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 graduate student. Co-supervisors do not necessarily have to have an RSI membership, but must have a GFM at another department or institute at U of T
• Those who teach, as a lead/ primary instructor, an RSI graduate course 
• Those serving as voting members of the student supervisory committees or examinations (e.g., candidacy, transfer or defenses), unless they have an SGS membership with another department or institute at U of T. Please check the Supervisory Committee Guidelines, Candidacy Examination Policy, Transfer Examination Policy as well as the Final Oral Examination Guidelines 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

   1. 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  

   2. 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

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.) as entered on the Human Resources Information System (HRIS) with academic qualifications to the level of PhD or equivalent 

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

To apply for a GFM at RSI, interested applicants must:  

1. Meet with the RSI Director to review their CV and discuss RSI contributions. Please contact rsi.director@utoronto.ca to schedule an appointment.  

2. Submit an online GFM Application Form*
   _{*NOTE: Applicants must be logged in using their U of T email address to access the form.}

   Please ensure you have the following documents ready to submit before filling out the online form:

   1. An up-to-date academic curriculum vitae (CV) 

   2. Complete an 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. Obtain a letter of support from the chair of the primary academic department in which the applicant has a faculty appointment, stating the 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 twice in an academic year. Documents must be submitted online by: 

• October 1st by end of day (11:59pm) 

• February 16th 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 via email, following the AAC meeting. 

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. 
_{*Applicants must be logged in using their U of T email address to access the form}

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.

To transition from Associate Graduate Faculty Membership (GFM) to Full GFM at RSI, faculty members must hold a University of Toronto academic rank of Assistant Professor (tenure stream) or higher and must have successfully graduated at least one RSI MSc student as the primary supervisor. Please note that this status change is not linked to other academic promotions (e.g., promotion to Associate Professor).

If you meet the above requirements, please proceed with the following steps to initiate the transition process:

1. Submit a letter requesting the transition to the RSI Director; the letter should include the following:
   • A summary of relevant student supervision activities, including a list of RSI and other research students supervised as well as their current (post-graduation) status, if known.
   • A brief description of continuing education activities undertaken during this period, including engagement with University of Toronto and RSI resources (e.g., Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI), RSI Academic Community of Practice etc.).
   • A brief reflection on your supervisory experience to date and plans for the next stages of your supervisory development.
   • A summary of relevant teaching and service contributions to RSI.
2. Meet with the RSI Director to discuss the responsibilities and expectations associated with Full GFM status.

Please submit your request for Full GFM and/or any questions related to GFMs at RSI, to rsi.director@utoronto.ca

Eligibility for Full GFM at RSI is reviewed independently from GFMs in other graduate units at the University. For cross-appointed faculty members, holding a Full GFM within their primary department or unit do not automatically confer Full GFM status at RSI.

The overall intent of GFM terms is to ensure that graduate supervision and teaching responsibilities align with the faculty member’s academic appointment and their availability to support graduate students. The term of GFM at RSI is governed by the SGS GFM Guidelines (Section 4.4: Term of a GFM). Key principles include:

• The length of a GFM must always match, or be shorter than, the individual’s faculty appointment.
• Faculty members in a probationary period (e.g., pre-tenure or pre-continuing status) typically receive a GFM for the duration of that period. Once tenure or continuing status is granted, the GFM may become continuing.
• Members with the Associate GFM (Restricted) always hold time-limited GFMs which are tied to specific assigned roles.
• Emeritus GFMs are granted for specific duties and may be approved for up to five years at a time, after which they must be reviewed and renewed if appropriate.