Schmidt Science Fellows Award

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Award Overview

Value & Duration

Schmidt Fellows: 
  • Receive a personal stipend of US$110,000 per year for up to two years of postdoctoral study in a different area from their PhD, at any approved location worldwide. 
  • Build a global network through our Science Leadership Program, a bespoke professional development curriculum delivered across three week-long residential convenings and a rich set of virtual offerings. 
  • Benefit from personalized mentoring delivered by experienced international interdisciplinary science leaders to develop as scientific and societal thought leaders. 
  • Join a lifelong community of exemplary interdisciplinary scientists. 
  • Receive unique scientific freedom to pursue ambitious research goals, take risks, and have bold ideas. 

Purpose

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. 

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for nomination and potential selection as a Schmidt Science Fellow, candidates must meet the following requirements: 

  • Conducting their PhD degree in the natural sciences (astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics, and earth sciences), engineering, mathematics, or computing – and all sub-disciplines therein at the University of Toronto. Individuals on clinical track MD-PhD or Veterinary-PhD programs are not eligible; 
  • Expect to have their final PhD thesis accepted by the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto between May 15, 2025 and June 30, 2026; and 
  • Able to start their Fellowship on July 1, 2026 or October 1, 2026 (start dates are firm as the cohort starts together in either July or October) and available from April 2026 to July 2027 to attend virtual onboarding activities, and from October 2026 to attend in- person convenings: the Science Leadership Program and the annual Schmidt Science Fellows Interdisciplinary Science Summit. 

Selection Criteria

The Program is seeking those individuals with a special degree of brilliance and inventiveness, who are interested in broadening their horizons and pursuing a challenging and rewarding period of study with the world’s leading academics and institutions. Schmidt Science Fellows are expected to be future leaders and should demonstrate a keen interest in harnessing interdisciplinarity and interaction with wider society to accelerate discovery to achieve global impact.

Applications for the Schmidt Science Fellows program will be judged against the following selection criteria:

Intellect

  • Extraordinary Achievement – Clear record of academic achievement of the highest quality in the sciences and an extraordinary degree of intelligence.
  • Scientific Curiosity – High degree of intellectual curiosity combined with energy and creativity; a record of continuous innovation and/or use of new technologies.

Programmatic Fit

  • Alignment with the Program – Interest in pursuing 12-24 months of postdoctoral study in a field different from the applicant’s PhD discipline and a belief that interdisciplinary science and the taking of appropriate scientific risks are important for the advancement of discovery.
  • Collaborative Spirit – History of effective collaboration with diverse team members.

Leadership

  • Character and Leadership – Genuine and demonstrable potential for science leadership; displaying perseverance, resilience, a moral compass, and a galvanizing force of personality.
  • Global Ambition for Social Good – Desire to use one’s personal talents and science to make a positive difference in society and the world.

To learn more about the kind of candidates Schmidt is are looking for, please visit their website to view Fellow profiles and the feature videos: Fellowship Research Placement and Who is a Schmidt Science Fellow?

Application Requirements

The University of Toronto has been very successful in having successful nominees since the Program’s inception, averaging one recipient per year. Applicants are encouraged to read about our past Schmidt Science Fellows Program recipients: 

2024 Fellows: Palin Chiaranunt and Peter Serles 

2023 Fellow: Sridevi Venkatesan 

2022 Fellows: Elizabeth Philips and Paul Chen 

2021 Fellow: Anastasia Korolj 

2019 Fellow: Ina Anreiter 

2018 Fellows: Jielai Zhang (article) and Xiwen Gong (article)  

 

Schmidt Fellows from other institutions who are Postdoctoral Fellows at U of T: 

2023 Fellow: Amy Strilchuk 

2021 Fellow: Suhas Mahesh (article) 

 

The following will serve as a completed nomination package (Applicants are encouraged to review the slides from the 2025-26 Schmidt Presentation for applicants for guidance):

  1. Nomination letter from the Graduate Chair/Director;   
  2. Description of PhD written by the applicant. Provide a brief overview of PhD studies, summarizing the main aims and outcomes. Clearly state individual contributions; address the aspects that are particularly exciting and innovative work; and highlight any outputs or activities that have significant impact or bring great pride. 
  3. Fellowship Research Plan: The Pivot (max 1000 words) – regarding the potential postdoctoral research the applicant may wish to pursue if named a Schmidt Science Scholar.  The shift in research focus or interdisciplinary pivot is central to Schmidt’s mission. Intellectual freedom and the pursuit of bold ideas is encouraged. How the proposal is a change in discipline and/or application must be clearly explained. Pivots should enable applicants to achieve a scientific goal that is not possible while continuing their current course, allowing them to overcome a scientific challenge using different approaches or perspectives. See Interdisciplinary Pivot description in the Additional Information section below.

