British Academy-CIFAR Global Scholars — Fellowship

The British Academy partnered with CIFAR to promote the 2026–2028 Global Scholars cohort to UK-based researchers in the social sciences and humanities. Selected scholars join one CIFAR research program for two years, working with an international network of Fellows and Advisors while developing research leadership skills.

For the British Academy partnership, the recruiting programs were Child & Brain Development, Future Flourishing, and Humanity’s Urban Future. The 2025/2026 application cycle is closed.

Benefits & funding

CAD 100,000 in unrestricted research support over two years, usable for research expenses, teaching release, student or postdoctoral support, conference travel, and related costs.
Eligibility to seek additional time-limited CIFAR seed funding for interdisciplinary collaborations.
Membership in the CIFAR Global Scholars community and participation in research-program meetings.
Training in team leadership, trainee mentorship, research communication, and research advocacy.

Eligibility

Applicants must hold a PhD or equivalent qualification.
They must hold a full-time position at a higher-education or research institution, lead independent research as a principal investigator, and supervise or teach degree-seeking trainees.
The qualifying position must have begun between 1 July 2021 and 31 December 2025 and remain secure from 1 April 2026 through 31 March 2028; postdoctoral fellows are not eligible.
Their research must complement a recruiting CIFAR program. For this British Academy partnership, the listed areas were Child & Brain Development, Future Flourishing, and Humanity’s Urban Future.
Applicants from all countries are eligible. The British Academy specifically encouraged UK-based social sciences and humanities researchers, but did not state nationality or UK residence as a hard requirement.
Applicants must be fluent in spoken and written English, hold a valid passport, be able to secure any required visas for global meetings, and be available for the scheduled virtual interviews.

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Education required
PhD

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Application process

1
Review the program overview and choose the recruiting CIFAR research program that best matches the proposed work.
2
Complete the online application; a separate application is required for each research program if applying to more than one.
3
Submit the requested research, leadership, communication, public-engagement, and inclusion statements together with an academic CV and a narrative CV.
4
Arrange two confidential recommendation letters. If one referee is a CIFAR program member, three letters are required in total, including at least two from people unaffiliated with a CIFAR program.
5
Ensure the complete application and all reference letters are submitted through CIFAR’s online system by the deadline.

Program timeline

Applications opened.
3 September 2025
Application deadline at 12:00 Eastern Standard Time.
5 November 2025
Shortlisted candidates invited to interview.
By mid-February 2026
Virtual interviews.
24–26 March 2026
Shortlisted candidates notified of results.
By early April 2026
Two-year scholar term began.
1 April 2026
Global Scholars annual meeting in Alton, Ontario.
9–11 June 2026
Scholar term ends.
31 March 2028