SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship

This page is for tracking SSHRC awards to be held during the 2013-2014 academic year.

SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships provide stipendiary support to recent PhD graduates who are:


 * undertaking original research;
 * publishing research findings;
 * developing and expanding personal research networks;
 * broadening their teaching experience; and
 * preparing to become competitive in national research grants competitions.

Fellowships will normally be awarded to candidates affiliated with a university other than that which awarded the PhD. SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship awards are tenable at Canadian or foreign universities and research institutions.

SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships are valued at $38,000 per year, plus an accountable research allowance of up to $5,000 per award. These are taxable, non-renewable fellowships, tenable for a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 24 months. The award may begin on the first of any month between May 2013 and January 2014.

Application Deadline: October 4, 2012

Stats
Applying as an ABD: 31

Applying with a PhD (0-1 years out): 15

Applying with a PhD (2-3 years out): 13

Total: 59

Applying to hold at a Canadian institution: 43

Applying to hold at a non-Canadian institution: 15

Pages from Previous Years
SSHRC 2011-12

SSHRC 2012-13

See also: Humanities and Social Sciences Postdocs 2012-13

=Acknowledgement of application received
The results will be sent by regular mail at the middle of February 2013. Sincerely, "
 * (10/3/12) Submitted last night and the status on the toolbar (where you "verify" and "submit") changed to "forwarded". This morning "forwarded" had changed to "received," so I guess that's an acknowledgment?
 * (10/4/12) Same here, and I am also assuming "received" is an acknowledgment. If you email, they will confirm, though.
 * (10/3/12) OP here - e-mailed and confirmed - "received" does indeed mean that submission was successful. (Am I paranoid much? Sigh...)
 * (10/5/12) anyone else have problems with the system? One of my letter writers submitted her letter 3h before deadline, but every time I tried to "verify" the application, the system told me I was missing her letter. At 5pm PST, the system removed the verify and submit buttons. So I never got my app in, but it is so obviously the fault of the terrible SSHRC online system. And everybody I've talked to at the SSHRC offices says something like "I'm sorry, but the deadline has passed." (!)
 * (10/5/12) That's terrible! For some reason, one of my referees didn't receive the referee form until I entered his/her info for the third time, but that's the only problem I had with the system... I did submit a couple of days before, though. I'm wondering something went awry because so many people must have been logged on yesterday? I seem to recall that it has crashed on the due date in previous years :(
 * (10/7/12) Terrible! I am sorry to hear that! But there definitely was something wrong with the system. One of my referees had "submitted" his form and thought he had had it done, but on my side it was "created" and not "complete." He had to re-fill the form just a day before the deadline again so I can verify and submit.
 * (10/12/12) I just want to second how terrible the online system is in case someone from SSHRC reads this. I made a tiny mistake inputing the email of one of my referees but the system nevertheless said 'email sent' even though that particular address did not exist. I was saved when the referee sent me an email asking when to expect the online form, but come on SSHRC. I'm not sure if anyone else uses a Mac as well but you cannot submit a SSHRC application using Safari (or, at least not my version). Can you imagine if you were sitting at home thirty minutes before the dealine with no access to another computer and that error message came up? Macs are ubiquitous these days and yet a commnly used browser isn't supported? Griping done.
 * Happy holidays everyone! I wish you all the best of luck with your SSHRC application.
 * Thanks! Yes, happy holidays to us all, and good luck in the New Year, everyone! I can't believe that the wait for results won't be too much longer (if they're mailed out on time, that is).
 * Friends and rivals, has anyone contacted SSHRC to see when in February the results will be mailed out? x2
 * I called their number a couple of times (613-943-7777) to ask, but I reached an answering machine!
 * Spoke with them today. They said "mid-February" and that there was no way to hear the results any sooner (I have a postdoctoral interview before the results come out, but I need to be able to tell the institution whether I will be funded...so. Conflict.) (1/25)
 * "Mid-February"? Gah, I'm already so antsy! x6
 * (2/1/13) Only half a month to go! O_O
 * (2/1/13) Thank god it's February! The waiting is making me crazy... although I know that my chances are pretty slim as an ABD so I'm also afraid to find out what the results are :P
 * (2/1/13) Last year the results were mailed on the 2nd and received on 8th. Do you think mid-February is the mailing or receiving date?
 * (2/2/13) Judging by previous years' pattern, mid-February seems to be the receiving date. In less than two weeks, we will all have known the results. I think we should expect the first person to announce his/her good/bad news next week O_O
 * (2/2/13) Here is the response that I received: "Good afternoon,

