The Tom Symons Research Fellowship Program

The Tom Symons Research Fellowship Program offers support to PhD candidates who are working on their theses and are interested in using one of a variety of microdata now available from longitudinal surveys, administrative data and other sources. Through this program, Statistics Canada provides access to the master versions of these microdata at its Ottawa headquarters, as well as limited financial support.

Background and objectives
Description of the Fellowship
Application procedures
Deadline
Successful candidates of the program

Background and objectives

Significant advances in the development of microdata and longitudinal data have resulted in major new tools for conducting Canadian empirical research. These tools include the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics, the Annual Survey of Manufactures, the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, the Workplace and Employee Survey, the National Population Health Survey, and a host of administrative data related to both individuals and enterprises.

The Tom Symons Research Fellowship Program is intended to

• offer PhD candidates access to survey and administrative data to complete work associated with their theses;
• promote awareness of these data and of the workings of Statistics Canada to a group of future Canadian researchers; and
• help promote awareness of the value of these data in the general research community.

The program is encouraging doctoral candidates to use these master files, which contain more detailed information than the public versions. Giving researchers the opportunity to examine these data at Statistics Canada's Ottawa headquarters promotes the analysis of hypotheses and issues that would not otherwise be explored. This avenue is of interest to empirically orientated social scientists intending to work in areas as diverse as productivity and economic performance; national accounts; business and corporate analysis; international and interprovincial trade; science and technology; labour markets; and social and family studies.

Description of the Fellowship

A number of fellowships will be offered for the coming academic year. Accepted candidates become 'deemed employees' of Statistics Canada, subject to the Statistics Act, and are expected to conduct their research at its head office in Ottawa. The fellowship is $15,000 ($1,875 per month, for a maximum of eight months). Office and computing equipment are made available to successful candidates, who must begin their work on or before October.

Application procedures

Proposals are invited from doctoral students who are currently engaged in writing their theses.

Proposals will be judged on the extent to which they

• clearly articulate the hypotheses or issues being examined;
• demonstrate a detailed awareness of one of the data sources and its appropriateness and limitations for the proposed study; and
• outline, where applicable, the limitations of the public-use version of the data for the issue being addressed and offer a rationale for access to the master file.

The proposal should contain a copy of the candidate's curriculum vitae and graduate and undergraduate transcripts. The thesis advisor must send, under separate cover, a confidential reference letter verifying that the candidate is a registered student engaged in thesis work and offering an assessment of the candidate's ability to complete the proposed project. Candidates may include copies of preliminary chapter drafts that use the public-use version of the data.

Deadline

The deadline for submission of proposals is April 15 each year.

Candidates are invited to submit proposals by email to symons@statcan.ca or by mail to:

The Tom Symons Research Fellowship Program
Family and Labour Studies Division
Statistics Canada
R.H. Coats Building, 24^th floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6

Transcripts must be sent by mail.

Proposals should be submitted to arrive by no later than April 15^th.

All proposals received by the deadline will be acknowledged, and a final decision made by May 30^th each year.