Application Guide
Eligibility criteria
- PhD candidate in population research (e.g. economics, demography, sociology, geography, political science, psychology, etc.). Master’s students and postdoctoral fellows will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Undergraduate students are unfortunately not eligible to apply.
- Confirmed availability on Wednesdays, from 9AM-2PM ET from September 2024 to June 2025, and the capacity to devote an average of 5 hours per week to the training program.
- Must be enrolled with a CAnD3 academic partner due to the requirements of our funding agency. Each of our university partners is undergoing its own recruitment process. Please consult the 2024-25 application requirements at the bottom of this page to review your institution's recruitment process.
Who are CAnD3 Fellows?
Our cohort of CAnD3 Fellows is multidisciplinary, pan-Canadian, and international. At program entry, the ideal cohort will have a mix of basic data analytic skills and knowledge to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and support. Fellow Cohort selection will be made with equity, inclusion, and diversity considerations.
Please refer to the Fellow Recruitment Profile matrix below for ideal, minimum requirements to apply to be a CAnD3 Fellow. Not meeting the minimum requirements for all areas will not affect your application negatively. However, we may recommend some resources for upskilling prior to the program start date to ensure a more enjoyable experience and optimal learning potential.
Fellow recruitment profile matrix
Training topic |
Details |
Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|
POPULATION DYNAMICS/ RESEARCH |
||
Substantive knowledge |
Population aging |
Interest in drawing or capacity to draw connections between your research and population aging |
|
Population studies/ population research |
Previous university course(s) in population studies in at least one of our substantive training axes |
|
Population research |
Population Data |
Working knowledge of at least one Statistics Canada or other high-quality population survey data source Interest in other population data sources (administrative data, linked administrative data, social media data, etc.) |
|
Statistical software |
Working knowledge of at least one statistical software package (SPSS, MATLAB, STATA, R, SAS) |
|
|
Statistical modeling |
Working knowledge of at least one statistical modeling approach (e.g. linear or logistic regression; fixed/ random effects; structural equation modeling etc.) |
|
DATA SCIENCE |
||
|
|
Data visualization |
Interest in developing data visualization skills
|
|
|
Programming skills |
Interest in developing data science programming skills (e.g. R, Python) |
|
|
Machine learning |
Interest in developing machine learning methods (e.g. supervised and unsupervised learning) for population research |
KNOWLEDGE MOBILIZATION |
||
|
|
Data to decision-making |
Interest in understanding the decision-making needs of knowledge users (e.g. policy development; policy analysis; policy evaluation; programs & services) |
|
|
Communicating with knowledge users |
Interest in expanding communication skills to knowledge user audiences (e.g. writing and presenting for lay and policy audiences) Strong ability to communicate in English, both spoken and written, is required; French proficiency is an asset |
2024-25 Application requirements
All application material (five items below) must be submitted by midnight Eastern Time Monday, April 01, 2024. After completing the online application form on Qualtrics, send requirements two through five to both cand3 [at] mcgill.ca AND the email indicated on this document according to your institution.
-
Fill out the application form (Qualtrics)
-
A one-page statement of interest (~500 words) with explicit reference to your interests and/or to past experiences related to the three pillars of the CAnD3 Fellows training program: 1) population dynamics in an aging society; 2) population data science; 3) research-to-decision-making pipeline. In preparing this statement, we invite you to consult the Fellow profile table above for the basic skills and competencies expected in this program. We ask you to position your past experiences in this framework or express your desire for upskilling with regard to certain areas. Note that, if admitted, we will also ask you to fill out a more comprehensive survey regarding your level of competency in these various areas to ensure we have a good grasp of the distribution of skills in the cohort.
- Short Résumé/CV highlighting relevant previous experiences (work, research and volunteer experience; coursework), with names and contact information of two references.
-
Unofficial undergraduate and graduate transcripts (all)
- Letter from academic supervisor (using this template) confirming approval of participation
2024-25 Annual recruitment and selection timeline
March/April 2024 | Recruitment and selection (Application deadline: Monday, April 01, 2024)
June 2024 | Onboarding and introduction to partners
June 2024 (optional) | Annual in-person CAnD3 event in Montreal*
Aug 2024 | Start of matching with internships (if applicable), R workshop in Montreal*
Sept 2024-June 2025 | Active engagement in CAnD3 training program: weekly meeting attendance on Wednesdays and commitment of about 5 hours per week of participation in activities and exercises
Oct 2024 | PopAging DataViz Workshop in Tallahassee, Florida*
June 2025 | Annual in-person CAnD3 event in Montreal*
Sept 2024-Aug 2025 (optional) | Internships with partners
*Travel expense coverage from CAnD3 available
Ready to become a CAnD3 Fellow?
Reach us at cand3 [at] mcgill.ca if you have any questions.