(02/20/13) Has anyone ever received a SSHRC postdoc with zero publications? Unheard of? (2/20/13): Anyone guessing (praying) tomorrow for the mail date?
 * Dear , thank you for your message. Please send me good news in the mail. Hugs and kisses, applicant.
 * I neglected to send that as a response. Guess I'm not getting funded. :'(
 * Is it normal that when I log in to my SSHRC portfolio, there's no evidence of my application? I verified it and submitted it...should it still show up there as having been submitted?
 * Mine has also disappeared. I imagine that SSHRC removes the application from your account after a certain period of time, but I don't see an explanation on the website. Does anyone else have more info? x2
 * Our applications disappeared from the website months ago. This is normal.
 * Yeah, I emailed them about this a few weeks ago, and they said that they take the applications off the website 30 days after they were submitted, so no worries!
 * Thanks!
 * How would "middle" be measured? Anyone putting bets on a Friday mail date?
 * I wish, but the earliest date I'd bet on is Friday the 15th, to be honest.
 * I bet, tomorrow (not a never ending tomorrow) but February 6th:)! x2
 * Well, the mail's been delivered on Feb. 6th and Toronto, and nothing yet.
 * I've been wrong before!
 * We should each sign up for a day to call and beg for details. This way there can be a daily report about mailing status and we can save SSHRC the headache of 950 calls a day. Sign up sheet time!
 * I stupidly gave them my UK mailing address (where I'm currently studying) instead of my Canadian address. So I'm going to have to wait AGES, most likely. Since February is a short-ish month, perhaps Friday will be the mail out date? Hopefully thinking, eh.. [>> Last year I had given an address in Europe, but the letter was sent to my Canadian address.]
 * It seems that last year's were mailed on Friday, Feb. 2. People began announcing results on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2012.  (see above comments, this year they said it would be a "mid-February" mail date)
 * I called SSHRC today (Feburary 7, 2013) and asked the lady when the letters would be sent. She told me they will be sent towards the end of next week (so towards February 14th...). Stop checking your mailboxes now, it'll be a while still.
 * BRUTAL
 * "Happy Valentine's Day. You're poor. Love, SSHRC"
 * So who is going to call on Monday?
 * I am curious: if you are not granted the SSHRC postdoc fellowship this year (and I really hope everyone will be granted one), what are you going to do? I may leave Canada for a year and work elsewhere. How about you?
 * I'll probably 1) Cry, 2) defend my diss a month or two later than I would otherwise, 3) try to sessional for a couple of semesters, publish more and keep appling for academic jobs and postdocs. If I strike out next year, I'll probably start looking for a non-academic job.
 * I was wondering: what non-academic professions are out there for someone with a PhD in humanities?
 * Defend, graduate, and work for a year while I re-apply for everything. That's it though, one more go-round then I start looking at a different career.
 * Well, I currently live in the UK, so I might just stay over here a bit longer, defend diss a bit later, do some sessional work and maybe reapply for it all over again. Honestly though, this might be my last straw. I'm leaning towards applying to medical school or engineering. Might be the time to do so...
 * I'll defend later (I have a SSRC CGS that runs until April 2014) and then.... don't know. My spouse is in the military and we won't know until later this year where he'll be posted. Depending on whether we end up in a city with a university nearby (then I'll try sessional teaching) or in a remote location (consulting in the private and NGO sector). A postdoctoral SSHRC would really be the best option for our situation.
 * (02/11/13) Anyone call today?
 * I called this morning : the guy said « in february ». I asked "When exactly ? » and he answered « in february »...
 * Why can't they just create a service on their website so we can see the results on our profile? It is cheaper for them and faster for us!
 * Or they could e-mail us the results!
 * (02/12/13) Anyone call today [and get someone who was actually helpful]?
 * We're all anxious to find out the results, but these daily phone calls to the SSHRC folks certainly won't get our results any faster. Lobbying for a change in the notification system (through a letter-writing campaign, for example) might, some day, have more effect. In the end, it's just a few more days of waiting--nothing life threatening, just an old-fashioned exercise in patience. That being said, here's hoping Canada Post doesn't suddenly go on strike.
