Dr. Ian R. Kerr’s vision was to ensure that top students from around the world have the necessary funding and support to pursue their scholarly dreams of researching legal, ethical and policy questions surrounding new technologies at the University of Ottawa Centre for Law, Technology and Society.  

To honour his memory and continue his efforts towards a more inclusive academy and empowering emerging researchers, the Centre for Law, Technology and Society has established the Ian R. Kerr Fellowships to support students enrolled in LL.M. in Law and Technology who come from non-traditional backgrounds or perspectives, or from abroad, and are not usually supported by traditional funding schemes. 

Each year, one fellowship will be awarded to a student enrolled in the LL.M. in Law and Technology, whose research focuses on legal issues such as privacy, artificial intelligence, technology ethics, or robotics, and who has an outstanding academic record.  

The fellowship will include:

• a scholarship of an amount of $25,000, to be credited to the student account in three installments (one each term);
• a bursary equivalent to the Canadian tuition fee (maximum $11,000), to be credited to the student account in three installments (one each term);
• a travel bursary of $2,000 to attend a leading conference in the field;
• a complimentary admission to a leading conference in the field; and
• a guaranteed technology law internship.

The $25,000 scholarship is generously supported by donations made to the Ian R. Kerr Memorial Fund at the Centre for Law, Technology and Society.

The applicant must:

• have received an offer of admission as a full-time student in the LL.M. with a concentration in Law and Technology at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa; and
• hold a law degree (JD, LLL, LLB, BCL) with an outstanding average

First, applicants must apply for admission to the LL.M. with a concentration in Law and Technology at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa through the OUAC portal.

Once the application to the LL.M. has been submitted on the portal, candidates can submit their applications to the Fellowship by sending an email to  [email protected] (subject line: The Ian R. Kerr Fellowship) including the following:

• a letter of intent stating your interest in the scholarship and demonstrating that you meet the eligibility criteria of the Ian R. Kerr Fellowship.
• a proposal detailing the research in the areas of privacy, robotics, artificial intelligence or ethical technologies. 

This fellowship program is managed by the Assistant Dean of the Graduate Studies Office of the Faculty of Law.

For any questions regarding this program, please reach out to [email protected] .