McMaster Faculty of Social Sciences Global Scholar-in-Community Fellowship
The Faculty of Social Sciences invites applications for the two-stream 2023 Global Scholar-in-Community Fellowship. The Global Scholar-in-Community Fellowship provides the opportunity for research collaborations with local/regional or international organizations to produce and mobilize knowledge in ways that are mutually beneficial.
The program will fund:
- 3-units of course release for one Social Sciences faculty member to work with an existing research partner on a mutually defined research project, to be co-designed and co-governed over the course of the project ($7500.00). Timing of course release to be negotiated with Chair/Director.
- Funding ($7500.00) to support the collaboration between the researcher and the partner organization to help facilitate the collaboration. A budget outlining the proposed use of the funds will accompany the application and is subject to approval.
Project duration should be between 18 and 24 months. It is required that recipients of the Fellowship apply for external funding within 12 months of completing the Global-Scholar-in-Community project.
Stream A: Local/Regional
The goal of Stream A of the Scholar-in-Community Fellowship is to support and recognize social science research collaborations with community organizations locally/regionally.
The program’s objectives are to:
- Strengthen and support existing (or initiated) collaborations between Faculty of Social Science researchers and local/regionalcommunity partners
- Conduct research and/or knowledge mobilization activities that demonstrably provide direct interaction and value to the partner organization
- Build the foundation for development of partnered research proposals.
Stream B: International
The goal of Stream B of the Scholar-in-Community Fellowship is to support and recognize social science research collaborations with community organizations internationally.
The program’s objectives are to:
- Strengthen and support existing (or initiated) collaborations between Faculty of Social Science researchers and international community partners
- Conduct research and/or knowledge mobilization activities that demonstrably provide direct value to the partner organization
- Build the foundation for development of partnered research proposals
Value
The Faculty of Social Sciences will fund one collaborative local/regional or international community-engaged project per year, to a total value of $15,000.00.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the Global Scholar-in-Community Fellowship an applicant must be a member of McMaster University’s Faculty of Social Sciences with a teaching, tenured or tenure-stream appointment working with a community organization internationally.
Local/Regional Scholar-in-Community Fellowship Winner
Dr. Geraldina Polanco
Congratulations to Dr. Geraldina Polanco of the Department of Sociology, who is the recipient of the 2024 Faculty of Social Sciences Local/Regional Scholar-in-Community Fellowship (Stream A). Dr. Polanco will be working with global community researcher partner CIMITRA in El Salvador.
Information Box Group
Past Winners
2023 – Dr. Karen Robson, Department of Sociology
2022 – Dr. Netina Tan, Department of Political Science
2021 – Dr. Phillipa Chong, Department of Sociology
2020 – Dr. Tara La Rose, School of Social Work
2019 – Dr. Meridith Griffin, Department of Health, Aging & Society
2018 – Dr. Tina Fetner, Department of Sociology
2017 – Dr. Ameil Joseph, School of Social Work
2016 – Dr. Tina Moffat, Department of Anthropology
2015 – Dr. Mirna Carranza, School of Social Work
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the Global Scholar-in-Community Fellowship an applicant must be a member of McMaster University’s Faculty of Social Sciences with a teaching, tenured or tenure-stream appointment working with a community organization internationally.
To Apply
Notice of Intent: Monday March 3, 2025. Please send an email to Christine Hollins at hollinc@mcmaster.ca by 4:00pm that includes the name of the nominee.
Full Proposal: Monday March 31, 2025
Please provide a CV in any format, a project description of up to 3-pages, project title and a brief statement of support from the collaborating organization (email accepted). Send the documents in a single email to Christine Hollins at hollinc@mcmaster.ca by 4:00PM.
The full proposal will include:
- Objectives
- Context
- Relevant experience of applicant and community organization lead and description of existing partnership
- Methods
- Activities and timeline (including responsibilities)
- Knowledge mobilization plan
- Expected outcomes and benefits to partner organization
- Plan to seek external funding
Results to be announced: May 2025
The Statement of Support will include:
The name and contact details of the interested partner and an acknowledgement that the organization is willing to release staff for the research related activities stated in the application.
Funded projects will be expected to apply for an external research grant within 12 months of completion.
Evaluation Criteria
- Clarity, focus and feasibility of the research objectives, research plan, and knowledge mobilization plan;
- Significance of research project to partner organization
- Contribution to building and sustaining a long term research relationship
- Overall contribution of the research to the candidate’s long-range research plan;
- Feasibility of plan to secure external funding;
- Applicant’s scholarly and community-engagement contributions relative to the stage of career (e.g., publications, conference presentations over the last five years; community-oriented or co-created reports, presentations, workshops).
Adjudication
This fellowship will be adjudicated by a Scholar-in-Community selection committee constituted by the Dean of Social Sciences and Associate Dean Research.
If you have any questions, please contact Christine Hollins: hollinc@mcmaster.ca