 * I am perfectly happy pretending that there is hope that I got a SSHRC, the mail can take as long as it wants ;-)
 * Agreed that calling won't do anything to speed it up (though I am really hoping that Feb. 14th was accurate, rather than just "in February"). But it bears mentioning that in some cases, it's not just a matter of impatience. If you have an offer for something else that is less desirable than SSHRC, but there's an expiry date on that offer before the end of this month, then not hearing back from SSHRC sooner can really affect your path.
 * But harassing public servants with constant phone calls isn't going to fix that either. SSHRC's way of doing things could stand to be improved, but I really doubt the people answering the phones are making those decisions.
 * I agree with both opinions above. While SSHRC's unclear schedule and delays could have a negative impact on the careers of many of us, calling them constantly won't help. I suggest we write and sign a letter and pass it around in all Canadian universities to ask the SSHRC people to: a) be more specific with schedules (we have a deadline to submit; perhaps the results should be announced by a deadline too); b) give applicants the option, upon application, to see the result on their online profile rather than receive it by mail (or something to this effect). Maybe the Postdoc Association could step in and do something?
 * Move through email or the online system itself would save them $$. Petition could work, but I'm not willing to start it... who has the time to do it? Also, I don't "harass" the public servant, I'm super polite and pleasant and they always give me the info I'm looking for (i.e., specific date). Part of their job is answering the phone, so...  (x2)
 * (2/13/13) Have any potential postdocs also applied for a Fulbright Canada Scholars Award? Their results are supposed to be out around the same time as SSHRC's, but I can't find anything on the wiki.
 * My "squeeze" applied for a Fullbright and he got word weeks ago by email that his application was shortlisted and will be considered by the US-based Committee. We'll find out on or before April 15th for Fullbright.
 * (2/13/13) Along the same lines, has anyone heard when results are coming for any of the Killam postdocs? They are also not represented on the Wiki.
 * (2/13/13) I applied to two Killams. One (UBC) I did not make it past the nomination round and found out about that in November (boo!). The second one (from U of A): I made it to the shortlist, and they supposedly mailed out letters of offer and regret January 31st. I'm tempted to email my proposed supervisor, but a bit too nervous to do so... Still haven't heard anything on that front! Could be held up mail due to all the snow storms through central and eastern Canada....
 * (2/13/13) The language on the U of A website led me to believe that U of A was mailing Killam notifications out on Jan. 31st, but I'm on the west coast and haven't recieved anything either. twoKillams, if you don't mind telling, could you let us know if someone at U of A confirmed to you that the letters have been sent out?
 * (2/14/13) You can just call the postdoc office at the U of A and they'll let you know whether you got it.
 * Thanks! I just called - and was apparently unsuccessful (History). Oh well - good luck to the rest of you!
 * Yeah, I didn't get it either.
 * I also was unsuccessful for the U of A Killam (Anthropology)
 * Also a "no"
 * Also a no, received via email today-- Killam at Dalhousie
 * (2/14/13) UBC Killam people say that everyone will be told of the results by email by the end of this month. They won't tell you over the phone, unfortunately.
 * Happy Valentine's Day - aka SSHRC mailing day!
 * Anybody call and see if they'll confirm whether they've been mailed today?
 * I called, but I just got the answering machine.
 * Let's assume they are all at the post office . ..
 * I just called and they told me "some time this month". Argh.
 * I didn't even apply for SSHRC this year and still the suspense is killing me.
 * Does anyone know if SSHRC notifies the PostDoc Office at either your current institution or where you plan to take up your award prior to sending the letters in the mail? I would check but it's Reading Break at both institutions for me. I'm curious because they do this for MA and Doctoral awards.
 * Doesn't look like they do: http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/policies-politiques/f_notification-b_avis-eng.aspx
