The Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellowships support exceptional postdoctoral researchers from any country based at a Canadian institution conducting research for Canada on urgent conservation issues.
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| Host Country | Canada |
| Host Institute | Any Canadian Institute |
| Minimum Degree | PhD before the start date of the Scholarship |
| Value | $70,000 per year, annual travel, and a research budget of $15,000 |
| Fields | Natural or social sciences |
| Nationality | Any |
Criteria for Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
- Eligible scholars will be scientists in the natural or social sciences.
- Must have obtained a PhD degree before the start of the fellowship.
- Applicants should propose to be based in a Canadian conservation or academic institution and conduct their research primarily in Canada.
- Canadian citizenship is not required – researchers from any country can apply.
- Applicants will designate a mentoring team consisting of at least one academic mentor and at least one mentor from practice in the field of nature conservation.
- Applicants are encouraged to identify a team of mentors at the outset of their proposal to foster meaningful collaboration.
- The quality and suitability of the mentoring team* will also be a key consideration and the proposal should highlight how the team will work together to address the conservation issue.
- Research projects may draw on natural, social, or multidisciplinary theories and methods to address the conservation issues under study.
Special Encouragement
Members of groups that have historically been marginalized based on their gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, racialization, disability, and/or First Nation, Métis, Inuit, or Aboriginal status are especially encouraged to apply.
Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellowship Coverage
The Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellowship will consist of 2 years of support (the second year dependent on satisfactory progress) with a stipend of $70,000 per year and an annual travel and research budget of $15,000.
Note: The Liber Ero Fellowship is not considered an employer of postdoctoral fellows and does not cover the employer portion of benefits if it is the host institution’s policy to classify fellows as employees. We recommend that applicants discuss with their potential primary mentor in advance potential sources of funding for the employer portion (sources vary by the host organization and may include institutional support, mentor funding, and employee contributions).
Timeline
Every year, Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellowship applications for the following year’s cohort open on the official website in August/September. The application deadline is always November 1.
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Required Documents
The Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellowship application consists of the following main components. First, register your application, then compile the following and submit it as a PDF:
- Cover letter (one-page maximum) – Only a short cover letter is required and should not repeat the information in the application. Rather, it should be a synthesis of your past achievements and tell us more about yourself and your goals.
- Research proposal (maximum four pages) – Research proposals must demonstrate the candidate’s ability to identify a key conservation problem facing the natural world and describe how the proposed work will contribute to solving that problem. The proposal is free-form and can be structured as is most appropriate, but must include:
- Project Title
- Conservation Problem: A successful application must clearly define the conservation problem in Canada that will be addressed and how the scholarship will contribute to solving the problem beyond simply studying the conservation problem.
- Methods: A section (minimum one page) describing the methods and approaches to be used, indicating any new approaches to be developed.
- Mentoring: A section explaining how the applicant and mentoring team plan to work together to effect real-world change around the stated conservation issue.
- Impact: The section must describe the potential impact of the proposed research and specify the communities that will benefit most from the results.
- References: Additional pages for literature cited may be included beyond the four-page limit.
- A statement highlighting past accomplishments demonstrating the candidate’s commitment to conservation science, outreach, and collaboration (maximum 500 words).
- A Diversity Statement describing the applicant’s past and/or potential commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity through research, teaching, service, outreach, or any other activities (maximum 250 words).
- A copy of the applicant’s CV listing relevant publications, grants, and experience.
- Letters of support from proposed academic and conservation mentors, a minimum of two. In cases where there are multiple academic mentors, a joint letter is recommended if possible (as well as in cases involving multiple conservation practice mentors).
- Letters of support from two referees familiar with your conservation research and leadership strengths (these should be sent directly to info@liberero.ca by your referees; do not include them in your pdf). Please request these letters early to ensure they are sent and delivered by our deadline!
How to Apply?
Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellowship Program fellows will be selected based on evidence of their success and emergence as leaders in conservation-related research, as well as the merit of their proposed research and mentoring team.
- All required documents listed above (except #7) should be sent to info@liberero.ca as a single PDF file
- letters from your two referees should be sent directly to info@liberero.ca.
