SSHRC 2014-15

This page is for tracking SSHRC awards to be held during the 2014-2015 academic year.

SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships support the most promising Canadian new scholars in the social sciences and humanities and assist them in establishing a research base at an important time in their research careers.

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.

NOTE: Applicants should be aware that as of the 2014-2015 competition, SSHRC’s Postdoctoral Fellowships will undergo the following changes:


 * Postdoctoral Fellowships awards will increase from $38,000 per year to $40,500 per year for up to two years, while provision for a separate research allowance will no longer be offered.
 * Applicants will be eligible to apply up to two years after completion of a PhD (instead of the previous three-year window).
 * Applicants who have previously held a postdoctoral award from SSHRC, CIHR, or NSERC, including a Banting postdoctoral fellowship, will no longer be eligible to apply.
 * Postdoctoral Fellowships evaluation criteria will align with other SSHRC grants, which assess proposals based on three main criteria: challenge, feasibility and capability.

The deadline to submit a proposal for the 2014-2015 competition is October 2, 2013.

Stats
Applying as an ABD: 25

Applying with a PhD (0-1 years out): 14

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

Total: 41

Applying to hold at a Canadian institution: 28

Applying to hold at a non-Canadian institution: 13

Official Numbers: "This year, the postdoctoral committees adjudicated 844 eligible applications. In view of the limited funds available to this program, SSHRC is able to offer 183 awards."

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Pages from Previous Years
SSHRC 2011-12

SSHRC 2012-13

SSHRC 2013-14

SEE ALSO: Humanities and Social Sciences Postdocs 2013-14 (Banting and Killam postdocs posted here)

Acknowledgement of application received
Sep 30, 2013 - I just forwarded my application. Am I supposed to receive an acknowledgement by email?

Oct 1, 2013 - just submitted as well. The application status reads as Forwarded first, and then should change to Received--usually within a day or so. Good luck!

Oct. 2, 2013 - Just submitted. Again. Here goes nothing! Good luck, everyone!

Oct. 2, 2013 - Submitted this morning. The status is still "Forwarded." Hope it changes to "Received" soon... Good bluck to you all!

Oct 8, 2013 - Submitted late on Oct 1st and received acknowledgement via email yesterday (Oct 7).

Oct. 9, 2013 -- Just received an email acknowledgement, although I submitted my application well over two weeks ago. Anyway, the acknowledgement is a giant leap for SSHRC because when I first applied (obviously unsuccessfully) in 2011 they didn't even bother to send me an email or anything.

Feb. 1, 2014 - Anyone want to place wagers on when we'll hear from SSHRC this month (hopefully!)? --> Hmm. Well, last year people were told by SSHRC to expect results in mid-Feb, but didn't actually hear back till late Feb. I'm guessing a similar timeline...(02/01)

Feb. 2, 2014 - I'm really hoping for mid-Feb--can't take the suspense!

Feb. 2, 2014 - I'm guessing mid-Feb-- last year there were 900 applications; this year's eligibility criteria seem to have reduced the numbers and this may speed the process up! (02/2) x2. I'm trying not to get my hopes up because of the possibly reduced application numbers. Last year I was sure I'd get it and seem to have just missed the score cutoff for funded apps. But each year is a new ballgame. Ugh.

Feb 2, 2014 - This waiting game already feels awful altough no letter can be expected at this point. I am not sure if they will do it this year - but last year they announced the mailing date via twitter: https://twitter.com/SSHRC_CRSH/status/305036230444322816 (over the years, the mailing date seems to have changed from beginning to end of February...although I hope I am wrong, I am expecting we'll hear back in early March)

Feb. 3, 2014 - I just e-mailed SSHRC and they informed me that results will probably be mailed out in the middle of the month. Looks like we are indeed looking at a timeline similar to last year's. (Good to know - thanks! Though I was really hoping it would be earlier. 02/04)

Feb. 3, 2014 - I'm going to assume Feb 20th, just so I can stop thinking about it. Though there's some relief in knowing we're all waiting in agony together!

Feb. 7, 2014 - Does anyone know whether they send emails in addition to the letters? I might be out of town when they do send the mail. Feb. 11, 2014 - This waiting is killing me! Anyone have any updates on the date the results are mailed-out? Feb 14, 2014: A tweet from half an hour ago says results will be mailed out "by the end of next week"
 * I applied last year and there was no e-mail - only a letter (and offers and rejections are mailed out at the same time).
 * Thanks for the info.! I'm going to have to wait when I get back, unfortunately!
 * None here... but I keep checking this wiki and SSHRC's twitter every day. FML.
 * LINK to Twitter Feed: https://twitter.com/SSHRC_CRSH
 * Feb 13, 2014 - in response to a query on twitter they say that postdoctoral results have not yet been mailed but "will be soon" (and they will announce on twitter).


