Applicants do not have to be Canadian citizens, but they must be enrolled in a Master’s or Doctoral program at a Canadian University in order to receive the award funds.
No. However, preference will be given to applicants who are supervised by an Institute for Work & Health Scientist or Adjunct Scientist.
No. The intent of the Awards is to attract trainees who are early in their research careers to the area of work and health. For this reason, the Awards are only open to Master’s and Doctoral students. They are not available to Postdoctoral Researchers. However, the Institute also offers a Mustard Postdoctoral Award in Work and Health.
International students enrolled or accepted into an accredited Canadian graduate studies program at the Master’s or Doctoral level are eligible to apply. Applications from candidates enrolled in universities outside of Canada will not be considered.
Preference will be given to candidates whose research interests include prevention of work-related injury and illness; understanding the social determinants of health and illness in work environments; prevention and management of work disability; or evaluating workplace interventions to improve health. IWH is particularly interested in candidates who show a commitment to research that promises to reduce work-related injury, illness and disability in Ontario.
The Syme Award is a research stipend. Letters of reference must highlight a candidate’s academic skills particularly their research potential and/or experience and come from individuals who are familiar with the candidate’s research skills. This can include an academic supervisor, Master’s or Doctoral thesis committee member or academic instructor. If a candidate’s employment experiences are relevant to their research, a third letter can be included in their application from a non-academic referee.
Candidates must be actively enrolled in a Masters or Doctoral program for the entire duration of the award. Typically, preference is given to full-time students who are in the early stages of their studies.
I am in Canada on a student visa and am not a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident. Am I eligible?
Being a Canadian citizen or permanent resident is not a requirement to apply for a Syme Award. However, you are responsible for ensuring your student visa is valid throughout the tenure of the Award. Funds may not be transferred to a University outside of Canada.
Typically, the award is paid in a single one-time payment at the beginning of the award.
You can insert citations and references. However, they do count towards your 750-word limit.
Reference letters must highlight a candidate’s academic skills, particularly their research potential and /or experience. Letters of reference should come from individuals such as a supervisor, master’s or doctoral thesis committee member or an academic instructor familiar with the candidate’s academic abilities. At least one of the letters should come from a current academic referee.
No. Two reference letters are required.
The candidate can describe an ongoing research project for the Syme Award. However, research is typically expected to be in the early stages and must extend for the entire 12-month term of the Fellowship.
Preference will be given to candidates who do not hold another major salary award.
It depends. A candidate is eligible to receive more than one Syme award if it is for a different degree (e.g., one award for their MA/MSc and one award for their PhD). A candidate is NOT eligible to receive more than one Syme award for the same degree (e.g., 2 awards toward their PhD).