Graduate Supervision Awards

The School of Graduate Studies Graduate Supervision Awards aim to recognize outstanding performance in the multiple roles associated with graduate student supervision. Each year, two JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Awards and two SGS Early Career Supervision Awards will be offered to successful nominees: one of each award in the humanities/social sciences and in the physical/life sciences. 

Each award recipient will receive an SGS Supervision Award certificate, and SGS Travel or Conference Grant (up to $5000) for a current student to support their research travel or conference presentation. Award winners have their names inscribed on a plaque housed at the School of Graduate Studies. 

Nominees must be:

JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award: Active graduate faculty members at the University of Toronto, having supervised doctoral students (PhD, EdD, DMA, SJD) for a minimum of 15 years

Early Career Supervision Award: Tenure stream or status-only graduate faculty members at the University of Toronto within the first 6 years of acquiring a graduate faculty appointment, having engaged in supervision of graduate students (master’s degree or doctoral degree) as a committee member, co-supervisor or sole supervisor.

Nominations will be evaluated based on how well the candidates have demonstrated excellence in supervision at the University of Toronto by meeting and exceeding each selection criteria below:

1)    Inspiring and guiding students to achieve excellence in scholarship, fostering a strong sense of academic integrity;

2)    Providing a stimulating and supportive environment with particular attention to mental health and work life balance, and tailored to students’ individual learning styles, needs, and career/future aspirations;

3)    Enabling students to learn the essential methodologies, concepts and cultures of their discipline;

4)    Introducing students to the wider context of the discipline and relevant communities of scholars; and

5)    Promoting student participation in professional development and activities that position them for future careers within and outside academia;

6)    Leading a research environment that is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion

The nomination package provides evidence that the nominee has met the six selection criteria as demonstrated through the following:

1. Completed 2025 SGS Graduate Supervision Award Nomination Form - RHSE; please indicate award on the form
2. Letters of nomination (letters may be from an individual or group):
   1. A letter from the department chair, current or former colleague(s); and
   2. Two to five letters from current or former students(s) – group letters are encouraged

3. A statement written by the candidate (2-3 pages; suitable for public release):
   1. Addressing the candidate’s graduate mentoring/supervision philosophy; and
   2. Describing the candidate’s personal approach or strategies for mentoring/supervision

4. Abbreviated Curriculum Vitae (max. 8 pages) addressing the following categories, as applicable:
   1. Academic Appointment(s)
   2. Mentoring or Supervision awards
   3. Awards for joint work with graduate students
   4. Funded or unfunded grants with graduate students
   5. All publications within the last 5 years with notations* to indicate those co-published with graduate students.
      
      Note: list only co-publications with graduate students beyond the last five years and within the last 15 years for the JJ Berry Smith Award or within the last 6 years for the Early Career Award
   6. Co-presentations with graduate students:
      
      - Within the last 15 years for JJ Berry Smith Award; or
      - Within the last 6 years for Early Career Award
   7. Past and current graduate advisory roles (in a non-supervisory capacity, e.g., thesis committee member)
   8. External appraisals of doctoral dissertations, which include:
      
      -Appraisal of a thesis or dissertation completed at a university where the nominee was not a faculty member; and
      -Appraisal of a thesis or dissertation completed at the same university as the nominee and supervised by a committee that did not include the nominee. 
   9. Service related to graduate student support, supervision or mentoring
   10. Other activities or accomplishments relevant to graduate student supervision and mentorship.

5.   A completed Table A: List of Nominators in Excel format;

6. A completed Table B: List of all Current and Former Graduate Students (master’s and doctoral) including their degree information, current positions, etc. in Excel format

Important Notes:

• Components 1 through 4 should be submitted as separate PDF files, using the file naming convention “Last name, First name – 2025 SGS Supervision [Item Name]”.
• Components 6 and 7 should be submitted as separate excel spreadsheets, using the file naming convention “Last name, First name – 2025 SGS Supervision A (or B)”.

*Please indicate publications with current or former graduate student co-authors using the following notations: highlighting the publication in yellow; and underlining the names of graduate students within each publication.

• Nominations are due to RHSE from Graduate Units by Monday March 3, 2025
• Each nomination package must be submitted electronically to rhse.awards@utoronto.ca, as a single PDF, assembled in the above listed order.
• Letters of support should be addressed to Professor Justin Nodwell, Vice Dean, Research and Health Science Education, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
• To assist graduate units in reviewing their nominations, the SGS graduate Supervision Awards Scoring Sheet is provided (to be used for both JJ Berry Smith Award and Early Career Supervision Award). The rubric can be shared with nominators/nominees.
• There is no need to obtain the Vice Dean’s signature on the Nomination Form. Only the nominations moving forward to SGS will be endorsed. A letter of support from Professor Nodwell will accompany the applications of selected nominees going forward to the final SGS competition.
• Nominations of unsuccessful candidates are eligible to be re-submitted for consideration a second time in the year following their initial nomination. After this, the graduate unit must wait at least two years to resubmit. If graduate units wish to re-nominate a nominee from the previous year, please submit a new application. 
• Please retain the original application materials until December 31, 2025. Candidates may be nominated for other supervision/mentorship awards and faculty offices may be contacted to provide documents in MS Word format. For example, winners of the JJ Berry Smith Supervision Awards may be invited to be nominated for the annual CAGS and NAGS Mentorship awards. 
• Each graduate unit may only forward one nomination for each award. All nominations will be reviewed by an RHSE adjudication committee and Temerty Medicine will forward one nomination per award to the School of Graduate Studies on April 1, 2025.