Our deadlines
Post-doctoral researchers
Arsenault fellows
Steinberg post-doctoral fellows
Post-doctoral fellows in Health and Law
Boulton fellows
Wainwright fellows
Post-doctoral researchers
The Faculty of Law hosts a handful of postdoctoral researchers each year. The following details application and funding requirements. Applications are reviewed only once per year, and the deadline to apply is February 1st of the year preceding the academic year during which the fellowship will be taken.
Nota bene: Professors who are considering hosting a postdoctoral candidate through their internal funds must remember to calculate an additional 28% in benefits to the minimum salary.
There are several important steps to consider when applying for postdoctoral positions, outlined below:
- The prospective candidate should first liaise with a potential supervisor and obtain a confirmation that this professor is willing to supervise him or her. A professor’s willingness to supervise in no way obliges the Faculty to accept the candidate.
- The candidate must then fill out our Application Form and send it to the research.law [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Postdoctoral%20application) (Research Office) of the Faculty of Law. This form must state who the potential supervisor will be and where the candidate intends to obtain external funding.
- Please note our application deadline. No application will be accepted after that date. Applications are assessed only after the deadline has passed; the Faculty requires 4-6 weeks to review them.
- The Faculty of Law does an internal review of all of the postdoctoral applicants and decides to whom they would like to make conditional offers. If a candidate is accepted, the Faculty of Law sends a letter of invitation to the potential postdoc. This letter will say that acceptance is conditional on obtaining funding and a valid work permit.
- Candidates must find external funding. McGill regulations stipulate that a postdoctoral student must obtain external funding equal to or greater than $48,000 CAD per annum. It is solely the candidate’s responsibility to find and obtain such funding. The Faculty does offer institutional support on these applications, particularly with regards to the supporting documents that we will need to provide. However, it remains the candidate’s job to ensure that the application is complete and done properly.
- Although all applications must go through a formal process before an official invitation is made, the Faculty may issue an expression of interest to assist you in securing funding as required. Although it will be our pleasure to try and accommodate candidates, if you require such an expression of interest, it is preferable to contact us four (4) to six (6) weeks before the sponsor’s deadline in order to allow for processing and approvals.
- Once the candidate has secured funding, the Faculty will send the candidate a formal Letter of Invitation that he or she may use to obtain a work permit (if necessary). Once the candidate has fulfilled these conditions, he or she will be accepted into the postdoctoral program.
- Only candidates who have recently been awarded (within 5 years) a PhD or equivalent are eligible to hold a postdoctoral position.
- Kindly consult the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website for more information.
Funding
Postdoctoral Fellows must obtain external funding. Most Canadian students are funded through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, while many students who are also Quebec Residents obtain funding from the Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la société et la culture.
Both Canadian and International postdoctoral students are eligible to apply for Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships; however, there are very few of these awards offered each year. The Faculty may only nominate one candidate for the Banting Fellowship each year (and, some years, exceptionally two). A call for proposals is circulated to all Faculty members sometime in April inviting them to propose potential candidates. If you are interested in applying, please inform your supervisor or intended supervisor. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Faculty of Law Research Office.
Most international students obtain funding from their own governments. They can also apply for the Quebec Merit Scholarship for Foreign Students (Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur, Recherche, Science et Technologie), which is a non-renewable one-year scholarship with a $35,000.00 CAN value.
Please consult the McGill Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website for more information on requirements for postdoctoral studies at McGill. Jurists who are interested in air and space law fields can also consider the Erin Arsenault Postdoctoral Research Fellowships offered by McGill's IASL.
Contact
Questions and/or documentation should be research.law [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Postdoctoral%20Fellowships) (emailed).
Alternatively, applications may be sent by mail to:
Research Office
Room 503, New Chancellor Day Hall
Faculty of Law, McGill University
3644 Peel Street
Montreal, Quebec
Canada H3A 1W9
Please kindly allow a minimum of 3 weeks for an answer to each communication with our office.
Faculty fellowships
Erin J.C. Arsenault Fellowships in Space Governance
The Arsenault Fellowships, which are supported by the Erin J. C. Arsenault Trust, are intended for graduate students engaged in research on the pursuit of peace and security in outer space through law, policy and global governance at the Institute of Air and Space Law (IASL).
Value: up to $20,000 for Master of Laws (LLM) students and $30,000 per year for Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.) students at the Institute of Air and Space Law, at McGill's Faculty of Law. These fellowships are renewable annually on the basis of outstanding performance during the preceding year.
For more information, visit the IASL's website.
Steinberg Fellowships in International Migration Law & Policy
The Steinberg Post-Doctoral Fellowships in International Migration Law & Policy are funded by the Arnold and Blema Steinberg Foundation and the appointment(s) shall be for an initial duration of one year with a possibility of renewal for one more year. The Postdoctoral Fellow(s) work as part of a research team in collaboration with the Oppenheimer Chair in Public International Law and the Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism (CHRLP) under the leadership and supervision of Professor François Crépeau, Professor at the Faculty of Law and former U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants.
A principal objective of the Postdoctoral Research Fellowship program is to train the next generation of International Migration Law specialists interested in pursuing careers in Migration Law. Accordingly, in addition to completing a major research project, successful candidates, as members of the CHRLP team, will be strongly encouraged to participate in the relevant activities of the CHRLP and Oppenheimer Chair initiatives.
