The Jackman Humanities Institute (JHI) welcomes nominations from Humanities Departments and PhD granting Centres and Institutes for residential Chancellor Jackman Graduate Fellows (for post-funding cohort doctoral students) for the 2026-27 year. Each unit may nominate up to two candidates, selecting candidates through their graduate executive or by their graduate coordinator. Three awards will be made.
Eligibility
Please be aware that you must have your unit’s nomination in order to apply. Units may nominate up to two candidates each. If you do not have this nomination, your application will not be considered.
- Open only to candidates from University of Toronto divisions affiliated with the JHI: humanities or social sciences disciplines at Arts & Sciences, UTM, and UTSC; Architecture; Law; Music; OISE; and the iSchool
- Open to Canadian or international students
- Applicants must be currently registered in the 2025-26 year in a PhD with 2026-27 as their final year, with completion of their PhD thesis anticipated by the end of the year
- Candidates must be beyond the funded cohort in their fellowship year
- All applicants must have two completed chapters of their thesis at the time of the application
- No previous holder of a Chancellor Jackman Graduate Fellowship may apply. Current or previous Jackman Junior Fellows are eligible to apply
- Fellowships will be awarded on the basis of excellence in scholarship and scholarly promise as well as the relevance of the thesis topic to the Annual Theme, Doubles, Doppelgangers
- All applicants must be nominated by their home unit; please contact your Graduate Coordinator if you plan to apply
Nomination Criteria
Up to two graduate students may be nominated by each unit.
Funding and Benefits
The value of a Chancellor Jackman Graduate Fellowship in the Humanities is $40,000, which includes the cost of domestic or international tuition fees for the year. Fellows may be assigned to research assistantships of a value up to $500 during their Fellowship.
Responsibilities and Expectations
As residential fellows, the graduate fellows will:
- Have offices at the JHI on the 10th floor of the Jackman Humanities Building
- Work in residence at the JHI for the academic year (September to June) and no longer need to travel for major research; limited travel funding is available to support minor research or conference travel
- Participate regularly in JHI events, including weekly lunches, workshops and occasional public events
- Present a lecture at a fellows’ lunch seminar
- Participate in the life of the Institute
- Not be permitted to take teaching assistant assignments during the Fall or Winter terms in order to allow for expedited research and writing
- Produce a brief report summarizing fellowship research by end of May 2027 for inclusion in JHI’s Annual Report
Application Components
Applications must be submitted online as a single PDF containing:
- Dissertation Abstract and Fellowship Rationale: This document should contain your dissertation abstract plus a short rationale that explains why this fellowship on the Annual Theme (Doubles, Doppelgangers) is a good fit for your research. Maximum length 1000 words.
- Curriculum Vitae
- Writing Sample: This document should contain two chapters of your dissertation. It is understood that your work may be in progress at the time of the application.
- Transcript or Academic History: Upload your current transcript or Complete Graduate History from ACORN.
You will also be asked for a short bio and summary of your project (maximum 100 words each). If you are selected, these texts will be used for publicity purposes.
Once you submit your application, an automated email will be sent immediately to your supervisor requesting a reference letter and to your coordinator requesting confirmation of nomination. Please make sure these names and email addresses are correct. The deadline for supervisors and coordinators to respond is one week (March 17, 2026) after the application deadline.
Selection Criteria
Graduate Fellows are selected by the 12-month Faculty Research Fellows who will hold their fellowships in 2026-27, as well as the JHI Director, based on:
- Excellence in scholarship and scholarly promise
- Relevance of the thesis topic to the annual theme
Application Timeline
- Application Open: January 27, 2026
- Application Deadline: Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at 4:00pm EDT
- Supervisor and Coordinator Deadline: March 20, 2025
- Selection Notification: Mid-April, 2026
- Fellowship Period: July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027
Contact and Additional Resources
- Check out our FAQs below for detailed guidance
- Questions about this fellowship opportunity? Contact Dr. Kimberley Yates, JHI Associate Director
- Technical questions about the application form or process? Contact Sonja Johnston, JHI Communications Officer
2026-27: Doubles, Doppelgangers
Doubles, mirror images, and infinite recursive nesting of identical structures are omnipresent in nature and in culture. Our stories rely on concepts such as the play within a play, game within a game, dream within a dream, mise en abyme, self-representation, halls of mirrors, replicas/worlds in miniature, imposters, cycles, microhistories and metanarratives. Within our reflections on mind, thought, and metaphysics, we explore reality as (nested) simulation, infinite or eternal spaces or beings, cosmologies where each thing reflects/contains each other thing, hauntings/ghostly echoes/premonitions, and reflections into infinity. Our reflections of nature, whether human, biological, or computational, rely crucially on notions of recursion, recurrence, fractals, and the distortions that accrue across them (mutation, tradition, drift). In disciplines across the humanities, we observe the use of fractals, spirals, images contained in themselves, doubles, reflections (of reflections of reflections), and rhizomes. What might an exploration of doubles and recursion reveal about the ways that we reflect our realities?
Frequently Asked Questions
I am in a program that offers a half-year of the funding package in year five, which will be in 2026-27 for me. Am I eligible to apply?
