Call for Trudeau Fellowship nominations by Sept 10

Aug 25/25 update: The sponsor will host an online session for UBC on Wed Sept 3 at 10 am - please email meaghan.miller@ubc.ca to attend.

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(This information was circulated to ADRs by email on Aug 15/25)

The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation has announced the launch of its renewed Fellowship program, supporting academic excellence, societal engagement, and increased intellectual outreach.

The 3-year Fellowship award is a public recognition of outstanding academic achievements and a promise of future transformative contributions. Beyond the active three-year phase, the Foundation’s Fellowship remains an honorary lifetime appointment, encouraging ongoing ties between the Foundation and its alumni.

Candidates’ research must be linked to one or several of the four Foundation themes (Human Rights and Dignity; Responsible Citizenship; Canada and the world; People and their natural environment) and must integrate itself in the general field of humanities and social sciences.

The Fellowship is of a total value of $300,000 per Fellow:

1. $70,000 as prize;
2. $50,000 as research grant;
3. Up to $100,000 as possible additional research grant;
4. Up to one (1) year of teaching buy-out, with $80,000 in compensation paid to the university.

 Candidates:

1. are senior academics in Canada who are leaders in their field. They are academics holding a full-time tenured appointment in a Canadian university at or near the rank of Full Professor with a national or international reputation;
2. tackle important current issues in social sciences and humanities intersecting with one or more of the four themes of the Foundation;
3. propose a research project that is innovative and socially significant, pushing research and thinking in new directions;
4. have a demonstrated commitment to supporting graduate students;
5. have a proven record of academic excellence, as established by their prior success in obtaining research grants;
6. are effective communicators willing to engage with a range of actors in society.

Internal Selection: 

Applicants from either campus can self-nominate by sending the following materials: 

1. Email from Department/Unit Head with agreement to 1-year teaching release [Sept 3/25 edit: This will be for administrative use only]
2. Letter from the candidate explaining their interest in the Foundation’s Fellowship program
3. 1-2 page Fellowship research project proposal, including links to previous or ongoing research and the expected impact of the Fellowship research funding
4. Current UBC CV

Please submit directly to meaghan.miller@ubc.ca by Wednesday September 10/25 (end of day). Any questions can be directed to Meaghan Miller (VPRI Office of Research Prizes and Awards).

A central committee will review these materials and select the institution’s three nominations for submission. VPRI support (nomination review) will be available for selected candidates ahead of submission to the sponsor.

ORPA award page: https://prizes.research.ubc.ca/awards/trudeau-fellowship
Sponsor page: https://www.trudeaufoundation.ca/fellowship