 * I totally missed that section on the website. Thanks!
 * Is it possible that the letters have already been mailed?  Perhaps, out of animosity for being bothered so much,  the folks answering the phone are deliberately witholding the date letters were sent out
 * My guess is that they are being sent out today and we'll all start receiving our letters next week. Ah, the suspense.
 * I just called and was told that they have not been sent out and won't be until the end of next week. (x2)
 * Ah, there's nothing like "bureaucratically unagile" Canadian state agencies to take their sweet time.
 * I know! It's so unfortunate we have these agencies to pay our salaries for two years. Abolish them!
 * At the least, having to answer the phone all day surely slows them down.
 * On the sshrc website, it says results will be announced in Feb. As long as they come before the end of the month, we can't reproach them for not being "on time." Yes, it's difficult being in limbo land, but take consolation in the fact that there are probably close to 1,000 of us in the same position.
 * Yes, it's official: they just told me "it will probably be by the end of next week," i.e. probably by Feb. 22, but possibly even later.
 * Thanks for the update - do you mean 'probably mailed by the end of next week' or 'probably received by the end of next week'?
 * She said they'd probably be mailed at the end of next week, unfortunately.
 * Rough. Thanks. Sigh...It doesn't really change anything for me, ultimately, but I'm getting pressure at work to make a decision one way or another (stay and work versus go and do the post-doc). SSHRC does say 'February' for notification timing, so it's totally fair, but boy do I wish they did these things electronically...I'm so obsessed with my mail box.
 * Me too! I am mailboxoholic. The suspense has no more joy. It's become an addiction (with crazy thoughts, like I wish the delayed it until April, May, or even later!)
 * I'm getting ridiculously anxious....I've already had two recent rejections and would just like to know what this will be so I can mourn if need be, and move on. (x5)
 * Agreed! Does anyone want to share their Plan B? Mine is some admin work and trying again next year...
 * I will write a novel.
 * I will also write a novel and run for Prime Minister.
 * I'm going to join CSIS. And write a novel.
 * Maybe I'll do another PhD. Seems to be the only "jobs" showing up on some academic job search sites these days :(
 * Sigh. You know, I might actually consider doing another PhD if you could get a doctoral SSHRC more than once. Okay, I'm kidding. Mostly.
 * Last year, my SSHRC postdoc application was unsuccessful. I applied to do a second PhD, and was admitted. At the same time, I could take up a position out of Canada, and quite far. I finally decided not to do the PhD. I think if you looked everywhere in the world, you would find short term positions. They pay you more, are adventurous, and continue rather than repeat your career.
 * FWIW, contract positions do not pay more in the long run, often do not have benefits, and do not advance your career in any signficant way-only publishing does--and that's often difficult to do in these types of positions. Thats why we all want this postdoc, right?
 * I think it depends on your field. Have most people published by the time they graduate?
 * My brother, who has been on the selection commitee, says that it is discipline dependant. For instance, people in practice based fine arts, like music composition, their artistic output (ie. compositions, performances) matter quite a bit in this instance.
 * I know people in anthropology who have received the postdoc without publications.  I think the program of work is more determinant than track record - even if the latter officially "counts" for half of your score.
 * Yep, very true. My brother got a SSHRC PDF in anthro without any pubs! His program of work must have gotten him what he needed!
 * Just out of curiosity, when exactly was your brother awarded a SSRHC postdoc?  With so many qualified people applying these days, it seems that it should be next to impossible to receive funding without any publications.
 * I keep hoping that they'll announce it on Twitter or something :P
 * SSHRC Twitter says that SSHRC postdoc results have now been mailed!  Hoping good things for all, regardless of the results (sometimes good things happen in unexpected ways). Wishing the best for all, whatever that best may be. (x3)
 * Just checked twitter, I don't see the announcement.
 * I think the confusion may be due to a tweet from 2012 announcing Doctoral awards, which comes up if you google "SSHRC" and "Twitter". In any case, the letters have been mailed and that's all that matters! :)