No. You must fully complete all funding from your original funding package before applying. Please apply next year.
I receive funding from an external funder. Am I eligible to apply?
Yes, as long as you will have completed your original departmental funding package and are preparing for your final year of dissertation writing in 2026-27.
I plan to graduate in Fall 2026. Am I eligible to apply?
No. You must be registered as a student during both the Fall and Winter terms of your fellowship year. If you plan to graduate in Summer 2027, you are eligible to apply.
I am several years beyond the end of my funding package. Am I eligible to apply?
Yes, provided you will be registered as a student during the fellowship year (2026-27). Please ensure your registration is active.
I am a doctoral student in a Division that is not listed in the Call for Applications. Am I eligible to apply?
No. JHI fellowships are available only to graduate students in U of T divisions affiliated with the JHI: humanities and social sciences disciplines within the Faculty of Arts & Science, UTM, and UTSC; Architecture; Law; Music; OISE; and the iSchool. Doctoral students from other divisions are not eligible.
I hold/held a Jackman Junior Fellowship. Am I eligible to apply?
Yes, there is no conflict with this award.
I held a JHI Undergraduate Fellowship or participated in the JHI Scholars-in-Residence program. Am I eligible to apply?
Yes, there is no conflict with either of these awards.
I am an international student. Am I eligible to apply?
Yes. If selected, the JHI will fully cover your international tuition during your fellowship year.
I’d like to apply. How do I get my unit to nominate me?
Check our Eligibility Guidelines. If you are eligible, approach the faculty member who is your unit’s Graduate Chair/PhD Program Coordinator (titles vary across the units). Make them aware that you are interested in and eligible for this fellowship. Each unit may nominate up to two candidates for this award, and the process of determination lies with the unit. Please do not apply until you have the nomination.
What happens if more than two people from my unit should apply?
JHI will contact the Graduate Chair/Coordinator of your unit to confirm which two applicants are nominated. Only those two nominations will be considered. All other applicants will be notified after the selection process.
Why does JHI use a nomination process for this award?
JHI serves many units across three campuses and ten divisions. Some are large, and some are tiny. The nomination process is designed to ensure that the applicant pool contains roughly equal representation from every unit.
If I am awarded this fellowship, can I work as a Teaching Assistant or Course Instructor?
You will not be permitted to take work as a TA or CI during the Fall 2026 and Winter 2027 terms. You may take this work during the Summer terms of 2026 and 2027.
I hope to travel for research in 2026-27. How will this work?
You should not be planning major research-related travel during 2026-27. You may miss brief parts of the year’s work in the Fall and Winter terms with notice, and JHI may be able to provide minor (up to $500) additional support for conference and interview-related travel.
How much am I expected to use my office at the JHI?
You may move into your office in July 2026 and must move out in June 2027. During this period, you will have 24/7 access to the JHI and to your office. You are expected to attend one meeting each week (Thursdays, 12-2) during the Fall and Winter terms.
I expect to be on the academic job market during my fellowship year. How will the JHI support my job search process as a fellow?
The JHI will organize a practice job talk if you want one; JHI has an on-site Research Officer who can advise you on applications for external funding such as SSHRC postdoctoral fellowships. We will support your search in any ways that we can.
May I use my JHI office for other activities (e.g., writing group, music, childcare)?
Yes, within limits. You may host small academic meetings or play instruments (without amplifiers). Children are welcome. Please avoid bringing animals (due to shared kitchen and allergies), keep noise to a minimum, and do not share your office or keys with others.
I hope to finish my degree in the coming year, but I won’t have polished versions of two chapters by the application deadline.
You may submit unpolished versions of two chapters. This part of the application serves two functions—it tells us how far along you are, and it also tells us how you write. If you will be submitting partial or unpolished chapters, please address your writing process in your Rationale and Abstract document.
I won’t have time to get a formal transcript. How can I submit my academic record?
You can do this in two ways: either take screenshots of your entire graduate academic record and compile these; or use the University of Toronto’s “download academic history” function in ACORN.
My dissertation is not about Doubles, Doppelgangers, but it does touch on part of the description in the JHI theme. Do I need to propose a new project?
Highlight the connections between your ideas, and the JHI theme in your Rationale and Abstract document. In what ways is your research relevant to the theme? All other fellows will be working on research related to the Annual Theme, and the conversation during the year will be centred on this theme. Do not propose a new project. This is a dissertation completion fellowship.
I have a job-related resume but not an academic CV. Can I use that?
Please write a full academic CV that outlines your academic publications, presentations, awards, and teaching experience. Here's a helpful tip sheet.
Is the Rationale and Abstract basically the same as a cover letter?
In part. It introduces your research and plans but also demonstrates how your work aligns with the JHI’s 2026–27 theme.
Who selects Graduate Fellows?
Graduate Fellows are selected by the 12-month Faculty Research Fellows who will hold their fellowships in 2026-27, as well as the JHI Director.
How are Graduate Fellows selected?
Selections are based on scholarly excellence, research promise, and the relevance of the dissertation topic to the annual theme.