CARMA PhD Fellowship in Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering
(CARMA PhD Fellowship)

Scholarship description

The CARMA PhD Fellowship in Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering program aims to support financially a deserving student who recently started a PhD in rock mechanics and rock engineering at a Canadian institution.

The award aims to encourage and promote higher education in the fields of rock mechanics and rock engineering. Therefore, the award targets students who have recently been accepted to a relevant program under the supervision of a professor or have completed less than 50 % of the required program credits at the time of nomination. 

The scholarship comes with a financial award of $ 7,500.

This award is non-renewable and cannot be compounded with other CARMA scholarship programs. The student will also receive a complimentary registration at one of the relevant Canadian conferences where the award will be presented. These conferences may include the CIM national conference, the CGS national conference, and the CARMA symposium.

Eligibility criteria

The following criteria define eligibility for the CARMA PhD Fellowship in Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering:

1. The student must be enrolled in a PhD at a Canadian university in an engineering or relevant program.
2. The student’s research project should address the fields of rock engineering and/or rock mechanics.
3. Students should not have completed more than 50% of the program credits.
4. Be a member of the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS) or Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM).

Students are eligible for only one CARMA scholarship per yearly cycle. Students can apply for more than one scholarship per cycle but may only be awarded one.

Nomination Process

The nomination package should be submitted to contactus@carma-rocks.ca. Self-nominations are accepted. The nomination should contain:

• A 2-page CV.
• A presentation letter outlining the candidate’s profile, motivations, research topic, and level of completion in the enrolled graduate program (number of credits completed and number of credits needed to graduate). Clearly specify the candidate’s GPa at the undergraduate level, graduate level, and for the 3 most recent semesters. Maximum 2 pages.
• A research statement presenting the nominee’s project goal, objectives, methodologies, and envisioned contributions. Maximum 1 page.
• (Optional) the nomination package may include up to 2 reference letters. One of the letters can be from the nominator.
• Proof of enrollment at a Canadian university in a PhD program.
• Transcript covering at least the previous 3 most recent semesters of the candidate.

Evaluation committee and criteria

The evaluation committee will be formed by a non-voting committee chair selected by CARMA Executive Committee. The evaluation committee shall be composed of at least 3 members with relevant academic and professional experience and no conflict of interest in the nomination packages received.

The evaluation will be based on the following criteria:

1. Motivation statement of the candidate on their interest in contributing to Canadian Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering. (35%)
2. Quality of research statement (clear scope and purpose, practical contributions, complexity of the proposed methods and research activities) (35%)
3. Academic excellence (30%)

Members of the committee will present their rankings of the nominations received to the committee chair. The chair will then compile the rankings and derive an overall ranking. This ranking will be presented to CARMA Executive Committee.

Schedule of award nominations and presentation

The timeline for the scholarship nomination process will be as follows:

• Nomination package due January 31st
• Evaluation committee formed by February 15th
• Nominee’s ranking presented to CARMA’s executive committee by March 15th.
• Recipient(s) informed by March 31st.
• Presentation of the award at one of the conferences: CIM in May, CGS, in September or October, CARMA symposium.

The recipient may elect to postpone by up to a year the presentation of the award to attend a specific conference.