The TRIUMF Graduate Student Policy (Document-169622), Resident Graduate Students concerns those graduate students that are physically at TRIUMF for more than 50% of their research time for over 4 months of the year. In most cases, they have a permanent or semi-permanent presence at the laboratory, distinct from regular visitors who only come for short intervals. Resident Graduate Students are eligible for financial assistance to support their TRIUMF residency at level which will safeguard their local total cost of living, taking into account the economic conditions in Metro Vancouver.
There are two types of Resident Graduate Students, each with their own framework for financial assistance:
Graduate Student Research Assistants (GSRAs)
GSRAs are students whose stipends are managed through TRIUMF payroll, sourced either through a TRIUMF grant or through the main TRIUMF salary account. They are managed and treated like TRIUMF employees, and as such are subject to a prescribed payment framework, in their case a net minimum stipend amount from all sources as detailed in the Graduate Student Program Procedures (Document-171510). These are:
- Masters students (or equivalent): $25,000 per annum + Economic Equity Incentive
- Doctoral students (or equivalent): $30,000 per annum + Economic Equity Incentive
The Economic Equity Incentive (EEI) reflects the fact the TRIUMF GSRAs come from a variety of different universities worldwide with disparate expenses and student support levels. The EEI depends on each GSRAs particular economic circumstances, supporting GSRAs equal access to funding to ensure their equitable participation in the TRIUMF research environment. The EEI is established during the recruitment process, and is reviewed annually.
Long-term Graduate Student Visitors (GSVs)
GSVs are students whose stipends are not managed through TRIUMF but, in most cases, through their home university. In some instances TRIUMF grant holders transfer funds to the GSVs home university to support the stipend. GSVs are viewed analogously to faculty sabbatical visitors, as they are at TRIUMF for an extended period to further their research goals. As such, they are eligible for analogous financial assistance to support their TRIUMF residency.
GSVs request their residency through a procedure similar to faculty sabbatical visitors: they submit a letter/form to their local TRIUMF supervisor/contact requesting a long-term stay at TRIUMF and financial assistance to support that stay. The agreed-upon residency and support level will be detailed in a letter from the local TRIUMF supervisor to the GSV. Any financial assistance will be transfered directly to the GSV from TRIUMF, and not through the GSVs home university.