Connected Minds PhD Scholarship Application Form

Applications are due by 11:59PM EDT on Sunday, February 1, 2026. 

Please note: we are only accepting applicants who plan to start their PhD program at York or Queen's University within 12 months of the application deadline or who have started their PhD program at either York or Queen's no earlier than January 1, 2025.

*Not including career interruptions. An opportunity to describe any career interruptions will be provided in the application.

We understand that there may be situations in your academic and professional journey that have resulted in gaps in your CV or other extenuating circumstances. We believe in providing a fair and holistic review of scholarship applications and want to ensure that all relevant information is considered. If you have experienced any of the following situations, please use the designated section in your application to provide an explanation/description of the circumstances and their impact.

1. Gaps in Your CV: If you have gaps in your CV due to reasons such as illness, family responsibilities, personal challenges, or other significant life events.

2. Leaves of Absence: If you have taken a formal leave of absence from your academic or professional pursuits, please provide details regarding the reason for the leave, the duration, and any actions taken during the leave (e.g., continuing education, volunteer work, research, etc.).

3. Extenuating Circumstances: If you have experienced any extenuating circumstances that have impacted your academic or professional journey, such as a disability, personal hardship, or unexpected challenges.

4. Additional Information: If there are any other factors or information that you believe the review committee should be aware of, even if not covered by the above categories.

Your explanations will be treated with sensitivity and confidentiality, and they will be considered in the context of your overall application. Our goal is to ensure that all applicants are evaluated fairly, taking into account the full scope of their experiences and challenges.

Thank you for your openness and for providing us with a comprehensive view of your academic and professional journey.

The primary supervisor must be a Connected Minds member and may support a maximum of 2 PhD applicants per competition except in the case of Indigenous (First Nations, Metis, and Inuit) trainees where there are no restrictions on the number. 

All applicants must be supported by another Connected Minds Member who will serve as a co-supervisor from a different area of study (i.e., different Connected Minds pillar) to enhance interdisciplinary expertise for the proposed project. (This does not have to be an official co-supervisor in the student’s graduate program, but could be).

Upload the signed Letter of Support (using the template provided from the Connected Minds PhD scholarship webpage). The Letter of Support must be signed by both the primary and co-supervisors. 

Note: The referee should be different than the primary and co-supervisors and should use the provided Letter of Recommendation form posted on the Connected Minds PhD scholarship webpage. The form must be emailed directly from the referee to: applyconnectedminds@yorku.ca by the application deadline.

All responses must be written in clear, lay language suitable for an interdisciplinary review committee. Please avoid technical jargon. Where specialized concepts are necessary, ensure that they are fully explained so that reviewers from diverse backgrounds can easily understand.

Please provide a space between paragraphs.

Detail the proposed project's objectives, relationship to the goals of Connected Minds, interdisciplinary approach, co-creation with partners and communities, knowledge mobilization (KMb) strategies, and expected outcomes/impact. 

Use the below bolded headings in your response (these will not count towards the 1,000 word limit):

1. Project Aims and Objectives: Explain the issue your project addresses and why it matters. Describe the overarching goal of your project and the specific research objectives.

2. Alignment with Connected Minds: Explain how your project aligns with one or more of Connected Minds’ long term goals.

• Goal 1: Understand how the interplay of humans and intelligent technologies produces unexpected, emergent properties at the community/whole society levels.
  • How does your project examine human–intelligent technology interactions and emergent patterns, behaviours, or systemic effects.

• Goal 2: Predict how new intelligent technologies will disrupt the techno-social collective.
  • Describe how the project is structured to generate predictions; the technologies or systems involved in your project; what tools or methods will be used to derive them, and how these predictions will contribute to understanding of techno-social disruption and the development of responsible interventions.

• Goal 3: Use these predictions to drive new research and intelligent technology development.
  • Explain how this project will design and develop new and responsible intelligent technology, policy, design, or community practice.

3. Methodological and Interdisciplinary Approach: Provide a clear description of the research/project design. Including data collection and analysis plans, tools, techniques, and technologies involved (if applicable). Describe the interdisciplinary nature of your proposed work; the degree to which the proposed project incorporates methods and/or outputs across two or more CM expertise pillars (neuroscience & behaviour, AI/technology, society). Why are the chosen methods appropriate and are there any anticipated challenges or mitigation strategies.

