Paul Kubes Trainee Award of Excellence
Terms of Reference and Instructions for Applicants
The Paul Kubes award was created through philanthropic donations with the intention of supporting the success and careers of emerging infectious disease and chronic disease researchers. The award is supported by both a spend down fund and an endowed fund. Both the spend down and endowment funds will remain open to contributions from other sources.
Eligibility: Applications are solicited from trainees who have been accepted into a full-time graduate program at the University of Calgary under the supervision of a full member of the Snyder Institute. The award can be used as an incentive to attract International Trainees or to promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusiveness within the trainee body of the Snyder Institute. Only one student in a given laboratory may hold a Beverley Phillips or Paul Kubes award at any one time. Students supervised by Dr. Kubes are ineligible to apply.
Citizenship: Unrestricted
Purpose of fund: The fund will be used to provide salary support for graduate students (MSc and PhD) studying any aspect of infectious or chronic diseases. Specifically, this award is designed to encourage a multidisciplinary approach involving PIs (other than the supervisor) from within or outside the Snyder Institute who bring complementary but distinct perspectives and methodological approaches to interrogate the proposed research project.
In addition to salary support, successful applicants will receive a $2,500 research allowance that can be used to attend research conferences or enroll in training workshops (on-line or in-person). This can include reasonable expenses related to travel, accommodation, meals (at the University of Calgary stipulated rate) and childcare (if applicable).
Where tenable: Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary.
Adjudication: The following criteria will be considered in the selection process:
- Focus on chronic disease research
- Quality of applicant, academic excellence, research experience, awards
- Supervisor’s multidisciplinary training plan and confirmation that funds are available to support the proposed research (these do not have to be tri-council)
- Project’s fit with the mandate of the Snyder Institute
Value of training awards: The award guarantees an annual stipend of $10,000/year plus a research allowance of $2,500/year.
Number of graduate training awards: Two (2) awards per year, subject to available funding.
Duration of training awards: Two (2) years. Renewal of a Paul Kubes award is contingent upon an annual review of progress, evidence the trainee has sought additional support from other studentships/fellowships/awards, and a letter of support from the supervisor.
Applicants must provide a letter of support from their supervisor that commits to provide the balance of the minimum annual stipend mandated by the Graduate Science Education office (currently $25,000 and $27,000 for domestic MSc and PhD trainees, respectively, and $26,000 and $28,000 for international MSc and PhD trainees, respectively).
Administration of awards: The Education Committee of the Snyder Institute will administer the selection process. The Education Committee will be responsible for maintaining meeting minutes, circulating calls for applications, and notifying successful and unsuccessful applicants. It is expected that PIs who supervise students holding an active Beverley Phillips or Paul Kubes award will serve as reviewers in the 2025 and/or future competitions.
The Education Committee Chair will be responsible for reporting to the Snyder Advisory Board on an annual basis regarding awardees and finances.
Applications deadline: The deadline for the next competition is Friday, May 16, 2025 at 5:00 pm. Completed applications (excluding references) must be submitted as a single .pdf file to snydered@ucalgary.ca.
Application form: