Rising Star FAQs

I defended my PhD and started my postdoctoral fellowship in the past calendar year. Which category of awards should I apply to?

All applicants should apply to the award category that best represents their current career stage. Reviewers will be asked to consider time spent in the program when making their assessments. Candidates are encouraged to highlight academic, community involvement and leadership contributions.

What should I be highlighting in the one-page personal statement?

The Ontario Rising Stars in Cancer Research Network (Rising Stars) awards program aims to recognize world-class postdoctoral trainees and students across Ontario by highlighting those who demonstrate scientific potential and a high standard of scholarly achievement in cancer research, as well as community engagement and leadership. The one-page personal statement should highlight a candidate’s excellence in cancer research and academic achievement; demonstrated leadership in the cancer research community and beyond; and any demonstrated community engagement impacting local communities or society at large.

What if I am applying to the PDF awards category and I don’t have a published paper or preprint available to submit?

We recognize that there are often factors beyond a candidate’s control that might impact their ability to have a publication or pre-print available for submission. As such, candidates may submit an excerpt from their thesis that highlights an important contribution to cancer research or published conference proceedings. Should none of these be available, candidates are welcome to submit a half-page description of special circumstances explaining why they are unable to submit any of the above.