    The plan should be original, clearly written, innovative, ambitious, but feasible. It should have a hypothesis, objectives, provide enough detail to demonstrate an understanding of the new research area; explain what is innovative about the proposal; balance “big-picture” thinking and long-term goals with practicality within a 12-24 month Fellowship; describe the new tools and skills needed; outline technical approaches and desired outcomes; articulate a vision and ambition for potential short or long term impact. Keep in mind that reviewers (at the University and international competition) will not be experts in the applicants’ PhD/pivot field. 

  4. Options for Placement: Three short creative proposals (max 500 words each) for potential postdoctoral fellowship labs any where in the world to develop new networks and skills. This part of the assessment is to understand the applicant’s approach to the pivot and training needs, prompting them to think early, ambitiously, and globally about the best place to undertake their research plan, and how the host lab and principal investigator can support the fellow’s training and development in the new area of research.  
  5. Collaboration Statement: Articulate the importance of working collaboratively and convey an ambition to bridge disciplines and lead teams to potentially unlock transformative discoveries in the future. Describe experience/evidence of working collaboratively, either in an academic or non-academic setting. Outline what the applicant feels are the key elements that lead to successful collaborations. Outline approach to collaboration and the teams the applicant hopes to bring together in the future. 
  6. Personal Statement (max 1000 words): The statement should describe the applicant’s personal motivations, ambitions, and interests; discuss relevant activities and interests outside of research and how these will have a positive impact on society; make clear what the applicant hopes the Fellowship will do for the applicant and what the applicant will bring to the community. Content should not focus only on research, be a repeat of the research plan, or an essay description of the applicant’s CV.  
  7. Lay Summaries and Impact Statement: Summarize PhD and proposed research using lay (non-technical) language to provide an overview to a general audience; describe how the proposed research can make a positive impact on the world. These sections will help provide an overview of the application for reviewers and will be used in communications if selected as a Fellow. 
  8. Up to date CV (no page restrictions), including links to relevant publications and research activities. For papers underway or pending publication, applicants should attach a copy of the final abstract (1 page or less) of the paper;  
  9. Up to date transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate studies (including those from U of T). Non-U of T transcripts must include grading legend; 
  10. Reference Letters: At least three but no more than five (3-5) reference letters (the Schmidt online application requires a minimum of 3 reference letters up to a maximum of 5); One letter must be from the applicant’s PhD supervisor(s). Letters may also come from other faculty, employers, supervisors, or collaborators; at least one should be outside of the PhD supervisory group or University. These letters are expected to be approx. two pages in length, address the applicant’s intellectual ability and research accomplishments, but also markers of leadership and future trajectory, describe the applicant’s achievements and contributions to date. Referees should be aware of the Schmidt selection criteria and the applicant’s research proposal, senior enough to have the experience and perspective to talk convincingly of the applicant’s current abilities AND future potential. Reference letters are to be sent directly to the nominating graduate unit, not to the students. 

The Schmidt Science Fellows Program is committed to equality of opportunity for all candidates. Applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, gender, gender identity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, parental status marital or civil partner status, race, color, ethnic or national origin, nationality, religion or belief.

Please note, the application and selection process as well as the delivery of the Schmidt Science Fellows program is only available in English and all engagement with the program must be in English.

Nomination Process

For the 2026 cohort selection process, the Program is inviting nominations from approximately 100 leading science, technology, and engineering institutions around the world to join the community of 150+ current and Senior Fellows from 34 nationalities; the University of Toronto may nominate seven candidates. 

