Postdoctoral Fellowships for Black Scholars

Black scholars are among the most underrepresented in postdoctoral positions, tenured faculty positions, and in university leadership. Building on the recommendations of the Anti-Black Racism Campus Climate Review and reinforced by the (PDF file) Standing Strong committee recommendations, and as part of a wider commitment to equity, in recognition of the barriers to equal opportunities for education and employment, TMU implemented this program with the goals of building a more diverse and inclusive academe, and supporting the flourishing of Black scholarship. In particular, this program seeks to expand and advance Black scholarship and intellectual traditions, and support the academic endeavours of the Black community.

Value and duration

Available fellowships: up to four (4) beginning Sept. 5, 2023
Amount: $70,000/year plus benefits
Duration: 24 months
Field: Open
Deadline to apply: April 1, 2023
Decision: July 2023

Applications are now closed.

Eligibility

Scholars who self-identify as Black (of African descent; for example, Africans and African heritage people from the Caribbean, Americas, Europe).
Completion of a PhD or PhD-equivalent within the last three years prior to the application deadline, or PhD expected by the planned start date of the fellowship.
Can hold the fellowship by September 5, 2023 for two years.
Successful applicants must be eligible to work in Canada by the start of the Postdoctoral position. International applicants may apply; however, successful international applicants will require a work permit and Canadian Social Insurance Number in order to take up the postdoctoral position. Exceptional start dates may be negotiated in relation to the permit and visa process timelines.
Be associated with a current or proposed supervisor who holds a tenured or tenure-track faculty position at TMU, and include a letter of support from the proposed supervisor.
This funding cannot be held concurrently with another major fellowship.
Applicants cannot hold a faculty position or be on leave from such a position.
Applicants must submit proof of completion of degree before the fellowship commences.

Application process and materials

The next call for applications is expected to be in December 2024, with fellowships being made available in fall 2025.

Interested applicants must secure an agreement to supervise from a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University. Only full-time tenured or tenure track faculty members are eligible to be supervisors. Prospective applicants may peruse TMU's faculty experts directory to search for and connect with potential supervisors.

Applicants must submit, through the YSGPS Scholarship and Fellowship Application Portal the following materials:

A cover letter
A CV
A scholarly, research and creative (SRC) activity proposal
A letter of support from the proposed supervisor

Evaluation criteria

Applicant’s SRC excellence and leadership: Robust scholarly, research and creative activity (SRC) with demonstrated contributions to societal development, and demonstrated capacity for leadership in the subject domain as defined by the sphere of influence achieved to date by the applicant, and the potential future sphere of influence.

Quality of applicant's proposed SRC project/program: Potential of the applicant’s SRC to meet expectations and goals, and have strong impact in the domain, and where applicable, to promote the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion across professional practice.

Demonstrated synergy between the applicant’s SRC and the institutional strategic priorities: Strategic alignment of the proposed SRC project with institutional SRC goals/priorities, the institution’s potential to benefit strategically from engaging with the applicant, and for the applicant to have significant impact in an SRC-intensive career.

Demonstrated synergy between applicant and supervisor’s SRC: Alignment and synergy between supervisor’s SRC and applicant’s SRC project/program that can strengthen scholarly research and creative engagement and excellence at TMU.

Note: Potential outcomes related to Black SRC, including but not limited to, health in the Black community, anti-Black systemic racism, Black cultural art or history, social and health inequities, leadership in health policy, oppressive practices, urban health, the impact of AI on the Black community, are considered high priority.