Disrupted & Displaced Scholars Virtual Residency Program

In 2026-27, York University will be piloting the Disrupted & Displaced Scholars Virtual Residency Program to support scholars whose academic work has been disrupted by war and the mass destruction of educational institutions. This year, the Program will focus on supporting Palestinian scholars affiliated with post-secondary institutions in Gaza and has been developed in consultation with the Emergency Committee of Universities in Gaza which was established by Al Aqsa University, Al Azhar University and the Islamic University of Gaza, the three largest public universities in Gaza, which between them represent the majority of students and academics.

The program will support three Palestinian scholars, providing each with an honorarium to assist them in continuing their research and establishing scholarly connections with the York University community. The goal of the program is to help sustain the academic work of Palestinian scholars who have lost access to resources and income at their home universities, and to provide opportunities for on-going professional development and academic support during disruption and displacement.

We welcome applications from Palestinian academics in all disciplines and at all career stages.

Virtual scholars must be established or emerging academics with a proven record of research work commensurate with their career stage and an affiliation (current or recent) with a higher educational institution in Gaza.

Early career scholars or postdoctoral researchers are welcome to apply.

Proficiency in English is an important prerequisite for a successful application.

Each virtual residency will be one year in duration, with the first cohort beginning in Fall 2026. Each virtual scholar will be given a total honorarium of $10,000 CAD.

Virtual scholars will be expected to engage with the York University scholarly community, promote their work to Canadian and international audiences, and foster academic and cultural connections at York and at other Canadian institutions.

Such engagements may include:

conference presentations or public talks over the term of the appointment;

guest speaking engagements;

the development of collaborative grant applications with colleagues at York and/or other institutions;

meetings with students or student organizations; and,

hosting online sessions with connected departments at York University.

York University will support the virtual scholars in developing networks and connections in appropriate units and will provide library access and hosting and dissemination support. In collaboration with the Palestinian Research Cluster at York, virtual scholars will be connected to local scholars and events.

Applications are welcome via nomination by the applicant’s home university in Gaza. The Emergency Committee can help applicants with acquiring letters of nominations from their home institutions.

To apply, candidates should fill out the application form and submit the following documents:

a detailed academic curriculum vitae, including a list of publications;

a statement of interest in the virtual residency program detailing the proposed research activities (1-2 pages long);

a writing sample of their scholarly work, either published or in progress. In the case of scholars in creative writing or the fine and performing arts, candidates may also submit a sample of creative activity.
a letter of nomination from their home university in Gaza.

All documentation must be submitted in a PDF format. All materials must be prepared in English.

Applications will be reviewed by a committee convened by the Vice-Provost Faculty, in partnership with the Office of the Vice-President Equity, People and Culture and the Palestinian Research Cluster. Recommendations are made to the Vice-Provost Faculty.

Date	Action
July 28, 2026	Applications for virtual residency open
August 28, 2026	Application deadline
September 2026	Applications will be reviewed and adjudicated
October 1^st, 2026	Announcement of selected virtual scholars
October 15, 2026	Start of Virtual Residency