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Arts & Science Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program

Sunsetting of the Banting program 

The 2024 Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships (results released in mid-February 2025) was the final competitions for this programs. 

Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering and Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) are working to offer a harmonized and streamlined suite of research training support programs that are responsive to the needs of the research community. We anticipate that more details about these programs will become available later this year.

 

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships ​Program is intended to attract and retain top-tier postdoctoral talent, both nationally and internationally; develop their leadership potential; and position them for success as research leaders of tomorrow, positively contributing to Canada’s economic, social and research-based growth through a research-intensive career.

Seventy fellowships are awarded annually, divided evenly between Canada’s three federal granting agencies (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC). There are a total of 140 awards active at any one time.

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program is unique in its emphasis on the synergy of research goals and projects between the following:

  • Applicant – individual merit and potential to launch a successful research-intensive career
  • Host Institution – commitment to the research program and alignment with the institution’s strategic priorities

China Scholarship Council: Scholarships

In partnership with the University of Toronto (U of T), the China Scholarship Council (CSC) offers scholarships to outstanding Chinese students who will pursue doctoral studies at U of T under the established collaborative program: China Scholarship Council – University of Toronto Joint Funding Program.

The CSC aims to fund in its annual competition:

  • 15 Chinese students for U of T’s PhD program for up to 48 months
  • 5 Chinese visiting PhD ​students at U of T for up to 24 months

Data Sciences Institute’s Postdoctoral Fellowship

John Charles Polanyi Prizes

To honour the achievement of John Charles Polanyi, recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Ontario Government established a fund to award John Charles Polanyi Prizes annually to up to five outstanding researchers or scholars who are in the early stages of their careers and at Ontario universities. The prizes, each which is valued at $20,000, will be conferred in the Fall of 2025. They are available in the areas of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Economic Science, broadly defined.

The John Charles Polanyi Prize is a prestigious award and the University of Toronto is well represented on the list of prize winners.  It is our aim to remain successful in this competition and we continue to encourage graduate units to nominate their strongest, eligible candidates.

Read about the latest and past University of Toronto recipients of the Polyani Prize:

Ontario Women’s Health Scholars Awards

The Ontario Women’s Health Scholars Awards Program aims to establish a research community that meets or exceeds internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence in its creation of new knowledge about women’s health and its translation into improved health for women, more effective health services and products for women, and a strengthened health care system.

Other Funding Resources for Postdoctoral Fellows

There are many opportunities internal and external to the University that have programs to fund postdoctoral research. Consult each sources website for specific information on the programs that they offer. International postdocs are strongly encouraged to check first with agencies and foundations in their home country.

Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program​

The University of Toronto Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship program provides funding to Graduate Faculties to increase opportunities for hiring postdoctoral fellows from underrepresented groups, specifically Indigenous and Black researchers only. These fellowships will enable postdoctoral researchers to grow their scholarly profiles, undertake academic work at the University of Toronto, and strengthen the research environment at the University with diverse perspectives.

This funding is designed to help the University compete with peer institutions for top-tier candidates, and to support the University in meeting its institutional goal of fostering increased diversity and representation at all levels of teaching, learning and research. Nominees must be nominated by their prospective Faculties/divisions following the timeline and processes outlined below. While the nomination/application process will normally begin with faculty advisors/mentors, funding for the successful nominees will be provided to their respective Faculty Research Office for administration.

Read about the recipients of the Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellows on the PPFP webpage.

Schmidt Science Fellows Award

The Schmidt Science Fellows program is an initiative of Schmidt Sciences, delivered in partnership with the Rhodes Trust. 

The Program’s mission is to change how science is done. Working with the scientific community, they want to help break down barriers to interdisciplinary science and accelerate positive impacts for global society. To help scientists solve bigger problems faster, they are identifying, developing, and amplifying the next generation of science leaders.  Through the Fellowship, they are building a community of scientists and supporters of interdisciplinary science and leveraging this network to drive sector-wide change. 

SGS Parental Grant

Established in 2017 for doctoral students, The SGS Parental Grant program, aims to provide financial support PhD and SJD students within the funded cohort by helping to offset the loss of their funding as a result of taking an approved parental leave of absence at the time of birth or adoption in order to provide full-time care during the child’s first year or the first year the child comes into care (see SGS Leave of Absence Policy). In 2025, this support has been extended to include all U of T Postdoc Trainees who receive funding through an external fellowship that does not offer a paid parental leave or benefits.

The SGS Parental Grant offers financial support for the duration of an approved parental leave for up to 8 months of support for all parents, and 12 months for birth parents. The value of the grant is based on the applicant’s current funding and aims to support 100% of the monthly stipend to a maximum value (see below).

 

SGS Sponsorship Fund

The SGS Sponsorship Fund supports two types of initiatives designed, led, and attended by graduate students and/or postdoctoral fellows at U of T: (a) the SGS Events Fund and (b) the SGS Innovation in Graduate Professional Development Fund.

(a) The SGS Events Fund supports the planning and implementation of an event at U of T that contributes to the SGS mission of:

  • Working collaboratively to advance excellence and innovation in graduate research and education.
  • Fostering an outstanding graduate experience for our diverse student population.
  • Creating and promoting opportunities for graduate student and postdoctoral fellow professional development.
  • Advancing integrity and ethical conduct in graduate research and education.
  • Establishing policy and promoting best practices for graduate research and education.

For the 2022–23 cycle, the School of Graduate Studies is calling for proposals for both in-person and virtual initiatives involving U of T graduate students and / or postdoctoral fellows focused on community-building, engagement, and networking across programs and disciplines with particular interest in events focused on re-connection and community building activities. Preference will be given to events that have significant U of T student / fellow participation in planning and implementation and/or prioritize U of T students and fellows as participants.

(b) The SGS Innovation in Graduate Professional Development Fund supports the development of new or expanded Graduate Professional Development initiatives by and for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows that contribute to the SGS mission of:

  • Working collaboratively to advance excellence and innovation in graduate research and education.
  • Fostering an outstanding graduate experience for our diverse student population.
  • Creating and promoting opportunities for graduate student and postdoctoral fellow professional development.
  • Advancing integrity and ethical conduct in graduate research and education.
  • Establishing policy and promoting best practices for graduate research and education.

The SGS Innovation in Graduate Professional Development fund supports both in-person and virtual initiatives for the U of T graduate students and postdoctoral communities. Preference will be given to initiatives that have significant U of T student / fellow participation in planning and implementation and / or prioritize U of T students and fellows as participants.

UTM Postdoctoral Fellowship Award Program

Postdoctoral Fellowships (PDFs) are an important post-PhD training opportunity, affording recent graduates an opportunity to establish an independent research program. The Office of the Vice-Principal Research’s (OVPR) Postdoctoral Fellowship program aims to provide up to 6 awards annually—2 in the Humanities, 2 in the Social Sciences, and 2 in the in Sciences.

The University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from visible minority group members, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. UTM views these Fellowships as an important tool to ensure diverse groups have access to research support at this important early career stage.

UTSC Inclusive Excellence Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

The University of Toronto Scarborough’s UTSC Inclusive Excellence Postdoctoral Fellowship Program provides funding to UTSC departments to increase opportunities for hiring postdoctoral fellows from underrepresented groups, specifically Indigenous and Black researchers.

Postdoc fellows must secure sponsorship of a supervisor (or supervisors) from the professoriate at U of T Scarborough. UTSC supervisor(s) must nominate their prospective postdoc fellow following the timeline and processes outlined below.