Celebrating Concordia graduate students recognized with prestigious external awards and fellowships — and the work of the School of Graduate Studies (SGS), Awards Office in helping them succeed.
From proposal drafting through to disbursement and recognition, the Awards Office works alongside students, supervisors and Graduate Program Directors throughout the lifecycle of every application.
One-on-one advising, draft reviews, peer review sessions, and workshop series (GradProSkills + faculty-specific) to help students build competitive applications.
Ongoing dialogue with Graduate Program Directors on best practices, funding strategy by department, and coaching for supervisors writing reference letters.
Coordination of institutional adjudication committees for the internal pre-selection of candidates, ensuring fair and timely processes aligned with agency requirements.
Management of multiple award competitions, from intake to disbursement. Students receive payments on time and in full compliance with agency and university requirements.
Strategic communications for announcing award results, highlighting student achievements across Concordia channels, and maintaining visibility of fellowship success stories.
Annual reporting on application outcomes by faculty, success rates, and student engagement. A data-informed approach to identifying gaps and improving advising strategies year over year.
This is the current academic year. Recipients will be announced here as results come in — stay tuned.
Rachna Raj · PhD candidate, Software Engineering
Awarded a 2025 Google North America PhD Fellowship in Software Engineering and Programming Languages, supported by Google.org. Raj is developing tools and analytics to improve the reliability and sustainability of open source software. Her research helps project maintainers understand how their software is used, detect issues early in development, and strengthen collaboration with users.
Francesco MacAllister-Caruso · PhD candidate, Political Science
Recognized as a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar for their studies on the representation of Two-Spirit, trans, and nonbinary people in Canadian electoral politics. Having started a master's degree in 2021, Francesco's accomplishments led them to be fast-tracked into the doctoral program in 2023. Since then, Francesco has won several awards, including the Vanier and Ricard Scholarships.
Pablo Gershanik · PhD candidate, Individualized Program
Recognized as a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar for his research-creation work on art in post-violence contexts. His project explores how artistic practices can address memory, trauma, and resilience, building on his Laboratoire de Maquettes Intimes, which engages personal and collective histories, including those shaped by Argentina's past. Through interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches, his work seeks to create artistic tools that give voice to hidden experiences and foster dialogue within communities.
The Vanier program positions Canada as a global centre of excellence in graduate research by supporting candidates who demonstrate both leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement. SGS coordinated the internal adjudication that identified and forwarded Concordia's candidates, and supported each recipient at every stage — from shaping the research proposal and leadership statement to identifying referees and refining the final submission. This year, two Concordia doctoral students joined the cohort of Vanier Scholars awarded across Canada.
PhD candidate · History
Recognized for research on Montreal's Jewish community and its engagement in left-wing politics. The work examines the perspectives of self-identified Jewish activists within a context shaped by Quebec sovereignism and Zionism, while also exploring how events since the Quiet Revolution have influenced participation in leftist movements.
PhD candidate · Individualized Program
Recognized for research on oral tradition and experimental music practices in public schools. The project uses oral history and research-creation methods to produce audiovisual narratives in collaboration with former students and educators, exploring how innovative teaching practices fostered intergenerational learning and youth-led knowledge sharing.
Prestigious national, international and foundation awards won by Concordia graduate students.
| Award | Recipient | Announcement |
|---|---|---|
| SSHRC Vanier | Sara Lucas | Concordia news |
| SSHRC Vanier | Karl Ponthieux | Concordia news |
| Trudeau Foundation | Pablo Gershanik | Concordia news |
| Trudeau Foundation | Francesco MacAllister-Caruso | Concordia news |
| Alzheimer Society Research Program, Doctoral | Nicholas Grunden | External link |
| Google PhD Fellowship award | Rachna Raj | Concordia news |
| CRS - Doctoral Research Award | Daniela Katz | External link |
| CRS - Doctoral Research Award | Ana Baez | External link |
| RBC Borealis Global Fellowship Award | Somayeh Davar | External link |
| CFGR Bertram Scholarship | George O'Neill | External link |
| Releve etoile (FRQ) | Fereshteh Meharbi | External link |
Provincial research scholarships awarded by the three FRQ sectors (Nature & Technologies, Santé, Société & Culture). Entries marked PBEEE indicate Merit Scholarship Program for Foreign Students recipients.
Federal research scholarships from the three granting agencies: SSHRC (social sciences & humanities), NSERC (natural sciences & engineering), and CIHR (health).
The Vanier program positions Canada as a global centre of excellence in graduate research by supporting candidates who demonstrate both leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement. SGS coordinated the internal adjudication that identified and forwarded Concordia's candidates, and supported each recipient at every stage — from shaping the research proposal and leadership statement to identifying referees and refining the final submission. This year, three Concordia doctoral students joined the cohort of Vanier Scholars awarded across Canada.
PhD candidate · Political Science
Recognized for research on political representation among gender and sexual minorities in Canada. The study examines disparities between LGBQ and Two-Spirit, transgender, and nonbinary (2S/TNB) elected officials, addressing how these groups are often collectively studied despite their distinct experiences.
PhD candidate · History
Recognized for research on the impacts of deindustrialization in North America. The project examines how women and immigrant workers in Montreal and New York City experienced and resisted the decline of industries such as textiles and manufacturing.
