Policy Memo: Improving the Accessibility of Federal Graduate Research Awards in Canada
Sivani Baskaran (1,2)*, Dhanyasri Maddiboina (1,3)*, Jina J.Y. Kum (1,4)*, Rebekah Reuben (1,2)*, Kaitlin Kharas (1,2)*, Esmeralda Bukuroshi (1,2)*, Isabella Lim (1,2)+, Bipin Kumar Badri Narayanan (1,5)+
+Contributions towards research and reviewing. Corresponding author: [email protected] |
Keywords: funding; research; early career researchers; graduate students; Canada; EDI
Executive Summary: Canadian federal graduate research awards provide graduate students with support that impacts both their experience during their degree and their future career progression. Obtaining federal funding during graduate education qualifies students for additional awards, provides financial security, and increases their research independence. However, the number and value of awards have remained unchanged for almost two decades and the evaluation and eligibility criteria are not designed to encourage applications from students from historically underrepresented groups (URGs). The three federal research funding agencies (the Tri-Agency) have recently released an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan to better support early-career individuals from these groups, with a commitment to “identify and address barriers to equitable participation of members from underrepresented groups” (Initiative 1.2.2) and increase participation of URGs in the post-secondary research system (Objective 2). In this memo, we propose three changes to broaden the eligibility and evaluation of federal student awards, as well as increase and standardize the award values. Ultimately, these recommendations will reduce the barriers faced by URGs in applying for and obtaining these awards in a manner not currently addressed by the Tri-Agency’s EDI plan.
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Sivani Baskaran is a Ph.D. candidate in environmental chemistry at the University of Toronto studying physical-chemical properties important to environmental chemical risk assessments. She has a passion for science, policy, and evidence-informed decision making and is a co-founder and past-president of the Toronto Science Policy Network.
Dhanyasri Maddiboina is a Ph.D. candidate at McMaster in chemical engineering and has a longstanding passion in advocating for graduate student education and development in the areas of science communication and science policy.
Jina J.Y. Kum is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Western University. Her research investigates how diabetes affects stem cells and their niches within the bone marrow. Being keenly interested in science policy, Jina volunteers in the non-profit sector where her roles include writing articles about science, health research and policy.
Rebekah Reuben is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto. Her research investigates the role estrogen loss contributes to sex differences in cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. Rebekah is a member of the Toronto Science Policy Network and is passionate about research and evidence-informed approaches for science and health policy.
Kaitlin Kharas is a Ph.D. candidate researching pediatric brain cancer at SickKids and the University of Toronto. She has a strong interest in promoting scientific literacy and is an executive member of the Toronto Science Policy Network.
Esmeralda Bukuroshi recently graduated from Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at University of Toronto with a Ph.D. specializing in material development for organic photovoltaics. She is currently working at Ontario Health as a Senior Analyst, Innovation developing knowledge for provincial and ministry strategy directions related to innovative testing solutions for COVID-19.
Isabella Lim is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on semantic memory and visual attention, specifically how categorical knowledge interacts with attentional processes. She is an executive member of the Toronto Science Policy Network.
Bipin Kumar Badri Narayanan is a Master’s student in Computer Science at University of New Brunswick. His main research interests are Ethics and Bias in AI Systems. He volunteers in the non-profit sector, advocating for better policies for research and the post-secondary sector. Bipin plans to pursue his career in Public Policy and work in the Government.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Toronto Science Policy Network and in particular Farah Qaiser for providing feedback on this work.
Disclaimer
The authors’ views do not necessarily reflect those of their respective departments or institutions.
Dhanyasri Maddiboina is a Ph.D. candidate at McMaster in chemical engineering and has a longstanding passion in advocating for graduate student education and development in the areas of science communication and science policy.
Jina J.Y. Kum is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Western University. Her research investigates how diabetes affects stem cells and their niches within the bone marrow. Being keenly interested in science policy, Jina volunteers in the non-profit sector where her roles include writing articles about science, health research and policy.
Rebekah Reuben is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto. Her research investigates the role estrogen loss contributes to sex differences in cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. Rebekah is a member of the Toronto Science Policy Network and is passionate about research and evidence-informed approaches for science and health policy.
Kaitlin Kharas is a Ph.D. candidate researching pediatric brain cancer at SickKids and the University of Toronto. She has a strong interest in promoting scientific literacy and is an executive member of the Toronto Science Policy Network.
Esmeralda Bukuroshi recently graduated from Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at University of Toronto with a Ph.D. specializing in material development for organic photovoltaics. She is currently working at Ontario Health as a Senior Analyst, Innovation developing knowledge for provincial and ministry strategy directions related to innovative testing solutions for COVID-19.
Isabella Lim is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on semantic memory and visual attention, specifically how categorical knowledge interacts with attentional processes. She is an executive member of the Toronto Science Policy Network.
Bipin Kumar Badri Narayanan is a Master’s student in Computer Science at University of New Brunswick. His main research interests are Ethics and Bias in AI Systems. He volunteers in the non-profit sector, advocating for better policies for research and the post-secondary sector. Bipin plans to pursue his career in Public Policy and work in the Government.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Toronto Science Policy Network and in particular Farah Qaiser for providing feedback on this work.
Disclaimer
The authors’ views do not necessarily reflect those of their respective departments or institutions.
DISCLAIMER: The findings and conclusions published herein are solely attributed to the author and not necessarily endorsed or adopted by the Journal of Science Policy and Governance. Articles are distributed in compliance with copyright and trademark agreements.
ISSN 2372-2193
ISSN 2372-2193