Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars

Awards and honours such as the Royal Society of Canada can play an important role in your career progression by providing tangible evidence of external recognition of your achievements. Membership in the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars instantly indicates to others that you are considered one of Canada’s emerging leading researchers. This recognition can then distinguish you against others in, for example, applications for grants and prestigious fellowships.

The New Scholars program is for early career scholars who have demonstrated a high level of research excellence. They show potential to be national/international leaders in their field and their research has already demonstrated broader impact or has the potential for broader impact. Typically, a successful candidate will have a track record (relative to career stage) that includes a strong publication record (as defined by your field), a strong record of grant success (as defined by your field), patents (if applicable), disciplinary prizes and awards, and invitations to speak/keynote presentations. Research impact is key – the RSC is interested in candidates whose work has led to demonstrable impacts in their field and on society, economy, health, or environment.

If you are interested and would like advice on when to apply, please contact your College Research Manager and RSO (see contact information below).

For nomination to the College of New Scholars program, the following documents are required: nomination letter (from the University President if you are being nominated by the university); two letters of support; a 70 word citation; a 1200 word detailed appraisal; a 500 word candidate statement; and a CV.

The most crucial parts of the nomination are the detailed appraisal and the letters of support. To maximize your chances of success, RSO will provide substantive support in writing the detailed appraisal. It is a different type of document than most grant applications and award nominations and you should expect to go through multiple rounds of feedback. RSO will also work with your referees to sharpen your letters of support (which are kept confidential).

If you are interested in being nominated as a New Scholar to the Royal Society of Canada, you will submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to research.honours@uoguelph.ca by the internal deadline, usually in June (see the Honours and Awards Calendar and it will be emailed as a Research Alert). The EOI is comprised of a written statement detailing your research achievements and impact and a CV.

The Honours and Awards Committee will review your EOI and provide a recommendation to the VPR on your nomination. The Committee may recommend approval or waiting a year or two to strengthen your research achievements. If the VPR approves your nomination, you will work with your College Research Manager and RSO from June to November to compile the nomination dossier. The final internal deadline is typically November 1. RSO will obtain the appropriate approvals and signatures and submit it to the Royal Society by the external deadline of December 1.

We usually find out the results the following July.