Application Guide
Eligibility criteria听
- PhD candidate in population research (e.g. economics, demography, sociology, geography, political science, psychology, etc.). Master鈥檚 students and postdoctoral fellows will be considered on a case-by-case basis.听Undergraduate students are unfortunately not eligible to apply. 听
- Confirmed availability on Wednesdays, from 9AM-2PM ET from September 2025听to June 2026, and the capacity to devote an average of 5 hours per week to the training program.
- Must be enrolled with a CAnD3 academic partner听due to the requirements of our funding agency.听Each of our university partners is undergoing its own recruitment process. Please听consult the 2025-26听application requirements at the bottom of this page听to review听your institution's recruitment process.听
Who are听CAnD3 Fellows?
Our cohort of CAnD3 Fellows is multidisciplinary, pan-Canadian, and international. At program entry, the听ideal cohort will have a mix of basic data analytic skills and knowledge to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and support.听Fellow Cohort selection will be made with equity, inclusion, and diversity听considerations.听 听听
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 |
||
|
听 |
Data visualization |
Interest in developing data visualization skills 听 |
|
听 |
Programming skills |
Interest in developing data science programming skills (e.g. R, Python) |
|
听 |
Machine learning |
Interest in developing machine learning methods (e.g. supervised and unsupervised learning) for population research |
KNOWLEDGE MOBILIZATION |
||
|
听 |
Data to decision-making |
Interest in understanding听the decision-making needs of knowledge users (e.g. policy development; policy analysis; policy evaluation; programs & services) |
|
听 |
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 |
2025-26 Application requirements
All application material (five items below) must be submitted by midnight Eastern Time Monday, March 10, 2025. 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.
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Fill out the
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A one-page statement of interest (~500 words) with explicit reference to your interests and/or to past experiences related听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.听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 R茅sum茅/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)听 听
- Letter from academic supervisor (using this template) confirming approval of participation
2025-26 Annual recruitment and selection timeline
February 19th 2025 | Information Session for all applicants
March 10th 2025 |鈥疉pplication deadline
April 2025 |鈥疭uccessful applicants are contacted
June 9th 2025 | Onboarding and introduction to partners (virtually or in-person for Fellows who travel to Montreal to attend June 10th Keynote Address)
June 10th 2025 |鈥疉nnual in-person CAnD3 event (travel expenses covered)
August 19th-21st 2025 |鈥疪 Workshop hosted in Oxford, UK (travel expenses covered)
Sept 2025-June 2026 |鈥疉ctive engagement in CAnD3 training program: weekly meeting attendance on Wednesdays and commitment of about 5 hours per week of participation in activities and exercises
June 2026 |鈥疉nnual in-person CAnD3 event *
Sept 2025-Aug 2026 (optional) |听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.
