In 2013 the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada / Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada (SSHRC/CRSH) initiated a review of the training, career development needs, and administration of postdoctoral fellows (‘postdocs’) in the social sciences and humanities in Canada.
Under consideration were proposals to shift SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships (S-PDF) to a model of co-delivery with universities and to require prospective host institutions to submit research training plans as part of the SSHRC PDF application process.
SSHRC invited CAPS/ACSP to participate in this discussion by reviewing current literature on postdoctoral fellows (PDF), soliciting feedback and suggestions from key stakeholders on how best to implement proposed changes, preparing a report for consultation by SSHRC in its decision making process, and co-organizing a workshop with key stakeholders. CAPS also analyzed a sample of data from 165 postdocs’ final evaluation reports from 2009-2011 to help determine what the needs of SSHRC funded social sciences and humanities S-PDF were in relation to training.
The final report prepared by CAPS/ACSP and submitted to SSHRC in January 2014 is available here:
Improving the Experiences of Social Sciences & Humanities Postdocs in Canada