research fellowships
Since 2014, The Image Centre has offered a variety of fellowships for research related to photography. Research fellows have the opportunity to study select areas of The Image Centre's photography collections first-hand.
In 2027, The Image Centre will offer six competitive fellowships for research related to photography.
All applicants are encouraged to read the following guidelines closely and apply to the appropriate fellowship, based on their subject of study and eligibility. Artists and other scholars seeking to conduct artistic research in the collections, are encouraged to apply for the Howard Tanenbaum Fellowship exclusively. Past winners of IMC Fellowships may not reapply for five years following submission of their previous final report. The IMC will not consider incomplete applications or blanket applications for multiple fellowships; applicants will only be considered for fellowships for which they are eligible. All fellowships are available to Canadian and international applicants.
The IMC/AMC Postdoctoral Fellowship
Jointly supported by the IMC and the Archive of Modern Conflict (AMC), this fellowship invites scholars to undertake research across two internationally significant photography collections. This full-time opportunity requires that the fellow will be in-residence in Toronto, carrying out sustained research in the collections during a one-year period, from July 1, 2027-June 30, 2028. The fellowship includes an annual salary of $70,000 (CAD) and benefits, and a generous research stipend to support research in London, UK. Candidates must hold a PhD at the time of application. For more information about the IMC/AMC Postdoctoral Fellowship, including how to apply, please visit: www.torontomu.ca/careers/research-staff-opportunities/imc-amc-postdoctoral-fellowship-july-8-2026/
The Nadir Mohamed Postdoctoral Fellowship
This fellowship includes a $10,000 (CAD) stipend for travel, research, and other related expenses. Candidates must hold a PhD degree. Candidates’ research should utilise the collections and resources of The Image Centre and/or Toronto Metropolitan University Archives and Special Collections. The fellow will be expected to carry out their research on-site for a minimum of one (1) to a maximum of three (3) months, between February 15 and December 15, 2027.
The Penny Rubinoff Fellowship
This fellowship includes a $5,000 (CAD) stipend for travel, research, and other related expenses. Candidates must hold a master’s degree; this includes PhD students or candidates, and excludes applicants who hold a PhD or are postdoctoral researchers. Candidates’ research should utilise the collections and resources of The Image Centre and/or Toronto Metropolitan University Archives and Special Collections. The fellow will be expected to carry out their research on-site for a minimum of two (2) to a maximum of six (6) weeks, between February 15 and December 15, 2027.
The Elaine Ling Fellowship
This fellowship includes a $4,000 (CAD) stipend for travel, research, and other related expenses. Candidates must have recently completed a master’s degree, or be working toward its completion. Students who are currently enrolled in a doctoral program, hold a PhD or are postdoctoral researchers are ineligible. Candidates’ research should utilise the collections and resources of The Image Centre and/or Toronto Metropolitan University Archives and Special Collections. The fellow will be expected to carry out their research on-site for a minimum of one (1) to a maximum of four (4) weeks, between February 15 and December 15, 2027.
The Howard Tanenbaum Fellowship for Artistic Research
This fellowship includes a $4,000 (CAD) stipend for travel, research, and other related expenses but does not include access to production facilities such as printing labs and darkrooms. Candidates may hold any level of education, and/or be independent artists with relevant experience and demonstrated interests. Candidates’ research should utilise the collections and resources of The Image Centre and/or Toronto Metropolitan University Archives and Special Collections in support of their artistic practice. They should demonstrate awareness of copyright considerations in their use of historical images; they should propose creative methodologies and outputs. The fellow will be expected to carry out their research on-site for a minimum of one (1) to a maximum of four (4) weeks, between February 15 and December 15, 2027.
The Wendy Snyder MacNeil Research Fellowship
This Fellowship includes a $4,000 (CAD) stipend for travel, research and other related expenses but does not include access to production facilities such as printing labs and darkrooms. Candidates should possess or be working towards at least an undergraduate degree, and/or be photo-based artists. Candidates’ research should utilise the collections and resources of The Image Centre and/or Toronto Metropolitan University Archives and Special Collections to support new perspectives on the work of women photographers, including Wendy Snyder MacNeil. The fellow will be expected to carry out research onsite for a minimum of one (1) to a maximum of four (4) weeks, between February 15 and December 15, 2027.
This fellowship was established in memory of photographer and filmmaker Wendy Snyder MacNeil (1943-2016). Best known for her documentation of Boston’s Haymarket district, her use of vernacular imagery in forms of extended portraiture, and her later, larger-scale work in platinum/palladium, MacNeil was also an avid student of history and an educator deeply interested in the ways photographic images convey a sense of an individual, a family, or a group of people drawn together by culture or circumstance. All of her major projects are part of The Image Centre which holds the entirety of MacNeil’s personal photographic archive.