John Charles Polanyi Prizes, 2017
In honour of the achievement of John Charles Polanyi, recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in
Chemistry, the Government of the Province of Ontario has established a fund to provide
annually up to five prizes to outstanding researchers in the early stages of their career who are
continuing to post-doctoral studies or have recently started a faculty appointment at an Ontario
university. In 2017, the prizes have a value of $20,000 each and are available in the areas
broadly defined as Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Economic
Science.
Conditions:
1. Any person who is planning to continue to post-doctoral studies (or has a faculty
appointment) in a recognized Ontario publicly assisted university who meets the following
criteria may apply for one of the prizes:
i.
is normally resident in Ontario and has completed or is near completion of
doctoral studies in any recognized university in the world,
or has completed or is
nearing completion of doctoral studies in an Ontario university; and
ii.
has received the doctoral degree between September 1, 2013 and April 30,
2017,
or if the doctoral degree has not yet been awarded, will have completed all
the requirements for the doctoral degree by April 30, 2017. Applicants holding
faculty appointments within these time limits may apply. (Note: Applicants who
have been on parental leave between the time of completion of the doctorate and
the time of application may have their period of eligibility extended by six
months.)
2. The prizes are awarded to recognize truly outstanding researchers and scholars for their
work during their PhD program and/or in their post-doctoral research.
3. The Selection Committee reviews the record of research and publications as well as a
description of planned research when it makes its decisions about the applicants to be
awarded the Prizes. The Committee looks for the evidence from past research in very
concrete terms and sees a plan for future research - both are considered but a good plan
without a truly meritorious record of past achievement would not be recognized with a
Polanyi Prize.
4. The tax-exempt Prizes are awarded directly to recipients who have discretion over the use
of the funding. The prizes may be held along with any other financial support or research
funds received by the winners.
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5. It is hoped that the prizes will be
conferred by September, 2017. No prize will be awarded
without the successful applicant having completed all requirements for the doctoral degree.
Applications:
Application forms (in English and French) are available at the Council of Ontario Universities’
website:
http://cou.on.ca/about/awards/john-charles-polanyi/
Notes for the Applicant:
Following is a checklist of items each applicant must submit. Electronic submission to the
Dean of Graduate Studies must be made by December 1, 2016.
•
The completed application form
•
Curriculum vitae, including information concerning the application. Updates to curriculum
vitae will not be accepted after submission
•
A brief summary of the doctoral thesis (1 page, to be written by the applicant)
•
A statement of research (or writing) to be undertaken during the period of the award
(maximum of 2 pages, plus an additional 1 page for diagrams, bibliography, etc., to be
prepared by the applicant)
•
A non-technical summary (maximum 500 words, to be written by the applicant)
•
Confidential letters from four assessors. These should focus on an evaluation of the
applicant’s research (or writing) to date, and the research (or writing) being undertaken and
provide commentary on why the research is prize-worthy. The applicant must ask for the
appraisals to be transmitted electronically directly to the Dean of Graduate Studies. Two of
the assessors must not have been associated with the candidate as either a supervisor, or
a member of the applicant’s supervisory committee, or a co-author and should preferably be
from another university
Notes for the Dean of Graduate Studies
Each applicant’s application must be forwarded by the Dean of Graduate Studies of the
university at which the candidate will undertake the research supported by the award. An
electronic copy of a letter from the Dean, which, among other things, should clarify the nature of
the position which will be held, should accompany each application. These letters can be brief,
but must include an electronic signature. Please do not send hard copies of any documents.
All applicants must be pre-screened as no more than three applications per prize area (Physics,
Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Economic Science) are to be submitted by
any one institution.
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Before
January 31, 2017, the complete application package (see checklist above) is to be
forwarded electronically by the Dean of Graduate Studies of the sponsoring university to:
Dr. Brian Timney
Email:
btimney@cou.on.ca
Tel: 416-979-2165 ext. 235
The Selection Committee:
The Selection Committee consists of ten members, two each from the five areas indicated in the
Announcement. Committee members are nominated by the Deans of the Graduate Schools in
the Province of Ontario, and selected by the Ontario Council on Graduate Studies.