 * Agh, so by mid-February they really mean late February.
 * This (mailing date of Feb 21, just like last year) probably means that people in major Canadian cities will receive their letters Feb 27 or 28 (again, judging from last year's wiki; also, Toronto letters seem to always arrive first)

Feb 14, 2014: Does anyone know how long Canadian post typically takes to get to get to the US?


 * Typically I think around a week.
 * Does anyone know why they don't do email? Is there a reason?

Does anyone have any news about the Killam postdoc competition (UBC in particular)? Has anyone heard? Last year around this time some universities had already sent out notifications (via e-mail). Sorry if this is off-topic! Feb. 17, 2014: "Happy Friday! The SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships notifications will be mailed out by the end of next week." https://twitter.com/SSHRC_CRSH
 * NOTE: the UBC Killam postdoc is posted on the main Postdocs page: LINK

Feb. 19, 2014: Sorry if this is a bit off-topic when everybody is waiting to hear the results; but I was wandering whether the members of the selection commitee have any access to the identity of the applicants or there is a blind-review process. I couldn't find any specific information on this matter. Any thoughts?

I am sure they know your name -- the referees use your name in their letters, you list your pubs., etc. Feb. 20, 2014: I just wanted to throw it out there that anyone can ATIP their SSHRC Postdoc. In other words, after the results are out you can make a request and see what reviewers said about your proposal. (https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/atip-aiprp/index-eng.asp) Feb. 21, 2014: So I am assuming everyone else is checking this page and SSHRC's twitter feed constantly. Hopefully they'll mail out letters today. I wish I had news but wanted to know what others are thinking.
 * x2 I've never heard of it being blind - and I imagine that if it was, we'd get instructions on how to prepare our apps for blind review rather than leaving it up to some poor soul on SSHRC support staff to redact thousands of pages. If you're concerned about your app ending up in the hands of someone in your field who doesn't like your work for personal reasons... well, I guess it's a risk and i is a problem that SSHRC should address somehow, but I don't think it's a very big risk. Chances are, the people reviewing your app are not in your subdiscipline or even your discipline (at least, I think that must be the case - it certainly is for the doctoral award adjudication, according to my advisor).
 * Comments from a former professor who sat on the selection committee leads me to believe that it's certainly not blind.
 * That sounds ominous.
 * Completed Access to Information Requests. I tried linking directly to SSHRC, but the link would not publish properly. Choose SSHRC from the side panel.

Results have been mailed. [posted Feb. 21] Feb. 21, 2014: "This year, the postdoctoral committees adjudicated 844 eligible applications. In view of the limited funds available to this program, SSHRC is able to offer 183 awards." --> This should be a success rate of around 21 per cent. Very similar to last year's.
 * Link to Feb. 21 Twitter Announcement: https://twitter.com/SSHRC_CRSH/status/436900846862098432
 * Just received it at my home in Ottawa! [Feb 21: 3pm]

Feb. 21: ""The SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships competition results have now been mailed. Watch your mailbox!" https://twitter.com/SSHRC_CRSH

Agreed, it makes no sense, especially since the application is entirely online!
 * Glad they're out, but why do they insist on doing this through regular mail only? It only strings out the process till the end of the month or early March, depending on your location - not to mention the locales that are set to lose postal service shortly!

Feb. 22 As someone has already received their results, I'm guessing the notifications actually went out THursday?? -- I was surprised by this and wondering whether it was it an example of formatting? Just because, if they actually went out Friday, is it possible for it to have been delivered even within Ottawa already? Or maybe they mailed them out Thursday evening and just didn't get around to tweeting about it til Friday morning.


 * Yes, the letters very likely were mailed out Thursday since the tweet confirming this was sent out on Friday morning at 8.30 am.

NOTE request from DISCUSSION section: '''For people receiving their letters, could you just note where you're physically located? I, along with some colleagues, are trying to figure out when our own letters should be arriving :) (X3''')

Feb 25 - I can't concentrate on the important article I'm trying to write! I keep checking the mailbox.... According to Canada Post delivery standards it's 4 business days for national which means Wednesday or Thursday here I guess... http://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/personal/guides/deliverystandards.jsf
 * Feb 25, No letter in Kingston, ON

Results received (successful)
REMEMBER TO POST YOUR SCORES, DISCIPLINE AND QUALIFICATIONS. (Can you mention if you are ABD or finished. Also whether you applied to do the postdoc at an institution different than --your PhD).

FORMAT:

Score:

Discipline:

Location: (eg, Canada, US)

Status: (eg, ABD, 1yr, 2yr)

Qualifications: (eg, pubs, presentations)

Results:
 * Score: 4.785/6; Discipline: Arts / Humanities; Location: Montreal; 1/2 year; Post-doc at Canadian institution; Qualifications: 1 co-authored paper; 1 non-peer reviewed article; two book chapters in press; several conferences.
 * Score: 3.960/6; Political Science; Canada; 2.5y
 * Score: 5.325/6; English; Canada; ABD; applied to US school
 * Score: 4.605/6 (breakdown: 4.55, 4.65, 4.6); Public Administration; PhD granted one year ago at uOttawa; grant to be held at ÉNAP Montréal. 1 single-authored paper, 1 co-authored.
 * Score: 5.40/6 (breakdown: 5.55, 5.45, 5.30); Psychology, PhD ABD at U of T; grant to be held at Yale. 5 first author papers, 2 additional co-authored papers.
 * Score: 4.180/6 (breakdown: 3.90, 4.00, 4.40); Philosophy; Canada; ABD; applied to US school; one single authored paper, three co-authored, many conferences, CGS (MA and PhD) and other awards.
 * Score: 5.375/6 (5.55/6; 5.55/6; 5.2/6). Political Science, to be held at MIT with Noam Chomsky. I'm ABD at York University. I have one publication in International Studies Quarterly (one of the top journals in field), one book chapter with Routledge, two meaningless grad student journal publications (the journal is now defunct). I had a CGS, 2x OGS (1 declined), and many conferences on three continents. This is my second time applying for SSHRC Post-Doc, last year also at MIT with Chomsky. Only difference this year is ISQ paper, and I slightly re-wrote the Program of Work. Can't remember my score last year (and it was a different system), but I didn't do so well, so this shows how it's such a crapshoot. Good luck everyone, and thanks for the discussion on this forum: very useful. I'm gonna post my Program of Work as a sample on Academia.edu. Sean Starrs.
 * Score: 4.455/6; History; Currently ABD in the UK, award to be held in Canada; 2 articles in major journals; 1 co-authored article; 10+ Conference presentations; SSHRC awards for Masters and Doctorate and Internal awards.  Received notification in UK on 25 February 2014.
 * Score: 4.085/6 (4.15, 4.10, 4.05). Education. Queen's (Kingston), ABD, applied to be held at McGill; 6 pubs and 2 submitted; 30 conferences, CGS-SSHRC for Masters, PhD, & Michael Smith Foreign Study supplement.
 * Congrats! Did you get your letter at home or at Queen's University?
 * Score: 5.010/6 (5.00/6; 4.95/6; 5.05/6); ABD; Classics; grant to be held at York University. 1 book as editor, 2 book chapters, 4 articles in journals (2 single-authored, 2 co-authored). First time applying. Good luck to everyone.
 * Score: 4.245/6 (4.35, 3.75, 4.50); ABD; Political Science; to be held at Simon Fraser; one single-authored article, one book chapter, a couple non-peer reviewed articles, book reviews, etc., 20+ conferences.
 * Score 4.305/6 (3.5, 4.35, 4.6); Political Science; finished Ph.D October 2013 and currently on a postdoc at U of T; 6 peer reviewed journal articles (4 as 1st author, 2 as 2nd), 7 book chapters (3 as 1st, 3 as second), 4 professional reports (3 as 1st author); dozens of academic, public, and government presentation; *very* extensive knowledge mobilization through government and media sources. Continuing postdoc at U of T in same place as I am now. Heard Feb 25 and received letter at U of T. I applied last year and was waitlisted. Difference this year is applied to different location and 5 additional publications.
 * Score: 5.250/6 (breakdown: 5.50, 5.25, 5.15); Philosophy; PhD from Canadian university & current postdoc at different Canadian university; 2-year award to be held at US university; four publications at time of application; 15+ presentations/conferences.

