“Postdoctoral fellows play many roles in my group.”

Postdoctoral fellows play many roles in my group. They bring diversity of ideas and experiences which provide all group members with a different perspective on research topics and approaches. We have nearly 15 countries represented in the 85 postdocs who have been members of my group. They are fortunate to not have to write a thesis at the end of their stay, so they can take on risky or new projects or join in with graduate students on completing very challenging projects.

Postdocs in my group often have taken our work in new directions by combining our areas of research with their past themes to create a totally new perspective on a research area.

The University of Toronto is competing with the best research-intensive universities worldwide, and it is very important we offer the combination of important topics, the best facilities and equipment, and outstanding co-workers to surround them during their stay.

We have a very active seminar program in our department; that means our postdoctoral visitors are exposed to the best researchers. We also have many speakers and visitors from industry and strong contacts with industry, which is of great importance to postdocs. We offer a combination of outstanding science and a terrific city for visitors from North America, Europe, and Asia.

I have been at the University of Toronto since 1987 (26 years and counting) and I have seen a broadening of the idea of what constitutes a graduate education. We are trying to do a better job of exposing our students to the range of ways in which a career can develop following completion of a MSc or PhD.

No matter what your interest, Toronto has something to offer. Diversity of culture, diversity of language, diversity of thought are hallmarks of Toronto. What this means from a practical perspective is that sports, theatre, museums are all just a walk or subway ride away. I think that coming to Toronto will open your mind and that is a great gift in a world that is rapidly changing.

​​​​​​​​​Prof. Lautens was the supervisor (of postdoctoral fellow Yalun Zhang), Lautens Research Group.

Prof. Lautens was appointed University Professor in 2012 and honoured with the Order of Canada in 2014.

See U of T News articles: “Public Funding is Needed to Support the Next Generation of Scientists,” “U of T’s Mark Lautens and the Art of Being a Great Doctoral Supervisor,” “Better Living Through Chemistry: Mark Lautens,” “Changing the Way We Look at Molecules.”