PhD candidate · CISE
Recognized for research linking sustainable product design with human behaviour. Her work develops advanced AI algorithms to analyze patterns in natural language texts, using frameworks such as TASKS, ROM, and EBD to promote environmentally responsible product use through better design.
Prestigious national, international and foundation awards won by Concordia graduate students.
| Award | Recipient | Announcement |
|---|---|---|
| SSHRC Vanier | Lauren Laframboise | Concordia news |
| SSHRC Vanier | Francesco MacAllister-Caruso | Concordia news |
| NSERC Vanier | Jiami Yang | Concordia news |
| Releve etoile (FRQ) | Megan Joyce | Concordia news |
| Releve etoile (FRQ) | Arwa Hussain | Concordia news |
| Releve etoile (FRQ) | Allison Peacock | Concordia news |
| Releve etoile (FRQ) | Miranda Gomez Diaz | Concordia news |
| Releve etoile (FRQ) | Nicholas Grunden | Concordia news |
| Releve etoile (FRQ) | Fereshteh Meharbi | External link |
| International Growth Centre - London School of Economics | Gideon Azunre | External link |
| RBC Borealis Global Fellowship Award | Guwendolyne Legate | External link |
Provincial research scholarships awarded by the three FRQ sectors (Nature & Technologies, Santé, Société & Culture). Entries marked PBEEE indicate Merit Scholarship Program for Foreign Students recipients.
Federal research scholarships from the three granting agencies: SSHRC (social sciences & humanities), NSERC (natural sciences & engineering), and CIHR (health).
Rachel Dufour · PhD, Psychology
Recognized by the FRQ as the first-ever recipient of the Grands Sages Brenda Milner Award for exceptional neuroscience research. Her application stood out among those submitted for the FRQ doctoral scholarship in Spring 2023, serving as a tribute to Brenda Milner's lasting contributions to neuroscience in Quebec.
Madeline Montgomery · MA, Creative Arts Therapies
The Mackenzie King Trust annually awards a single student nationwide who demonstrates an exceptional university academic record. Madeline — the first Concordian ever to win this award — is completing an MA in Creative Arts Therapies (Drama Therapy option) and hopes to use theatre to promote positive changes in mental health.
Riya Dutta · MA, Software Engineering
Secured the top spot at the national 3MT showcase during the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies conference in Victoria, BC (November 10, 2023). Her path began with victory at the Concordia 3MT in March, followed by a strong performance at the Eastern Regional competition at Dalhousie University in June.
Richy Srirachanikorn · PhD, Sociology & Anthropology
Named one of the Final Five winners of the 2023 SSHRC Storytellers Challenge. A student member of Concordia's Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture and Technology, Richy's winning video explored how the video game Minecraft can illuminate real-life social phenomena and the ideological building blocks behind decision-making.
The Vanier program positions Canada as a global centre of excellence in graduate research by supporting candidates who demonstrate both leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement. SGS coordinated the internal adjudication that identified and forwarded Concordia's candidates, and supported both recipients at every stage. Two Concordia doctoral students joined the cohort of 166 Vanier Scholars awarded worldwide.
PhD candidate · Civil Engineering
Recognized for research into marine oil-spill cleanup techniques. She has already helped develop a more efficient and environmentally friendly chemical washing agent to remove oil from shorelines.
PhD student · Individualized Program (INDI)
Honoured for innovative work on Indigenous representation in the performing arts. She plans to engage in ethical and reciprocal conversations with Indigenous youth, emerging and professional dancers through talking circles and other collaborative activities. Victoria's application was ranked first in her category.
Prestigious national, international and foundation awards won by Concordia graduate students.
| Award | Recipient | Announcement |
|---|---|---|
| Grands Sages Brenda Milner Award - FRQ | Rachel Dufour | Concordia news |
| Mackenzie King Open Scholarship | Madeline Montgomery | Concordia news |
| National 3M thesis competition | Riya Dutta | Concordia news |
| Releve etoile (FRQ) | Zhikun Chen | Concordia news |
| Releve etoile (FRQ) | Kristy Franks | Concordia news |
| Releve etoile (FRQ) | Nancy Long | Concordia news |
| Releve etoile (FRQ) | Jalal Rahmatinejad | Concordia news |
| Releve etoile (FRQ) | Bianca Martins De Lima | External link |
| Releve etoile (FRQ) | Becca Wilgosh | External link |
| SSHRC Storytelling challenge winner | Richy Srirachanikorn | Concordia news |
| Women's Doctoral Award | Zacharie Potvin-Jutras | External link |
| RBC Borealis Global Fellowship Award | Zoreh Hajaikhondi-Meybodi | External link |
Provincial research scholarships awarded by the three FRQ sectors (Nature & Technologies, Santé, Société & Culture). Entries marked PBEEE indicate Merit Scholarship Program for Foreign Students recipients.
Federal research scholarships from the three granting agencies: SSHRC (social sciences & humanities), NSERC (natural sciences & engineering), and CIHR (health).
Contact Katherine for questions about what options are available for you, your eligibility, and post-award administration for external graduate awards.
Contact Cecilia if you need support in writing a successful funding application to showcase your strengths and improve your proposal.
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