Results received (waitlisted)

 * Recommended by not funded. 4.65/6.00 in Challenge, 4.15/6.00 in Feasibility, 4.00/6.00 in Capability. Total score of 4.175/6.00. I'm in Philosophy. I'm ABD, coming from an Ivy League school (US), applying to a Canadian school. Good luck to you all. Edited to add: mail arrived in Toronto on February 24 (Tuesday).
 * ​4.175 Philosophy Guy following up. It looks like I'm 0.005 below another philosopher who was funded. (Huge congratulations to you, by the way!) Given that they are funded and that I am not, I strongly suspect that I am near the top of the waitlist in my pool. I will follow up to let anyone know if funding ever comes through for me.


 * Score: 4.025/6 (3.10 Challenge, 3.60 Feasibility, 4.65 Capability). Media & Communication Studies. ABD at a Canadian school, applying to Cdn school. 3 publications, 20ish conferences, extensive admin & ctte experience. 2x OGS, SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship. Mail arrived in Toronto Feb 24 (Monday).
 * Score: 3.68/6. History. ABD at Canadian school, applying to Canadian school. 1 publication, bunch of conferences and reviews. SSHRC doctoral, OGS.

Results received (unsuccessful)

 * Well, might as well get this started! ABD, 1 major publication, 10+ conferences, a whackload of external and internal scholarships. History and philosophy of science. Applied to hold at a Canadian uni. SCORE: 2/6.
 * I'm so sorry, OP :( I think it's really hard for ABDs to get this.


 * Score: 2.875/6; Social Psychology; Canada; ABD; 2 first author, 1 book review, 10+ presentations, int/ext scholarships, applied for postdoc at other uni
 * Score: 2.145/6; Canada; ABD; 2 sole author; 2 co-authored; 3 first author forthcoming; 15+ presentations; 5 ogs; other int/ext scholarships; applied at another ani. Very dissappointed :( <--Discipline?
 * Score: 3.170/6: Canada; ABD; Classics; no publications; 10 oral presentations; 2 OGS; SSHRC support for PhD; other national fellowships (private funding bodies). Applied to hold at a foreign university.
 * Score: 2/6; Fine Arts; Canada; ABD; 2 sole-authored journal articles; 2 book chapters; 1 forthcoming book chapter; several non-refereed pubs; 20 conference presentations; SSHRC doc fellowship; 3 OGS (one declined); applied to hold in US.
 * Score: 3.125/6; History; Canada; PhD in 2012; 2 sole-authored articles, 1 forthcoming book chapter, several non-refereed pubs; 2 OGS. Applied to hold at a Canadian institution.
 * Score: 2.435/6; Social Psychology; Canada; ABD; 2 first-authored articles, 1 co-authored article, 15 conference presentations. Applied to hold at another Canadian institution.
 * Score: 3.375/6; UK; PhD in 2013; three articles, one book review, co-editorship and contributor to one collected volume in publication, 15+ presentations; applied to hold in Canada <--Discipline?
 * This is totally unprofessional, but can I just say that this is bullshit? It feels so much better to get it out: Score 3.5/6; PhD in 2013; Education; 9 peer reviewed pubs (7 sole authored); 12 conference pres (1 invited speaker); SSHRC doc fellowship & other funding; applied to hold in Canada and Sweden

DISCUSSION
Feb 21 - as the image of a potential rejection letter flashes before my eyes I'm trying to come up with a Plan B. If I get rejected from both postdocs to which I'm applying I have 0 plans. Would any of you like to share if you have a backup plan, and if so, what you intend to do?
 * I'm defending shortly and have nothing lined up, so I'm planning to find something to do to pay the bills and regroup - keep publishing, keep applying for postdocs and jobs - for a while if I fail with SSHRC. I'm thinking more and more of going into the private sector or looking for a public alt.ac job in this grim market, either temporarily or permenently
 * (OP) ^^ I'm thinking pretty much the same thing.  Unfortunately, the altac groups I've become familiar with are really just social gatherings or a support group with wine - there have been no happy stories of industry/government/private sector/alternative teaching jobs.  My school's career services suggested going into consulting.  That said, I feel that I will be applying for, more or less, every local university sessional gig and all the TT job that pops up in my field in North America.