4. Co-Creation and Partnership Approach: Describe how co-creation is built into your project. Consider:

• Who you will collaborate or co-create with (community groups, industry, policy agencies, clinical partners, Indigenous communities, etc.) and how they will be engaged.
• How reciprocal benefit, inclusiveness, non-extractive practices, and community voice are embedded in your approach.
• If co-creation is not yet integrated, describe how you plan to incorporate it and what support you may need.

5. Knowledge Mobilization (KMb) and Expected Impact: Explain how the project outcomes will be shared and applied. Consider:

• Who will benefit from your findings.
• How your work may influence communities, policies, technologies, or societal systems.
• Planned KMb activities (e.g., workshops, co-creation meetings, prototypes, plain-language materials, datasets, policy briefs, community events).

Explain how EDI principles and best practices will be applied in the development of the proposal’s design, implementation, and impact by answering the following:

1. Please describe how individuals from underrepresented groups (women; racialized; Black; Indigenous Peoples; Persons with disabilities; 2SLGBTQIA+) and/or their perspectives and experiences (e.g., from literature, consultations), have been meaningfully integrated in the creation of the project’s question(s), design, methodology, and knowledge translation plan. If this has not yet occurred, please explain how underrepresented perspective will be integrated in your program

2. To help you engage and build knowledge of EDI and co-creation practices during your time in the program, what learning and developmental resources and programs would you be interested in participating in to develop your EDI knowledge and skillset. For example, information about conferences, seminars, and/or working groups.

3. In recognition of barriers to participation and data sovereignty, what measures are in place to avoid or mitigate harm to underrepresented groups participating in research? What measures are in place to ensure knowledge generation and translation process have positive impact on underrepresented communities?

4. What steps are in place to ensure the research is open to diverse viewpoints and ensure design and methodology are non-extractive?

Upload any:

• References/Works Cited (1 page max)
• Tables, Figures, Project Timeline (2 page max)

The self-identification surveys are used for three reasons (for #1 and #2, no personal information will be link to any applications):

1. Understanding the diversity of program applicants, and
2. Calculate the program's overall Affirmative Action targets
3. For the Funding Inclusive Research Excellence Program (FIRE-UP). You may choose to opt out of having your data used in this program on the self-identification survey. For more information on FIRE-UP, please refer to our website.

All applicants are required to complete the self-identification survey. If you do not feel comfortable self-identifying, selecting the option "I prefer not to self-identify" under question #5, will end the survey. This option is available throughout the survey, providing you with autonomy on what is shared.

The adjudication committee will not be made aware if applicants identify as members of underrepresented groups, and no identities will be linked to any names on the application. This is done to protect the identities of individuals and ensure applications are adjudicated by the Training Committee based on research merit and excellence.

Names and identities are only accessible to the Connected Minds Program Director (Caitlin Mullin), Operations Manager (Tara Tharani), and EDI and Community Outreach Specialist (Andrew Castillo) and will be used for the purposes of selecting which candidates to fund (based on our current Affirmative Action targets) after the Training Committee has completed their adjudication. You may choose to not have your data used in the Funding Inclusive Research Excellence Program (FIRE-UP) by selecting "No" to Question 14 on Page 2 of the self-identification survey.

Please complete the Self-identification survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JDGSDR6 

If you have technical issues with completing the survey, please reach out to: applyconnectedminds@yorku.ca. 

At least 10% of available fellowships will be designated for qualified applicants identifying as African, Caribbean, and Black, and at least 10% for Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Metis, and Inuit), totaling at least 20% of fellowships.

If you identify as belonging to one of these groups and would like to be considered under this funding stream, please check the below box.

1. I certify that the information provided in this application is true, complete, and accurate in all respects, including my declarations as to citizenship & immigration status in Canada, institutions attended and that all available information requested in this application has been disclosed.

2. All information that I have provided in connection with this application is subject to verification and audit by either York University or Queen's University.

3. I shall provide supporting documentation to York University and/or Queen's University to verify my eligibility upon request.

4. I consent to disclosure by York University and Queen's University of personal information I have given in this application as follows: to referees I have named and to other institutions when necessary to verify my statements.

5. I understand that any misrepresentation in this application or failure to provide my consent to authorize York University and Queen's University to verify my information on this application may result in cancellation of my admission or enrollment status.