2023 Fraser Mustard Postdoctoral Research Award in Work and Health

About the award

The award is named in honour of Dr. J. Fraser Mustard, who was the chair of the Institute for Work & Health's first Board of Directors.

The award supports the development of outstanding new researchers in the field of work and health congruent with the mission of the Institute. It aims specifically to build capacity for innovative multidisciplinary research concerning the relationship between work environments and worker health. As such, the award is open to a range of academic disciplines including social, behavioural and organizational sciences, as well as clinical and population health sciences.

Research conducted at the Institute broadly encompasses two overarching priorities: Work as a Determinant of Health and Health as a Determinant of Work. Within each priority the Institute focuses its research on sub-themes related to workers, workplaces, and system-level policies that are relevant to Canadians and others both today and in the future.

Submissions are encouraged from applicants with an interest in either of IWH’s overarching priorities. Preference will be given to candidates whose research interests closely align with IWH’s current research and topic areas.

Eligibility criteria

1. Applicants must have completed a PhD (or equivalent) at the time they begin the fellowship, in one or more of the fields of social, behavioural, organizational or health sciences, including epidemiology, medicine and allied medical professions.
2. Applicants must be within five (5) years of completion of their PhD, have held no more than one other postdoctoral fellowship (or equivalent), and have not held another academic job as an independent investigator (e.g., assistant professorship).
3. Applicants should have an interest in approaching research questions from a multidisciplinary perspective.
4. Applicants should have proficiency in relevant qualitative and/or quantitative methods.
5. Applicants must hold Canadian citizenship, have permanent residency status in Canada or be eligible for a Canadian work visa at the time of application.
6. Applicants may not hold another major salary award in addition to the Fraser Mustard Award.

Conditions of the appointment

1. The successful candidate will conduct scholarly inquiry within at least one of the priority areas relevant to the Institute and is expected to contribute scholarly work in the form of grant proposals, presentations and peer-reviewed papers during the tenure of the award.
2. The award is based at the Institute for Work & Health where the successful candidate is expected to spend his/her working time.
3. The award is awarded for up to two years (i.e., one year with the possibility of a one-year renewal). If the award is terminated during its course, the award will be prorated.
4. The successful candidate will submit brief interim written reports to his/her mentor and the Institute's associate scientific directors at three, nine, 12 and 18 months into the term. A final detailed report must be filed prior to the conclusion of the award term.
5. The award currently stands at approximately $55,000 CDN per annum, plus a benefit package and conference travel support. Only one award is awarded.
6. The Board of Directors of the Institute reserves the right to terminate the award for cause.

How to apply

Applicants must complete an online application form.

The following materials are required to complete the online form:

• Covering letter and curriculum vitae in PDF format.
• Copies of transcript of academic records in PDF format (graduate, complete with description of grading scale employed). Official transcripts are not required.
• Abstract of the post-doctoral research proposal (maximum 250 words).
• Full statement of the proposed program of research to be conducted during the term of the fellowship in PDF format (maximum 3 pages). The statement should be written by the applicant and should include the scientific and career benefits expected to be derived from the research and its relevance to the mandate of the Institute.

Applicants must also arrange for three (3) academic reference forms to be completed and emailed by the referees directly to Lyudmila Mansurova at lmansurova@iwh.on.ca. The reference form can be downloaded here.

Complete applications, including references, must be submitted by 4:00pm EST on Friday March 24, 2023.

For further details, please read the application instructions.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The online application form cannot be saved. Please have all required materials ready before you begin your online application and save a copy for your records.

Go to application form

Evaluation process and notification of award

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of IWH scientific staff and evaluated based on scientific merit, potential innovativeness, feasibility of proposal and alignment with IWH’s Strategic Research Plan.

Successful applicant will be notified in June 2023.

Enquiries

If you have any questions, please contact:

Lyudmila Mansurova
Administrative Assistant, Office of the President
Institute for Work & Health
lmansurova@iwh.on.ca

About the Institute

The Institute for Work & Health is an independent, not-for-profit research organization whose mission is to conduct and share research with workers, labour, employers, clinicians and policy-makers to promote, protect and improve the health of working people.

IWH is formally affiliated with the University of Toronto, McMaster University, the University of Waterloo and York University.

The Institute has an active knowledge transfer and exchange program which implements interactive strategies to transfer research findings to key decision-makers in health-care, workplace and policy settings.

IWH is committed to creating an inclusive workplace that values and promotes diversity. IWH encourages applications from racialized persons/persons of colour, Indigenous people, women, LGBTQ2S+ persons, persons with disabilities, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.