Candidate Timelines

Graduate Chairs are invited to nominate their top ranked candidate(s) by submitting a complete nomination package to SGS for consideration by April 10, 2025 the process is as follows: 

  • Supervisors and/or Coordinators of interested applicants are encouraged to discuss their intent to nominate suitable candidates with the Graduate Chair/Director;   
  • Graduate Chairs/Directors nominate their top candidate(s) and submit the associated nomination package(s) to SGS by April 10, 2025 – see Instructions for Graduate Units document for submission instructions.  
  • SGS adjudicates the nominations, selects and invites the seven endorsed candidates to complete their registration for application by May 29, 2025;
  • Individuals nominated by U of T complete their applications online;
    • Completed applications will be due no later than July 14, 2025;
    • Applications will consist of details of academic history, including transcripts, current CV with details of relevant publications, at least three but no more than five letters of recommendation, a personal statement, a research plan, collaboration statement, and three short proposals for potential postdoctoral Fellowship labs.

Schmidt Timelines

  1. August – October 2025 – Academic Review: Expert reviewers (leading researchers from the broad scientific discipline in which the candidate will receive their PhD) assess submitted applications to identify exceptional candidates for progression.  
  2. November 2025 – Shortlisting of Finalists: Candidates will be informed about the outcomes of Academic Review and the Final Selection interviews will be scheduled. 
  3. January 2026 – Final Selection Interviews: Senior figures from across science, business, and society review applications and interview Finalists (online). 
  4. March 2026 – Final Decisions: Schmidt Science Fellows Board meet to determine the 2026 cohort of Schmidt Science Fellows. 
  5. April 2026 – Formal Announcement and Onboarding: The 2026 cohort of Schmidt Science Fellows are publicly announced. Fellows then work together with our Academic Council to determine the optimal host laboratory for their research placement. 
  6. July – October, 2026 – Fellowship Placements Begin: The 2026 Schmidt Science Fellows start to engage with the Program team, Academic Council mentors and other members of their cohort, commence their research placements, and join their first Science Leadership Meeting. 

Results

The University competition results will be communicated by the SGS Graduate Awards Office in mid-May. The results of the international competition will be communicated to nominees directly from Agency in November 2025 and March 2026.

Additional Info

About the program  

The Program seeks: 
  • Brilliant minds in natural sciences, math, engineering, and computing with a commitment to interdisciplinary science. 
  • Curious and creative scientists who are interested in broadening their horizons, pivoting away from their PhD research area and pursuing a challenging and rewarding period of study in an alternative research discipline with world leading scientists.  
  • Academically excellent, risk-positive, early-career researchers who can demonstrate a commitment to ambitious, high-impact science.  
  • Future leaders with the potential and character to lead teams and unlock transformative discoveries in the future.  
  • Talented individuals from a wide range of scientific disciplines who are motivated to increase the potential for interdisciplinary collaboration.  

 

Interdisciplinary Pivot: 
  • The shift in research focus or interdisciplinary pivot is central to the Schmidt mission. It can be categorized by change from the PhD discipline and in the research application area. 
  • Proposals requiring candidates to immerse themselves fully in a new discipline from their current expertise and to address different or broader questions than those posed during their PhD and are aligned most closely with the Program will be valued most highly. 
  • Proposals with less ambitious changes in discipline and application are valued less. 
  • Proposals in sub-disciplines closely related to the PhD are not acceptable, even if there is a large change in the application area. 
  • Schmidt does not allow proposals that represent an incremental or logical progression from the applicant’s PhD or those which attempt to cover multiple disciplines where only a superficial understanding of each new area is likely to be gained. 
  • The pivot should enable a Fellow to achieve a scientific goal that is not possible while continuing their current course, allowing them to overcome a scientific challenge using different approaches or perspectives. 
  • Proposed pivots must be to the natural sciences (Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth Sciences), Engineering, Mathematics, or Computing or any sub- disciplines of these subjects.  
  • Pivots to the social sciences are outside the scope of the Schmidt Science Fellowship. 

 

For a range of materials and content available that explains and explores the Schmidt Science Fellows mission and introduces the background, science, and motivations of some of our Fellows. Please see the following links:

Science Needs to Change – the Schmidt Science Fellows Vision and Mission

Fellowship Research Placement 

Who is a Schmidt Science Fellow? 

Contacts & Resources

For information regarding the U of T selection process, please contact:

Sarah Pickering, Postdoctoral Office
sgs.postdoc@utoronto.ca

More about Schmidt Science Fellows
Twitter – @SchmidtFellows
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/-schmidt-science-fellows/
Instagram – @schmidt_science_fellows
Facebook – @schmidtsciencefellows

Schmidt Science Fellows Selection Process