Postdoctoral Awards – School of Graduate Studies

Arts & Science Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program-discontinued

Sunsetting of the Banting program

The 2024 Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship competition (results released in mid-February 2025) was the final competition for this program.

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) has launched a new harmonized Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) program, which replaces the previous agency specific postdoctoral fellowships and the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship.

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program was 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 were awarded annually, divided evenly between Canada’s three federal granting agencies (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC). There were a total of 140 awards active at any one time.

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program was 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

Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) program

The Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) program recognizes and supports the next generation of outstanding innovators, knowledge workers, creative thinkers and researchers at a pivotal time in their careers. The program provides funding and flexibility, empowering Canadian and international leaders in innovation and scholarship of tomorrow to develop the skills to build world-class research and drive Canadian prosperity and competitiveness.

Please visit the official Tri-Agency CPRA webpage for eligibility and application information.

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

This page will be updated in January 2026 for the 2026 Polanyi Prizes competition.

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 Winter of 2026. 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 Polanyi Prize:

Ontario Women’s Health Scholars Awards

The Ontario Women’s Health Scholars Award 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.

Postdoctoral Competitive Research Awards

The Postdoctoral Competitive Research Award at the University of Toronto is a prestigious opportunity to support 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 autonomy to pursue an ambitious research program, while benefiting from close collaboration with leading faculty and access to tailored professional and career development supports. The program is designed for exceptional postdoctoral scholars eager to contribute to an innovative, vibrant and inclusive academic community. This program specifically seeks to bridge the critical gap between doctoral training and independent academic careers by providing postdoctoral fellows with the resources and autonomy necessary to establish themselves as independent researchers. Recipients 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.

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.

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 autonomy 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 exceptional postdoctoral scholars eager to contribute to an innovative, vibrant and inclusive academic community. This program specifically seeks to bridge the critical gap between doctoral training and independent academic careers 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.

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 values above).

SGS Sponsorship Fund

The SGS Sponsorship Fund supports initiatives designed, led, and attended by graduate students and / or postdoctoral fellows at U of T 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

Following the publication of the Report of the Working Group on Civil Discourse, SGS encourages initiatives that foster respectful dialogue, critical thinking, and inclusive engagement across the graduate community. Examples of programming can include but are not limited to: dialogue-based workshops and events, peer-led discussion groups, speaker series and panels and / or training and skill-building programs.

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.