DMCBH trainees have been actively involved with Support Our Science (SoS), a grassroots organization with the mission of improving pay for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in Canada. Federal funding has not changed since 2003, while the number of graduate students and post-docs have doubled. SOS is advocating for an increase in the value and number of Tri-Agency graduate and postdoctoral scholarships, and to index all scholarships and fellowships to inflation going forward.
In support of advocacy week (September 25-29, 2023) and a follow-up movement to last spring’s walkout, UBC’s Neuroscience Trainee Association (NTA) hosted a town hall and panel to highlight the goals and mission of SoS, in addition to sharing concerns and experiences of graduate students and postdocs.
“The meeting really highlighted the inequities grad students and postdocs face in terms of financial support in Canada,” says Shalini Iyer, the Director of Outreach and Engagement for SoS and NTA Co-president. “We were glad to have support from graduate students, postdocs, staff and faculty at our event.”