Requirements:
Applicants must hold a doctoral degree in law obtained within the last five years. The ideal candidate must have a solid track record of original research, a high level of proficiency in English, and must propose a research project with a clear focus on migration, mobility, or refugee-related issues.
The criteria for selection are as follows:
-
originality, quality, and relevance of the project to contemporary global issues of migration and mobility.
-
ability demonstrated by the candidate to conduct legal research and perform other academic tasks substantiated by the candidate's previous track record of original research and publications.
-
availability and willingness of the candidate to participate actively in the academic life of the Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism, including a commitment to be physically present in Montreal during the tenure of the postdoctoral fellowship.
-
the candidate's desire and preparedness to pursue a career in human rights law and/or migration law, refugee law, and migration policy.
-
practical or professional experience in working with migrants and refugees is considered as an asset.
Application deadline and procedure:
The deadline for receiving applications is 1 February at 11:59 pm, Eastern Standard Time (Montreal time). The review of applications will commence immediately thereafter and continue until the position(s) is (are) filled. This full-time position begins on 1 September and lasts until 31 August of the next year.
The selected candidates will receive a Fellowship of the value of 50,000 Canadian dollars per annum.
Applications are to be submitted electronically to the attention of the selection committee at migration.law [at] mcgill.ca. Applicants must submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, a research proposal (maximum four pages), a transcript of postgraduate (doctoral) studies, and one or more writing samples (from peer-reviewed publications, if possible). Applicants should also name three referees who may be invited by the CHRLP to send letters of reference.
For more information about the Arnold & Blema Steinberg Post-Doctoral Fellowships in International Migration Law & Policy, please contact migration.law [at] mcgill.ca.
The selection criteria are as follows:
-
originality, quality, and relevance of the project to contemporary global issues of migration and mobility
-
a demonstrated ability to conduct legal research and perform other academic tasks substantiated by the candidate's previous track record of original research and publications
-
availability and willingness to actively participate in the academic life of the Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism, including a commitment to be physically present in Montreal during the tenure of the postdoctoral fellowship
-
the candidate's desire and preparedness to pursue a career in human rights law and/or migration law, refugee law, and migration policy
-
practical or professional experience in working with migrants and refugees is considered as an asset
Application Process
The deadline for receiving applications is October 31st, 2022 at 11:59 pm, Eastern Standard Time (Montreal time). This full-time position will begin on January 15th, 2023. The selected candidates will receive a Fellowship stipend in the amount of $47,000 Canadian dollars for one year.
Only electronic applications will be accepted. Please e-mail the following documents to migration.law [at] mcgill.ca with the subject line, “Application: Steinberg Post-doctoral Fellowship.”
-
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
-
Cover letter
-
Research proposal (four pages maximum)
-
Transcript of doctoral studies
-
At least one writing sample (from peer-reviewed publications, if possible)
-
Names of three referees who may be invited to send letters of reference
For more information about the Fellowship, please contact migration.law [at] mcgill.ca.
McGill Research Group on Health and Law Postdoctoral Fellowships
The McGill Research Group on Health and Law (RGHL) at McGill University’s Faculty of Law is seeking two postdoctoral fellows for a one-year period starting in 2021.
Applicants should plan to conduct interdisciplinary research in any range of areas related to health, law and justice.
For full details and to apply directly, visit the RGHL website.
Deadline to apply: 15 April 2021.
Boulton fellowships
Please note that we are not seeking applications for this fellowship at the moment.
The Boulton Fund was established in 1983 under the terms of a bequest of the late A. Maxwell Boulton, QC (1909-1981), BA 1930, BCL 1933.
The purpose of the Fund is to enable the Faculty to invite, from time to time, a senior scholar to McGill to participate in the teaching and intellectual life of the Faculty as Boulton Visiting Professor; and to appoint one or more junior scholars, Boulton Fellows, in each academic year, in order to assist them in carrying out a research project of significance while gaining some teaching experience in the Faculty.
The Trustees of the Boulton Fund naturally look with particular favour upon research projects that have significance to the Canadian legal system and legal community although the subject matter of the project need not bear directly upon a subject of Canadian law. It is normally assumed that the finished product will be published in some form or another.
How to apply
Fellows are appointed upon an open competition.
Applications for the Boulton Fellowships should include a letter of intent, a curriculum vitae, a detailed statement of research project, and the names of three referees. Applications should be addressed to the Boulton Fund Administrators, Faculty of Law, McGill University. For inquiries, email staffappointments.law [at] mcgill.ca.
Wainwright fellowships
Please note that we are not seeking applications for this fellowship at the moment.
The Wainwright Fund was established under the terms of the will of the late Arnold Wainwright, QC (1879-1967), BA 1899, BCL 1902, DCL 1963 of the Montreal Bar. Mtre Wainwright taught Civil law at McGill University from 1909 to 1934. His merits as a teacher of the Civil Law for over twenty-five years were recognized by the University in 1934 when it named him Emeritus Professor upon his retirement. In 1963, the degree of Doctor of Civil Law honoris causa was conferred upon him by the University.
Mtre Wainwright bequeathed the residue of his estate to McGill University for the use of the Faculty of Law; in so doing, he intended to promote the scholarly study of the Civil Law of Quebec, which had always remained his abiding interest throughout his long and distinguished career.
The Faculty has since appointed a number of Wainwright Fellows, many of whom now hold academic positions in Canadian law faculties.
How to apply for a Wainwright Fellowship.
