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

Scholarship description

The Graduate Scholarship in Applied Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering program aims to support financially a deserving student who recently started graduate studies (M. Eng., MSc, 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. 

This award specifically targets projects with practical implications contributing explicitly towards industrial challenges and research and development initiatives. Nomination package must detail the practical methods of the research carried out in collaboration with one or more industrial partners. The partner does not have to financially support the nominee to be considered a research partner.

The scholarship comes with a financial award of $ 5,000.

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 graduate program (M. Eng., MSc, 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.)
• A research statement describing the nominee’s project research goal and objectives, experimental methods, and envisioned contributions. The statement should highlight the experimental collaboration involved in practical industrial settings.
• A reference letter from an industrial partner stating the purpose and envisioned contribution of the nominee’s research project.
• Proof of enrollment at a Canadian university in a M. Eng., MSc or PhD program.
• Transcript listing the number of credits completed by the nominee.

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. (30%)
2. Quality of research statement (clear scope and purpose, practical contributions) (30%)
3. Experimental complexity of the research program. Level of implication of one or more industrial partners. Practical implications and benefits for the partners and the industry. Planned time spent onsite or in industrial settings. (40%)

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.