 * I don't see the announcement on Twitter either, but I hope that you're right about it being mailed. I've been checking my mailbox like a mad person. My neighbours may call the cops because I hover around it waiting for the postman everyday! lol
 * Talk about them prolonguing the misery. Perhaps they tweeted about it prematurely and then deleted...I can't find any tweet about this :-) Oh well, let's cross our fingers that it gets sent out today or twomorrow. I'm dying over here!
 * I just called the SSHRC : letters will be posted tomorrow morning. I asked if it could be later and she said me : 99 percent of chance that the letters will be posted tomorrow morning.
 * For those of us living in the United States, hopefully the letters get mailed early enough to make it across the border by Saturday.  Mail continues being processed in the US on Saturday, so this would improve our chances of getting letters by the middle of next week.
 * (2/21/13) So the letters are (presumably) in the mail! Where are they coming from, anyway? Ottawa? Just trying to guesstimate how many days it'll take to arrive in my particular mailbox...
 * (2/21/13). Confirmed: they are going out this afternoon. Good luck, everyone.
 * (2/21/13). Anyone familiar with CP know whether it could be delivered in Ottawa/Kingston by tomorrow? Or more likely Monday/Tuesday?
 * If they mail out of Ottawa, then Montreal/Toronto will probably be first (Tues/Wednesday likeliest), Kingston a day later (same goes for Halifax, Vancouver, the Prairies etc). Tomorrow or Monday would be a Canada Post miracle (but hey, fingers crossed!). Ottawa to Ottawa is variable - could be by tomorrow, or not. The major CP hubs are Mtl, Toronto & Vancouver, so those are generally the first places to get served. [Full disclosure: I base all of this on my former life as a fundraising drone & obsessive postcard sender].
 * Thanks for this!
 * (2/22/13) Any guesses as to when overseas applicants might receive their letter? USA, UK, etc.?
 * USA could be up to more two weeks from mailing date.
 * I would be shocked if it took that long.  I think US recipients will get the letters between Wednesday and Friday, especially if the letters are across the border by Saturday, to benefit from weekend processing and delivery.
 * (2/22/13) Probably in the next few weeks for overseas..Although I was told that they often send it to your permanent Canadian address. I'm in the UK, and currently having silent anxiety attacks about this...(x2!)
 * I'm in the UK too, but I find that it usually takes only a few days for the post to arrive if its sent directly.
 * Thanks, air mail ftw I guess!
 * Whoever posts their results first: be sure to let us know the stats on number of applicants and number of awards granted. Thanks!
 * From looking at last year's wiki, it seems as though people in the US received their letters a week after they were sent. Letters to the UK took 10 days (or so). I still don't understand why they use the post!
 * To be fair, checking the mailbox once (or twice) a day for a week (or month) is much less headache-inducing than pressing the 'Refresh' button on the browser every minute for days.
 * I completely agree that waiting for mail is much less of a time-waster than being distracted by checking one's on-line status every 10 minutes.
 * SSHRC's twitter account says that the results have now been mailed out -- good luck everyone!
 * Wait. Online status? I just went to my SSHRC account page and it shows nothing. Just my CV. Uh oh.
 * That's because the current competition is over/closed. They wipe your account and you start over next year. Has nothing to do with our results, as far as I know
 * Will today be the day?
 * Preparing for bad news.  Only one in ten applications are successful.  Diminishing returns in a difficult market.
 * Shit just got real.  The market *is* ridiculously difficult.  There are WAY too many Ph.D.'s out there; however, that's not the only problem.  There are way too many Ph.D.'s with absolutely stellar records.  The market is completely flooded with them.  I "thought" I had a fairly good record (solid funding, pubs, etc), but I just received *another* rejection email today for a postdoc--that's four rejections in total since January.  I'm a bit confused as I had all of my programmes of work read through by faculty in my department, and the consensus was that they were solid ("solid").  Mind you, two of the postdocs that I applied for were based out of Oxford and Cambridge respectively, so I may have been aiming a tad high there.  Either way, though, I'm on a roll!  Sadly, I expect very much so to get yet another rejection from SSHRC.  I actually feel like directing my anger at something or someone in particuarly, but I can't.  Sadly, I wasn't issued a "cavaet emptor" regarding my graduate education.  That this is so means I'm the only one to blame.  And now that I'm in my late 30's, the thought of a change of direction makes me physically sick.  Ugh.  Regarding any future plans that I may have?  I got nuthin.  I guess I'll just keep working this research assistant position.  Fancy that: a research assistant with a Ph.D.
