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 is paid out in a single, taxable lump sum. The value of the stipend depends on the number of applicants and may change annually. 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.
Supporting future leaders in STEM: Vivien M. Srivastava Memorial Endowment
This women in science initiative is sponsored by the Vivien M. Srivastava Memorial Endowment Fund. Programs honouring her legacy provide career planning, mentoring and childcare support for women graduate students and postdoctoral students across UBC Science.
Dr. Srivastava was a pioneer. She was the first woman to receive a PhD in Zoology at UBC in 1964, and the first woman scientist to be hired by both the Fisheries Research Board of Canada and the Bedford Institute of Oceanography. Despite the significant barriers to women in science at the time, Dr. Srivastava had a full and varied career, combining research, teaching and service to her community. Among her roles, she worked in academia (University of Alberta), for government labs, and on CBC radio and TV. As a mother, Dr. Srivastava was also very familiar with the challenges of balancing an academic career in science with the demands of family life.