday, 25 May 2018.

Adjudication Procedures

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies will convene a multi-disciplinary adjudication committee to review eligible applications and select funding recipients. Funding decisions will be announced in the second half of June.

Profiles of Award Holders

Teilhard Paradela

Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)
Audiences Exposed: Communication and Discipline in the Philippines in the late 20th Century

Dustin Grue

Doctor of Philosophy in English (PhD)
Repeat After Me: The Psychology and Inner Psychology of Speech Reporting Forms

Ashli Akins

Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD)
Dismantling Voicelessness: Culturally Significant Art as a Tool to Deconstruct Embedded Racism, Inequity, and Poverty
Assadullah Sadiq

Assadullah Sadiq

Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD)
Language and Literacy from the Periphery: Understanding the Language and Literacy Practices of Afghan Refugees in Pakistan

Graham McDowell

Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD)
Socio-Ecological Adaptation to Hydrological Change in High Mountains

Laura Melissa Guzman

Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD)
Improving R Instruction in Undergraduate Statistics Courses Using Educational Theories

Katie Warfield

Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD)
#TheRealMe: Phenomenology, New Materialism, and Social Media Self-Imaging

Lindsay Cole

Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD)
Building a public sector innovation lab in the City of Vancouver

Andrew Pilliar

Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD)
Understanding the Market for Personal Legal Services to Improve Access to Civil Justice in Canada
View All Profiles

Further Information

For questions about the Public Scholars Initiative and application procedures, contact Public Scholarship Coordinator Serbulent Turan: serbulent.turan@ubc.ca