The Research Excellence Postdoctoral Fellows Program

The Research Excellence Postdoctoral Fellows Program at the University of Toronto is a prestigious opportunity for early-career scholars to develop and expand their research expertise at one of the world’s most distinguished public research universities.

The program will empower postdoctoral scholars with the independence to pursue an ambitious research program, while benefitting from close collaboration with leading faculty and access to tailored professional and career development supports. The program is designed for stellar postdoctoral scholars eager to pursue research in an innovative, vibrant and inclusive academic community.

This program builds upon doctoral training by providing postdoctoral fellows with the resources, autonomy and mentorship necessary to establish themselves as independent researchers. Fellows are expected to develop and lead their own research agenda, distinct from but complementary to their supervisor’s work, positioning them for future faculty appointments or leadership roles in research-intensive environments.

Overview

Application deadline: February 4, 2026
Level of Study: Postdoctoral
Required Legal Status: Domestic or International
Value and Duration: $80,000 annually for two years
Results: April 2026

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Eligibility

This award is open to both domestic and international candidates.

The following criteria are the eligibility requirements for holders of the Research Excellence Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Candidates must:

Be engaged as, or seeking a position as a postdoctoral employee of the University of Toronto (postdocs at teaching hospitals are not eligible for this fellowship as they are not employees of the university).
Have demonstrated academic excellence, the ability to design and execute independent research, and evidence of intellectual leadership in their chosen field.
Not have previously engaged in more than one postdoctoral appointment
You must complete your PhD before your selected start date.
Your fellowship start date must fall between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027.
You must be within five years of PhD completion as of your start date.

The candidate is responsible for engaging with prospective supervisors for their postdoctoral fellowship. You can visit each individual graduate unit and review the faculty members by research area, or you can also visit here as a starting point.

Award recipients must:

Have completed all doctoral degree requirements prior to the start of the fellowship.
Be engaged as a postdoctoral employee of the University of Toronto (postdocs at teaching hospitals are not eligible for this fellowship as they are not employees of the university).
Be hired by a U of T supervisor appointed to a graduate unit who commits to provide the supervisor component of the postdoctoral funding.
Register and remain registered with the Postdoctoral Office at the School of Graduate Studies (SGS).
Not concurrently hold another major fellowship.
Not hold a faculty position or be on leave from a faculty position.
Establish an Individual Development Plan (IDP) and submit it to the Postdoctoral Office at SGS within the first three months of the fellowship.
- The IDP should be reviewed annually and the revised copy sent to SGS.

Value

The structure of the award is as follows:

The postdoctoral employee is hired at the salary rate of $80,000 per year for two years.
An additional $10,000 in funding is provided annually for:
- Independent research
- Sufficient funds to cover the annual employer costs
  - E.g., in 2025 this includes an annual salary increase payable at a rate of 1.8%, the Standard Benefit Rate (SBR) at 10.5% and the PDF Levy, payable at a rate of 7.75%.
60% of total value is provided through institutional support.
40% of total value is funded via the Principal Investigator's supervisory grant.

Fellowship Commences:
April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027

The fellowship must start between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027.

The fellowship start date must be within 12 months following the date of the offer.

Deferrals (up to six months) may be permitted.

An Independent Development Plan (IDP) must be implemented within the first three months of the Fellowship.

Application requirements

1. Candidate’s Independent Research Proposal

2. Candidate’s Statement

Maximum 1 page
Describe your professional, academic and extracurricular experiences and achievements, and how these contribute to your success and ability to develop and implement an independent research plan (1/2 page)
Describe how the knowledge and skills you expect to acquire will contribute to your productivity and to the research goals you hope to achieve, why you decided upon the supervisor and research group and what you expect to learn from the experience (1/2 page).

3. Supervisor's Statement

Max 2 pages
Describe the complementarity between the research interests and background of the supervisor and candidate, how the proposed research complements the supervisor’s ongoing projects or new research directions, and the anticipated benefits.
- These benefits include how the collaboration will support the candidate’s transition to research independence and long-term career success.
Provide information specific to the field of study (e.g., benchmarks of excellence, publication norms, standards and practices, impact factor of research contributions) that would otherwise not be known outside the discipline and that will help clarify the candidate’s background and proposal.
Provide details regarding the candidate’s proposed research environment, clearly stating the supervisor’s and graduate unit’s commitment.
- Examples of commitment include (but are not limited to) mentorship, opportunities for collaboration, dissemination, and/or knowledge translation, resources (e.g., funding, facilities, personnel) that will be available to support the candidate as they carry out their proposed research.
- Indicate how these resources will enable the candidate to establish a sustainable, independent research program.
Illustrate the supervisor’s commitment to the applicant’s academic and professional trajectory and development of an independent research program, clearly indicating the resources and mentoring activities that are available through the research environment to support career development.

4. Candidate's C.V.

5. Completed application form

All documents must:

Use Times New Roman, 12-point font (including citations if applicable).
Have 2.5cm margins.
Be single spaced.
Be compiled into a single PDF file with the naming convention: Lastname_Firstname_Supporting Documents
Be uploaded to the application form before the February 4, 2026 deadline.

For any questions, contact Engineering Graduate Affairs Officer David Duong: d.duong@utoronto.ca

Please note, it may take 3-5 business days for a response, thank you for your patience.

Apply to the Research Excellence Postdoctoral Fellow Program »