 * I do not have a plan B. I will probably do part time teaching to apply next year. Does anyone know what kinds of non-academic jobs one with a doctorate in Humanities could apply to?
 * Google it - there are a growing number of articles and communities that offer advice for Humanities PhDs looking for non-traditional academic or non-academic jobs. The consensus seems to be that there are probably a lot of different jobs that you could be eligible for depending on your skills - many more than could be listed here- and that you should search widely, work your connections, and think creatively about the skills and knowledge that you acquired during your program (which can differ a lot among individuals within a specific discipline) and before.
 * ^^^ Sounds a bit too optimistic an assessment for me. In fact, the consensus is that alt-ac positions are as scarce as TT jobs, so that particular career avenue is certainly not a solution. Private sector jobs are a different kettle of fish, of which I don't know anything. I, for one, don't know of many people with PhD in medieval history or Victorian poetry enjoying wonderful private sector careers. Government jobs perhaps?
 * Nothing very specific planned. I'll selectively apply for non-TT teaching positions and/or adjuncting locally, and focus on next year's job market (for which I will have the Ph.D in hand). If nothing works out next year, I'll be thinking more seriously about plan Bs outside of academia. Have no idea what the "alt-ac" job market looks like for humanities Ph.Ds.
 * On a different topic, the numbers for this year's competition (183/844) are the best by a small margin that they have been in recent years (2012-13 was rough - 145/986.) The other years recorded on the Wiki are 2011-12: 175/877, 2013-14: 182/903. I'm not sure whether I wanted to know that, but, for what it's worth...


 * Should I get rejected (for a second time!) from SSHRC and the other British post doc I've applied for, then I'm registering for LSATs, DATs and MCATs ASAP.
 * Re: alt/ac, one possibility is getting a job at a university, but in admin (research officer, working for faculty of grad studies or similar) rather than teaching/research. I don't plan to pursue these jobs myself but they're worth looking into if you want a 9-5er with decent pay & benefits -- grad. degree(s) & familiarity with research grant apps. etc. are usually req'd. so I imagine most people on here'd be qualified.
 * I would just encourage you to think more broadly than the specialization you've done your degree in. I'm a year out (currently a Postdoc at U of T, applying for the second time to SSHRC postdoc) but while look at alt ac I use a resume that IDes the various skills, compotencies, etc that I've developed during the Ph.D and MA. You'd be amazed: ability to stand up and present on topics in short order, strong writing and analytical skills, ability to professionally research topics (and, in a new work environment, 'catch up' to what's going on in that space in a month using your skills), long- and short-form work, presentationt o media, and so forth are helpful. Also, you may have developed project management skills (cradle-grave for administrating a SSHRC-funded program, for example) and other 'business friendly' skills. In effect, go through *everything* that you've done over the course of your Ph.D and consider the process of getting the degree as a set of micro-jobs: what skills did you develop and demonstrate at each state, what broad compotencies did you manifest, etc. As someone who routinely works with non-academic professionals in corporate and government spaces it's becomes very apparent to me that the Ph.D brings with it a pile of useful skills, just ones that we internalize as part of the profesional development process.


 * For people receiving their letters, could you just note where you're physically located? I, along with some colleagues, are trying to figure out when our own letters should be arriving :)  (X3)


 * Feb. 24 - I remember from previous applications that only a limited number of postdocs would be allowed to be held at foreign institutions (I believe it was a percentage). Unfortunately, I cannot find where I read this nor can I find anything about this in this year's award. Does anyone else know where to find this?
 * I've never heard of this, and in fact, from what I recall of wiki discussions in previous years, people who had done their PhDs in Canada and were looking to take their postdocs to a foreign uni seemed to have a slight edge.
 * I recall seeing this somewhere, but I think it was in relation to the Banting postdocs, or some other SSHRC competition.

DISCUSSION ABOUT WAITLISTS


 * I was just waitlisted (recommended but not funded). Has anyone ever heard of someone from the waitlist actually getting the funding, ultimately? It seems like the chances are slim to none. Any stories about how / when / where, etc.?
 * I've seen some discussion of this happening on previous wikis (you could take a look through) though my sense from that is that it is quite rare... Sometimes people get jobs late in the spring, though, or don't meet the December cutoff for completing their diss requirements.


 * As noted above, I am on the waitlist in my pool (Philosophy) and I am 0.005 below someone who has been funded. With that in mind, two questions. First, does anyone know if SSHRC does 'ties'? (Could there be someone who is tied with the person above me but who isn't funded, despite having the same score?) Second, if there are ties, does anyone have any sense of how they're adjudicated? I am thinking that I must be near/at the top of the waitlist in my pool, given the 0.005 difference. So, I'm wondering: if someone above me declines their award, what would have to happen in order for it to go to me?