Graduate Faculty Memberships at RSI

1. Full GFM
2. Associate GFM
3. Associate GFM (Restricted)
4. Full GFM (Emeritus)
5. Associate GFM (Emeritus)

Please visit the SGS website for information on the types of GFMs offered at SGS.

• Those who wish to serve as a primary supervisor to RSI grad students
  • Co-supervisors do not necessarily have to have an RSI membership, but must have SGS membership
• Those who teach an RSI graduate course
• Those serving as voting members of the student supervisory committees or exams, unless they have an SGS membership with another department or institute at U of T

Please check the Supervisory Committee Policy, Candidacy Examination Policy as well as the Final Oral Examination Committee policies for details on RSI/SGS membership requirements for specific committees. 

The criteria for a GFM at RSI are based on academic criteria defined by SGS. These include:

1. Commitment to support RSI’s mission
2. Commitment to participate in mentorship and supervision
3. Commitment to contribute to teaching and service activities of RSI 
4. Evidence of a faculty appointment at U of T (e.g. tenured, tenure-stream, status-only, visiting, adjunct, etc.); this University appointment must be entered on the Human Resources Information System (HRIS)
5. Academic qualifications to the level of PhD or equivalent
6. In order to be a primary supervisor to an RSI student, candidate must have a research-track university/hospital appointment and qualify to be a primary investigator on national and international research grants
7. Those who aim to supervise graduate students must show evidence of scholarship through peer-reviewed research, grants and publications. In the case of individuals who have recently received an academic appointment, evidence of strong potential for such scholarship is a must.

NOTE: Appointees to RSI may not be graduate students registered at the University of Toronto.

If you are interested in the applying for GFM at RSI, please complete the: GFM Application Form

Those applying for a graduate faculty membership in RSI at the Associate or Full levels should submit the following documentation:

1. An up-to-date academic curriculum vitae (CV)
2. Application letter addressing all of the RSI GFM criteria listed above, with emphasis on how the applicant intends to support RSI’s mission and what they can contribute to RSI in terms of graduate supervision, with a statement of funding to support students, teaching (e.g. required or elected courses), and service (e.g. serving on RSI committees).
3. Letter of support from the chair of the primary academic department in which the applicant has a faculty appointment stating university appointment and its expectations as well as describing how RSI responsibilities would fit into the appointment’s responsibilities and help the faculty member in promotion.
4. Status only faculty members must provide an additional letter from a director or employer, confirming the GFM request, their knowledge of the RSI GFM criteria, and supporting the applicant’s involvement in all RSI-related activities (i.e., supervision, teaching and service).

Applications will be reviewed by RSI three times a year (i.e. October, February, and April), according to the standards set in the statutes of the School of Graduate Studies. All required documents for 2024-25 applications must be submitted online by:

• October 11, 2024 by end of day (11:59pm)
• January 17, 2025 by end of day (11:59pm)
• March 28, 2025 by end of day (11.59pm)

The internal review of the application will be followed by the review/discussion at the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC). RSI will notify the applicant of the decision in writing, following the AAC meeting. 

Those applying for a GFM with restricted duties should schedule a meeting with the Director of RSI and determine which documents they should submit. The review of these applications may be expedited on an “as needed” bases. 

If a faculty member is already holding a graduate membership through another graduate unit at the University, they may apply for a graduate cross-GFM in RSI, if they intent to teach a graduate course and supervise (as primary supervisor) RSI graduate students. These applicants require the same documentation and are reviewed using the same criteria for new memberships as outlined above. Please use the following GFM APPLICATION FORM to submit your request. 

A professor with an associate graduate membership at their primary GFM unit cannot be offered a full GFM at RSI. 

Graduate faculty with an emeritus GFM will hold emeritus status across all units/memberships.