Killam Awards for Excellence in Mentoring
ForecastedInternal — University of British Columbia - Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies only
Killam Awards for Excellence in Mentoring recognize UBC faculty for sustained graduate student mentorship that fosters students' intellectual, professional, and personal development.
Funder: University of British Columbia - Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Due Dates (Anticipated): September 2027 (Nomination deadline)
Funding Amounts: $5,000 and a commemorative certificate per recipient; one mid-career and one senior award
Summary: Recognizes UBC Vancouver faculty for sustained, outstanding graduate student mentorship supporting intellectual, professional, and personal development.
Key Information: Faculty nomination and Department Head approval are required; students and mentees cannot nominate.
Description
The Killam Awards for Excellence in Mentoring recognize outstanding mentorship of numerous graduate students over many years. Run by UBC Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the awards honour faculty whose mentoring supports students’ intellectual, professional, and personal development. Funding comes from UBC’s Killam General Endowment, administered by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic.
The awards emphasize scholarly excellence, integrity, respect, inclusion, and collegiality. They recognize mentors who help diverse students develop critical thinking, scholarly rigour, creativity, communication, and interpersonal skills, while building disciplinary networks and exploring careers. For senior nominees especially, mentoring should extend beyond excellent research supervision and training to personal development and service to the scholarly community.
