Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship

The Faculty of Medicine has launched an internal selection process to nominate candidates for the Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship, offered by the UBC VP Research & Innovation. Self nominations for the internal competition are permitted, but nominations must be submitted by the FoM Dean.

Program Highlights

  • Eligibility:
    • recently tenured faculty (within 3-4 years), no more than 15 years post-PhD
    • PhD must have been received no earlier than November 15, 2009
    • Faculty members who are more than 15 years post-PhD at the time of nomination who have had legitimate career interruptions (e.g. parental leave, extended sick leave, clinical training, family care) remain eligible. If applicable, these details must be outlined in the Contextual Perspective section of the nomination form.
    • not be nominated for a Killam Faculty Research Fellowship in the same year.
    • Faculty members who currently hold a fellowship or salary award that provides funds for full teaching relief (e.g. MSFHR Scholar Award, NSERC E.W.R. Steacie or Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship) may not be nominated for a Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship until the term of their fellowship or award has concluded.
    • has not received a KARF in the past.
  • Term: Two academic years, beginning July 1
  • 1 time research allowance: $50,000
  • $60,000 over 2 years provided to recipient’s academic unit to help offset teaching load
  • FoM is limited to 2 nominees
  • Nominations must be submitted by the Dean’s Office
  • FoM internal selection deadline: October 28, 2024 

Interested candidates should submit the following documents by the internal selection deadline to evelina.tolstykh@ubc.ca:

Nomination Package

  1. Statement (required, 2,400 words max):
    • The statement should be written for a multidisciplinary adjudication committee (please avoid jargon) and summarize the nominee’s most significant research contributions and a description of the research to be pursued during the two-year term.
    • Recommended sections include:
      • Most Significant Contributions
      • Research Description:
        • Clearly demonstrate how the research funds and teaching release awarded through the Fellowship will enable impact over-and-above what the nominee may otherwise achieve with funding they currently hold, and emphasize the impact of the nominee’s work on their field of scholarship.
        • Clearly describe the research to be undertaken during the two- year term of the fellowship and demonstrate its novelty, significance and impact.
        • Include clearly defined objectives, methods, outcomes and a timeline.
  2. References (optional, 2 pages): up to two pages of references to accompany the Statement
  3. Research Impact (required, 1 page):
    • Please describe the impacts of the research in a way that is accessible to a multidisciplinary committee.
    • Impacts are understood broadly, extending beyond traditional academic impacts, to include intended and unintended, and direct and indirect impacts on society, culture, health, community, the environment, economy, governance, training and education, and innovation as well as contributions to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion and decolonization.
    • Please refer to the ORPA page on Research Impact for examples of categories of impacts and examples of relevant indicators. 
  4. Contextual Perspective (required, 1 page): To assist multidisciplinary reviewers in understanding the context of a nominee’s career trajectory or field of research, nominees should provide the following relevant contextual information:
    • The specifics of their field of study or research, such as standard type or quantity of publications for a given career stage, choice of journals to publish your research results, type of field work, length of time to complete studies, etc.
    • If their training or career has taken place outside of Canada and the study or research environment was significantly different from that in Canada, provide an explanation of the specifics relevant to their research and career (availability of research infrastructure/equipment, funding, grants, fellowships, academic positions, opportunities to publish research results, etc.).
    • Circumstances leading to interruptions in research, training, or mentoring activities are not unusual and may result in delays or reduced productivity for researchers or HQP. If applicable, detail any career interruptions or relevant circumstances that may have impacted productivity and/or career progress. Include the length of the interruptions and the extent to which they impacted or reduced (in %) productivity. Common causes of interruptions include:
      • Parental leave;
      • Medical leave, for reasons relating to chronic illness, mental illness, or disability associated with reduced research activity;
      • Leave for family-related illness or responsibilities;
      • Bereavement;
      • Leave for extraordinary administrative duties; or
      • Leave relating the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • Please provide any additional relevant information.
  5. Letters of Support (required, 3 letters): Three external letters of support from arm’s-length referees. Recommended 1,200 words max per letter.
    • The letters of support are critical to the selection process and should focus on the nominee’s research. They must be from individuals who are able to objectively assess the proposed work. Given that nominees represent varied disciplines with different expectations about kinds and quantities of scholarly output, letters of support which place the nominee’s record in the context of their field are recommended.
    • At least two of the letters must be from individuals from outside UBC.
    • All of the referees should be at arm’s length — this may not include the nominee’s thesis or dissertation supervisor(s), anyone the nominee has supervised, or anyone with whom the nominee has collaborated (as co-author or co-investigator) within the last 6 years.
    • Letters written by referees with a confirmed conflict of interest with the nominee will not be included and the package will be considered incomplete. Incomplete packages will not be reviewed.
    • Letters must be signed and dated.
    • Letters in excess of three will not be considered.
  6. CV (required): Official updated UBC CV including complete list of publications (no page limit)
  7. Citation of the candidate’s research written for a non-expert audience (required, max 50 words)
  8. Description of how the department will relieve the nominee of teaching responsibilities during the 2-year term of the Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship (required, 150 words max)
  9. Confirmation of support for nomination from Department Head/School Director (email is sufficient, required)
  10. Self-declaration by the candidate if they identify with one or more of the equity-deserving groups (optional):
    • Women
    • Indigenous Peoples
    • Persons with disabilities
    • Members of visible minorities/racialized groups
    • Members of the LGBTQ2S+ community

Further Information

Please be sure to visit the VP Research website for full details regarding the Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship.

If you have any questions regarding the FoM internal selection process, please contact evelina.tolstykh@ubc.ca.