PDF Support Program: Rules and Procedures
Eligibility and place of tenure
AARMS postdoctoral fellowships are awarded, on the recommendation of its Scientific Review Panel (SRP), to beginning researchers who received their PhD no more than four years before applying. Applications will be considered from those who anticipate receiving their PhD before the proposed start time of the fellowship, however the PhD must be in hand before actually beginning the fellowship. AARMS will provide $17,500 per year for the fellowship and the supervisor is responsible for organizing matching funds of at least this amount
It is typically expected that the proposed supervisor will not be the same person as the applicant's PhD supervisor, and that the proposed Postdoctoral Fellowship will be at a different university than the one at which the PhD was awarded. The proposed supervisor must be a full-time tenure track or tenured faculty member at a university in Atlantic Canada.
Duration
Normally two years. Funding for the second year is dependent upon satisfactory performance demonstrated in the detailed progress report submitted by the supervisor(s).
Application
Applicants are required to establish a relationship with a prospective supervisor before applying to AARMS, and to have a tentative agreement from that supervisor to make a joint application to this program. This program is not a service for matching applicants with supervisors.
Applications should be made by the candidate through the PDF Application page found through the Online Services link in our menu.The application should include:
- CV (in pdf format)
- Research Proposal: a detailed description of the research area and the research to be carried out during the tenure of the fellowship as well as a description of how the candidate would interact with the supervisor(s). (also in pdf format)
- Name(s) and email address(es) of proposed supervisor(s)
- Names and email addresses of two referees
After their name(s) and email addresse(s) have been entered by the applicant, the proposed supervisor(s) will receive an automated message from the system, giving them access to the application, and requesting the submission of the following materials:
- A written reference.
- A list of the exact sources of matching funding (NSERC or other grant(s), department(s), ...); to be typed directly into the web form provided. If there are more than one intended supervisors only one needs to submit this financial information.
The proposed referees will also receive an automated message from the system, giving them access to the application, and requesting the submission of a written reference. Referees should be persons who are familiar with the candidate's work and can comment on their suitability for an AARMS postdoctoral fellowship.
Assessment
Applications will be reviewed by the Scientific Review Panel, who will make a recommendation to the Director.
Timetable
- December 14 - Application deadline.
- December 22 - Deadline for supervisor contribution.
- February 1 - Deadline for the assessment phase. Initial offers on Postdoctoral fellowships are made within the next few weeks. The department/university offered an award is requested to provide to AARMS a signed "funding package", showing the annual contributions by the supervisor(s), the department, and the university. Their amount has at least to match the AARMS contribution of $17,500 and may require that the fellowship holder teach up to one class each term (including spring/summer sessions). If an offer is declined AARMS reserves the right to either offer or to refrain from offering a fellowship to the next candidate in the ranking. If a successful candidate has also been offered an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship it is permitted to accept the AARMS award as well. In this case AARMS will contribute $7,500 per year on top of the NSERC award. No matching fees will be required from the supervisor(s).
- June 30 - Deadline for reports from supervisors of renewing PDFs. The supervisor must submit a detailed progress report, outlining the research work and listing publications, talks, etc. Electronic copies of all publications must be submitted to AARMS for archival purposes. The PDF is also expected to acknowledge the support of AARMS in their publications.
- August 31 - Latest possible termination date for the second year of a PDF.
- September 1 - Start time for the fellowship. AARMS will transfer $8,750 (first half of the annual amount) during the month when the PDF starts his programme, and the same amount six months later. This is done upon receipt of a formal invoice from the hosting department/university. It is acceptable for the start of a fellowship to be delayed up until December 1, but funding will be reduced proportionate to the delay. This reduction will be reconciled in the second year of funding.
Apply
Make your application through our Online Application System (System opens November 2012).