Scholarship at a glance
Deadline: Open September 1 - December 15 at 4:00 p.m. AST, or the next Monday if the deadline falls on a weekend.
Value: $50,000 per year for up to two years, plus benefits, relocation allowance, research and conference travel allowances.
Killam Scholarships and Fellowships are the most prestigious post-graduate awards granted by Dalhousie University and are intended to reduce barriers for Dal’s leading-edge Killam scholars so they can fully focus on making an impact through their research. Feedback from our graduate community has made it clear that an adjustment is needed for these awards to achieve this intent.
With the support of the Killam Trustees, the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) is pleased to announce an increase in value for each of our Killam awards, effective May 1, 2023. The increase applies for new and current award holders at the master’s, PhD and postdoctoral level.
Killam Masters-Level Awards: Increase from $25,000/year to $42,000/year, plus a $2,500/term international tuition fee supplement if applicable.
Killam Doctoral-Level Awards: Increase from $30,000/year to $42,000/year.
Killam Post-Doctoral Awards: Increase from $45,000/year to $50,000/year.
These award values may become partially or fully honorary, based on other FGS-managed awards received. More details can be found on the FGS webpages for each of these awards.
Please note that the substantial change in award value may impact funding received from other sources starting in May 2023. Current Killam Scholars and Fellows are encouraged to discuss the impact of this change on other funding they may be receiving with their supervisor and department.
If you have any questions, please contact Niki Power, Scholarships Liaison Officer, at fgs.slo@dal.ca.
Description
Izaak Walton Killam Postdoctoral fellowships are awarded annually at Dalhousie University to recently graduated scholars of superior academic research ability in any discipline. Awards are awarded for two years, subject to satisfactory progress. The awards are intended to bring new researchers to Dalhousie, so if you completed your doctoral studies at Dalhousie or have held any kind of academic employment position, you are not eligible to apply. The fellowships are valued at up to $60,000 annually, including a $50,000 taxable stipend, full benefits and a travel allowance for transportation to and from Halifax, a one-time research allowance of $3,000 and a conference travel grant of $1,000.
Parental leave - You may interrupt your active Killam award for a parental leave. Parental leave can be approved for up to 12 months with four months of financial support. The remainder of the award will be held for eight months. You must obtain approval prior to your leave and interruption of your award.
Evaluation criteria
Applicants are evaluated based on equal weighting of the following two categories:
- Research excellence and leadership in the research domain (50%)
- Quality of the proposed research program (50%)
The evaluation criteria applied are comparable to those used within the Banting Fellowship competition. Details on what is considered in each of these categories can be found in the Banting Fellowship Evaluators Guide under 3.1.3.b, within the first two selection criteria.
Eligibility criteria
- You have completed or will complete, a PhD at an institution other than Dalhousie University between September 15, 2020 and September 30, 2024, for this competition. Killam PDFs are intended for scholars new to Dalhousie.
- You have not previously held an academic or employment position at Dalhousie University.
- For complete details on eligibility for Killam Postdoctoral fellowships, see the competition guidelines [PDF-185kb].
Application Overview
- Contact the Department to which you intend to apply to discuss the feasibility of your application and the potential for support from a faculty member.
- Complete the application form through the FGS Online Scholarship Portal.
Accepting your award
Successful Killam postdoctoral fellows and their supervisors will be contacted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies with additional information on how to accept the award.
For more information on maintaining your funding, interruptions or leaves of absence, please visit our internal myDal site (login required).