 * I could have written the above :( Also preparing for bad news. I can honestly say, though, that I've done everything I could over the past couple of years to make myself marketable. We can only do our best.
 * Yikes. This all rings true. I'm ABD and I realize that my chances are much lower than the rest of you with PhDs. I am bracing for bad news, and trying hard to look into that dark void of "what to do now" if the results are bad.
 * The problem here, I think, is one of "translation".  Just because we're not sucessful doesn't neccessarily mean this translates into something negative on our part, i.e., "we're not good enough", or "our applications just didn't compare to those who were successful".  SSHRC has a limited number of spots to provide for funding (and these spots, sadly, seem to be shinking year by year), so they can--obviously--only fund a limited number of extremely qualified applicants.  As well, SSHRC has quotas: let's say that a partiuclar school--York perhaps--has 20 extremely promising applicants (all of whom have exactly what one needs to secure postdoctoral funding: publications, prior funding through SSHRC, a great programme of work, etc.  With quotas in place, though, SSHRC might only be able to provide funding to maybe half or even less of these applicants.  Does this translate into the fact that those who didn't receive  funding are "lesser" academics or scholars that those who did?  Again, not neccessarily.  It's a shitty numbers game in a lot of cases--that's all.  I hate numbers, though, so it doesn't make things easier.  So what this situation does translate into, utimately, is something completely bloody aleatory in the end.  Random chance.  That's what makes this whole process so frustrating.
 * I'm in my early thirties and I've been out of the academic for the last couple of years while I've waited for my department to actually do the admin work needed for my PhD to be accepted (the admin at my school is extremly incompetent). I've worked for a private company since 2007 while I did my write-up and during the waiting period. Since I've worked in the private sector, my CV doesn't look so good for academia despite some publications and a book contract that I literally just received (not in time to help my SSHRC application). I know it sounds like a sob story, but what does someone in my situation do if they don't get funding? I've applied to academic jobs, but I haven't gotten even one interview. The job market is definitely hostile to over-educated people unless something comes up in academia. That said, I agree that academia  is a flooded market and I think that many of the universities have failed their PhD students in terms of helping them get a foot in the door. Hopefully there is some good news this week!
 * I do think this website, on alternate careers for PhDs in the humanities and social sciences, is great (though US-centered): http://www.careereducation.columbia.edu/resources/tipsheets/non-academic-career-options-phds-and-mas

(2/25) No letter today in Toronto.
 * (x3 for Toronto) No letter here either, and yes, the mail came and went.
 * (x3 for Toronto) - No letter, hopefully tomorrow.

Results received (unsuccessful)
REMEMBER TO POST YOUR SCORES

(2/25) Results: 903 eligible applications; 182 awards offered.


 * Wow, that's slightly better than I expected!


 * Provenance???  Was this on the website, or did someone receive their letter?
 * That's a 20% success rate, its much better than in previous years! I also want to know who got that - what city? Was it from a letter? Was it good or bad news? What did the letter look like? I'm in Kingston and as of 1pm the mailman still hasn't come over... he usually drops by at around 2 pm. Getting anxious!


 * I got my letter today 2/25 (unsuccessful in Montreal) and these are the real numbers (182 successful out of 903 applications).
 * What were your scores?
 * Thank you for posting, Montreal. Sorry you didn't get it this time :(


 * Yeah, where is this from?  It's definitely not from the web.