Child-Care Stipend for Women Post-doctoral Fellows and Graduate Students

UBC Science, in partnership with the Vivien M. Srivastava Memorial Endowment fund, has a long-standing commitment to support and encourage women scientists early in their research career.

A critical barrier for the advancement of women researchers in scientific careers is the lack of affordable child care. To address this issue, the Srivastava UBC Science Child-care Stipend was established to help alleviate the child-care costs for women post-doctoral fellows and women graduate students in the Faculty of Science at UBC Vancouver.

Stipends are provided on an annual basis for UBC Science women post-doctoral fellows and women graduate students who have primary care responsibilities for a child/children (infant up to but not including kindergarten age). As part of their application, all applicants must show proof of child-care costs accrued and declare child-care benefits received. The child-care stipend is paid as a single lump sum, typically awarded in spring for expenses of the previous year.

Eligibility

  • Women post-doctoral fellows who have primary care responsibilities for a child/children (infant up to but not including kindergarten age) and who work full-time within UBC Science may apply.
  • Women graduate students who have primary care responsibilities for a child/children (infant up to but not including kindergarten age) and who are enrolled in a Science graduate program or who are supervised by a faculty member with a primary appointment within UBC Science may apply.

Previous stipend recipients are welcome to apply if eligible. If applying for support of more than one child, please combine in one application form.

Funding

The stipend will be paid out in a single, taxable lump sum. The size of the stipend is dependent on the number of applicants and may change on an annual basis. Successful applicants can expect to receive a minimum of $1,000 (or actual expenses if less than $1,000) per year and child; the stipend will not exceed $4,000 per year and child.

This initiative is sponsored in memory of Dr. Vivien M. Srivastava, the first woman to receive a PhD in Zoology at UBC. 

Applications due January 31, 2025

Applications must be submitted via the V. M. Srivastava Child-care Stipend Application Site. A complete application includes:

  • Online application form completed
  • Proof of child’s/children’s age (copy of birth or adoption certificate/s)
  • Proof of child-care expenses and declaration of child-care benefits submitted
  • Supervisor’s or graduate advisor’s confirmation of applicant’s eligibility 

Review

Applications will be reviewed on an annual basis. Stipend decisions are made based on the availability of funds and the applicant’s eligibility.

This women in science initiative is sponsored by the Vivien M. Srivastava Memorial Endowment Fund. Dr. Srivastava was the first woman to receive a PhD in Zoology at the University of British Columbia. Programs honouring her legacy provide career planning, mentoring and childcare support for women graduate students and postdoctoral students across UBC Science.

Musqueam First Nation land acknowledegement

We honour xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam) on whose ancestral, unceded territory UBC Vancouver is situated. UBC Science is committed to building meaningful relationships with Indigenous peoples so we can advance Reconciliation and ensure traditional ways of knowing enrich our teaching and research.

Learn more: Musqueam First Nation

Faculty of Science

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