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Graduate Research Fellowships

Overview

CERi’s Graduate Fellowship is an in-person, cohort-based program designed to facilitate community-engaged research through monthly in-person workshops, facilitated at SFU’s space at 312 Main (downtown Vancouver). This program is a combination of community connection, place-based learning, guest speakers, financial support, and professional development. The fellowship runs for 8 months (from September - April) and is open to all registered graduate students at Simon Fraser University interested in community-engaged research. The final event in April is a celebratory showcase wherein fellows will share an aspect of their research project that they have worked on during the course of the CERi fellowship.

Eligibility

The program is open to all registered graduate students at Simon Fraser University who are actively practicing community-engaged research or whose research will be undertaken using CER methods. The Graduate Fellowship Program is open to students working on all three SFU campuses in Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey. We encourage applications from students working in all disciplines at SFU, including: Humanities, Social Sciences, Physical and Applied Sciences, Health Sciences and Resources and Environmental Management.

In-Person Workshops

The fellowship is intended to deepen knowledge and skills related to CER and to build a community-of-practice of CER researchers within SFU. We encourage applicants to consider their commitments and determine whether they will have the capacity to attend (in person) the majority of the workshops associated with the program. The full stipend will be provided to those who complete six out of eight workshops. The in-person nature of this program is central to the place-based, relational values of community engaged research, and therefore a hybrid option is not available at this time. If you are unable to be involved in this fellowship due to location or other accessibility needs, we have a robust library of free resources available on the CERi website related to community engaged research. 

If you are unsure whether you can commit to the entire fellowship program, there will be other opportunities to attend specific workshops, which will be open to the broader community. Feel welcome to take a look at our past workshops to have a sense of the kind of sessions that will be open to the public. Information will be available closer to the time of the workshops (see our website and socials).

Payment Criteria:

The $3000 stipend will be paid out in two installments, contingent on attendance of at least 3 out of 4 workshops per semester.

Testimonials from past fellows

As an international student the fellowship allowed me to get to know people, the region, the experience of communities and the great work that goes on in the Vancouver area.

The CERi program definitely opened my eyes to a new way of approaching my research.

Community has always been very important to me and coming to CERi I was always on the lookout for how to care for the community and how to make this research reciprocal. I found a lot of resources being a CERi fellow to inform this and put it into practice.

There’s such a long list of skills and experiences that I’ve gained from this fellowship. Being a fellow really inspired me to do more community-engaged research.

Award:

Each fellowship consists of:

  • $3,000 in research funding is available, with half disbursed at the beginning of the fellowship and the remaining half awarded upon completion of the workshops.

  • Seven mandatory 2.5-hour workshops related to community-engaged research

    • Workshop topics include: CER Methods; CER Ethics; Power, Positionality and Working with Community; Knowledge Mobilization; Decolonizing Practices in CER and more 

  • Access to bookable research space at CERi located at 312 Main in Vancouver, BC.

  • Publicity and research profile through CERi’s website, public forums and social media channels

  • Support from CERi affiliated scholars and community leaders

  • Community-building opportunities and networking

Tentative Workshop Dates:

All workshops will be held on Tuesday afternoons from 1-3:30pm. The following dates are tentatively planned for the 2025/26 year:

  1. Tuesday, Sept. 9
  2. Tuesday, Oct. 7
  3. Tuesday, Oct. 28
  4. Tuesday, Nov. 18
  5. BREAK
  6. Tuesday, Jan. 20
  7. Tuesday, Feb. 10
  8. Tuesday, March 10
  9. Tuesday, April 14 (final showcase)

The dates are subject to change depending on the availability of speakers.

Application Deadline: 

May 20th, 2025

Selection criteria:

  • Timing: Priority will be given to applicants who are in the first half of their program (Masters and Doctoral students). 

  • Background/expertise of applicant: Applicants must be in good academic standing. The fellowship program aims to support applicants from a diversity of identities by adhering to the University’s goals in relation to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the selection process. Student applications are encouraged from all disciplines and campuses at SFU.

  • Research rationale and impact: The degree to which the research adheres to the principles of community-engaged research.

  • Knowledge mobilization: The degree to which the research includes knowledge mobilization opportunities CERi can support (e.g., connecting with or publishing work through popular media outlets, community storytelling events, "lunch and learn" discussion sessions, podcast interviews, blog posts, etc.).

Requirements and opportunities:

The fellowship runs for 8 months from September to April. Fellows are required to:

  • Participate in monthly capacity building workshops with the fellowship cohort, facilitated by CERi staff and community guests.

  • Provide a short presentation on the work accomplished at CERi's Research Fellowship Showcase event taking place towards the end of the fellowship program in April.

There will also be optional opportunities for Fellows to:

  • Participate as an active member of the CER community, including taking part  in CERi community events;

  • Connect with past and future CERi Fellows; 

  • Use CERi's workspace as a community meeting venue or personal workspace during your time in the fellowship program.

  • Contribute to a CERi publication on topics related to CER and graduate studies - see example from a past cohort here.

Adjudication

Fellowships are adjudicated by a committee composed of CERi staff and SFU faculty.

Quick links

How to apply:

Submit the Google application form and gather additional required documents as outlined in the application checklist. Submit your complete application package via email to Dr. Kari Grain, Special Research Associate at SFU CERi  (karigrain_@sfu.ca).

Please name your documents “Your full name_Document name” and write “CERi Graduate Fellowship Program” in the email subject line.

Inquiries:

Inquiries about the CERi Graduate Fellowship Program should be directed to Dr. Kari Grain, Special Research Associate at SFU's CERi (karigrain_@sfu.ca).

Application checklist

  • Submit Google application form

  • Current Curriculum Vitae

  • Expression of Support from Academic Supervisor*

    *Note: In the event your academic supervisor is not immediately available to provide a letter of support during the application period, we will accept supporting letters from academic supervisors up to the fellowship program start date of September 10, 2024.