About the award
The Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards (JCURA) program encourages third and fourth-year undergraduate students to pursue innovative and original research while providing a valuable preparatory experience towards graduate studies or a research related career. Award recipients undertake research with mentorship from a faculty supervisor.
The Division of Learning and Teaching Innovation (LTI) administers the award process on behalf of the Provost’s Office. This UVic award was established in 2009-2010 by then University of Victoria President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. David H. Turpin, to honour Jamie Cassels, who had just completed two terms as UVic’s Vice-President Academic and Provost.
Contact
learningandteaching@uvic.ca
Applications must be submitted to the supervisor’s home Department/School by their internal deadline (in June)
Student eligibility
JCURA is for undergraduate students from all disciplines and who meet the following eligibility requirements:
Eligible students and projects
- is a full-time 3rd or 4th-year undergraduate student (normally registered in 12 or more units* of study in the winter session)
- has a strong academic standing (normally with a minimum sessional GPA of 6.0, average GPA from Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 terms)
- meets the general regulations of Student Awards and Financial Aid
- be nominated by only one Department/School
- Students registered with the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) with an accommodation that includes a reduced load are eligible to apply
Not eligible students and projects
- A previous JCURA scholar
- A 1st or 2nd-year student
Important notes
- 3 additional JCURA seats are prioritized for Indigenous students
- Students may register for a Directed Study for a JCURA experience
- Co-op work terms, while they only have a unit value of two, are the equivalent of a full time study term
- Students in their final year of study may also be eligible to participate in this award program if registered in sufficient units to meet their graduation requirements, at the discretion of the adjudication committee and LTI Executive Director
Timeline
Student & supervisor application
Student and supervisor fill out their parts of the form and send it to the supervisor’s home Department or School.
Form submission
Departments and Schools set their own internal deadline to receive completed JCURA forms.
Adjudication process
Chair or Director collects and adjudicates award eligibility for each applicant. The Chair or Director completes their section of the form for all nominees. Email completed form(s), ranked, to learningandteaching@uvic.ca by July 15, 2026.
Recipients notified
LTI will notify successful students, their supervisors, and unit representatives by August 3, 2026. Departments and Schools are responsible for notifying students not selected for the JCURA program.
JCURA Program
JCURA students engage in research alongside their supervisor from September to March. The in-person Research Fair will take place on March 24, 2027.
Value of internship
Successful student applicants receive $1,500 credited directly to their UVic student account. The award does not translate into hours of work. It is an award and not a research assistantship. JCURA scholars and their supervisors determine the scope of the research project together, which should take place between September and March.
Information for Departments/Schools
A total 0f 110 JCURA students are awarded each year, with 3 additional seats prioritized for Indigenous-identified students.
JCURA seats per Department/School
For any student not eligible to apply for a JCURA through one of the listed units, please enquire at the Division of Learning and Teaching Innovation.
| Faculty | Department | Awards per year |
| Education | Curriculum & Instruction | 3 |
| Educational Psychology & Leadership Studies | 2 | |
| Child & Youth Care | 2 | |
| Indigenous Education | 1 | |
| Engineering & Computer Science | Civil Engineering | 2 |
| Computer Science | 3 | |
| Electrical & Computer Engineering | 2 | |
| Mechanical Engineering | 2 | |
| Fine Arts | Art History & Visual Studies | 2 |
| Music | 2 | |
| Technology & Society | 1 | |
| Theatre | 2 | |
| Visual Arts | 2 | |
| Writing | 2 | |
| Gustavson School of Business | 3 | |
| Health | Exercise Science, Physical & Health Education | 3 |
| Health Information Science | 2 | |
| Medical Science (IMP) | 1 | |
| Nursing | 3 | |
| Public Health & Social Policy | 1 | |
| Social Work | 2 | |
| Humanities | English | 3 |
| European Studies | 1 | |
| Gender Studies | 2 | |
| Greek & Roman Studies | 2 | |
| History | 3 | |
| Indigenous Studies | 1 | |
| Latin American Studies | 1 | |
| Language, Linguistics, and Cultures | 8 | |
| Medieval Studies | 1 | |
| Pacific & Asian Studies | 2 | |
| Philosophy | 3 | |
| Religion, Culture and Society | 1 | |
| Law | 2 | |
| Science | Biochemistry & Microbiology | 2 |
| Biology | 3 | |
| Chemistry | 3 | |
| Earth & Ocean Sciences | 2 | |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 3 | |
| Physics & Astronomy | 2 | |
| Social Sciences | Anthropology | 2 |
| Economics | 3 | |
| Environmental Studies | 2 | |
| Geography | 3 | |
| Political Science | 3 | |
| Psychology | 3 | |
| Sociology | 3 | |
| Public Administration | 1 | |
| Undergraduate programs (Chosen from among: Global Development Studies or Social Justice Studies) | 2 |
Supervisor criteria
Each application will have a designated supervisor with a stated research project, detailing what the student will be doing during the course of the award, including the learning outcomes for the student.
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- Students may have a supervisor from another Faculty than their home Faculty
- Supervisors can mentor more than one JCURA scholar at a time
- The completed application form must be submitted to the supervisor’s home Department/School
- Students will be mentored by the supervisor usually within the context of the supervisor’s or the student’s existing research or creative activity project
- The award does not translate into hours of work. It is an award and not a research assistantship. We recommend that the supervisor uses the opportunity as a focus on student learning (a learning contract). A work contract would not be appropriate in this context.
Project guidelines
There are typically two main approaches to the project; faculty supervisor initiated and student initiated.
Supervisor initiated
In this case, a faculty member may have a research project in mind, or it may be something already underway which seems ideal for the student. In such a case the faculty member might approach the student to see if the student is interested in applying for the award.
Student initiated
In this case, a student may have an idea for a research project and approach a faculty member to see if they would be interested in working with the student should their application be successful.
Other requirements
Using a cohort based model, all scholars will commit to participating in the JCURA Brightspace. This will include a series of online and in-person events/seminars over the time of the award year to build a learning community. Supervisors will also be invited to attend.
All scholars must present their work with a poster and presentation at an in-person Research Fair held on March 24, 2027.