Postdoctoral Fellow Positions

• Deadlines
• Current Job Posting(s)
• Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship
• SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship
• U of T Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
• UTM Postdoctoral Fellowship Award Program
• UTSC Postdoctoral Fellowship Award Program
• U of T Faculty of Arts & Science Postdoctoral Fellowship

The Department of Sociology is happy to welcome into our community postdoctoral fellows who have demonstrated excellence in their doctoral work and show promise as scholars in an area where our faculty have particular expertise. The University of Toronto requires that postdoctoral researchers secure funding for their expenses and will extend an invitation to visit only after candidates can show they have secured funding. Potential applicants to any of the below postdoctoral fellowships should first contact the faculty member with whom they would like to work. We then ask that the faculty supervisor inform the Department's Research Coordinator, and the Tri-Campus Graduate Chair. Supervisors of  postdoctoral fellows who are funded through faculty grants should make arrangements with their Department Chair and Business Officer.

Deadlines

Current Job Posting(s)

• Postdoctoral Fellowship - Social Dynamics Modeling

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship is a prestigious award that is available to both Canadian citizens and foreign nationals. Providing $70,000 per year for two years, the Banting program aims 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."

The application process for the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship requires that the applicant, the proposed supervisor, and the host institution work in collaboration to prepare a competitive application. To that end, interested applicants should contact potential supervisors early in the summer.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant to the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program must fulfill or have fulfilled all degree requirements for a PhD, PhD-equivalent or health professional degree:

• No more than 5 years before the start date
• Before the start date of their award.

Applicants who have not fulfilled all requirements for their degree at the time of application must submit proof no later than October 15th of the year the fellowship is awarded.

Adjudication Criteria

The Banting program selects the recipients for the award based on the following criteria: The Banting program selects the recipients for the award based on the following criteria:

1. 1. Research excellence and leadership in the research domain
   2. Quality of the applicant's proposed research program
   3. Institutional commitment and demonstrated synergy between applicant and institutional strategic priorities

Because the synergy between the institution and the applicant's research is one of the criteria, we will work closely in drafting the materials that relate to this item. See more information about the eligibility and adjudication criteria on the Banting website.

Banting Application Procedures for Applicants to the Sociology Department at the University of Toronto

To begin the application process for the University of Toronto, the applicants should first contact and obtain the agreement of a faculty advisor or co-advisors who are members of our graduate faculty. Once the applicant has secured the support of a potential advisor, they and/or the supervisor should inform both the Tri-Campus Graduate Chair and the department's Research Coordinator of their intent to apply. The Research Coordinator can offer both tips and editorial assistance for the application if the process is begun early.

In order to collaborate on the materials addressing the synergy between the applicant and institutional strategic priorities, applicants are asked to submit to the Research Coordinator by July 03, 2023 a draft of the Research Proposal, the Supervisor's Statement, a CV, and the following parts of the Banting application module:

• significance of research contributions
• significance of leadership contributions
• special circumstances
• project overview including lay summary

Procedures vary depending upon the faculty supervisor's home campus (UTSG, UTM, or UTSC). The submission dates for the university-wide 2023 competition are as follows: UTSG: August 1; UTM: July 28; UTSC: July 14 (Please see UTM and UTSC websites for NOI dates which are earlier than these submission dates) The respective Sociology departments rank candidates prior to submitting the completed applications to the university competition. Candidates who are successful at the university-wide level will then receive a letter of endorsement from the university. The candidate must then submit the full application including the letter of endorsement to the national competition by the September deadline.

The SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship

SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships provide financial support to Canadian citizens and permanent residents who are recent PhD recipients in the Social Sciences and Humanities.  Fellowships will normally be awarded to candidates affiliated with a university other than that which awarded the PhD.

Eligibility Requirements

To apply to this funding opportunity, the applicant must:

• be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada (by the application deadline);
• not hold a permanent faculty position, or a faculty position leading to permanency;
• have finalized arrangements for affiliation with a recognized university or research institution;
• have applied not more than twice before to the SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships funding opportunity;
• not be applying in the same academic year to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellowships Program or the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Postdoctoral Fellowship funding opportunity; and
• not have already received a postdoctoral award (including a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship) from SSHRC, NSERC or CIHR.

Adjudication Criteria

SSHRC convenes a multi-disciplinary panel to evaluate the postdoctoral fellowship applications according to the following criteria: challenge—the aim and importance of the endeavour (20%); feasibility—the plan to achieve excellence (30%); and capability—the expertise to succeed (50%). Please read more about these criteria on the SSHRC opportunity page.

Application Procedures for Applicants to the Sociology Department at the University of Toronto

To begin the application process for the University of Toronto, the applicants should first contact and obtain the agreement of a faculty advisor or co-advisors who are members of our graduate faculty. Once the applicant has secured the support of a potential advisor, they and/or the supervisor should inform both the Tri-Campus Graduate Chair and the department's Research Coordinator of their intent to apply. Because the application requires a letter of "Institutional Nomination and Commitment," we ask that applicants provide us with a copy of their program of work and that supervisors provide us with a copy of their "Research Appraisal" no later than September 9th. The full application must be submitted by the candidate and is due to SSHRC by September 14. (This date may change slightly from year to year.)

University of Toronto Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

The University of Toronto Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship program provides funding to increase opportunities for hiring postdoctoral fellows from underrepresented groups, specifically Indigenous and Black researchers. Each award will provide $70,000 per year to Faculties to support up to two years of postdoctoral salary and benefits.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants to the University of Toronto Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowships program through the Sociology department may be citizens of any country and must:

• Demonstrate academic excellence and high potential for success in their chosen fields;
• Identify as Indigenous and/or Black;
• Have obtained a doctoral degree, normally within the last five years from the start date of the funding, or will have obtained the degree at the time the fellowship commences; and
• Not have held a Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship previously.
• Not hold concurrently another major fellowship;
• Not hold a faculty position or be on leave from such a position

Application Procedures for Applicants to the Sociology Department at the University of Toronto

To begin the application process for the University of Toronto, the applicants should first contact and obtain the agreement of a faculty advisor or co-advisors who are members of our graduate faculty. Once the applicant has secured the support of a potential advisor, they and/or the supervisor should inform both the Tri-Campus Graduate Chair and the department's Research Coordinator of their intent to apply. See the Opportunity Page for complete instructions. We require a good draft of the two-page statement of research intent from the nominee, the nominee's CV and the nomination letter from the proposed advisor at least one week before the divisional deadline. 

The supervisor's letter should "demonstrate the fit between the research interests/background of the supervisor and applicant, and the anticipated mutual benefits. Provide specifics about how the proposed research complements the supervisor's ongoing projects and/or new research directions."

University of Toronto Mississauga Postdoctoral Fellowship Award Program

The UTM Postdoctoral Fellowship Award Program supports postdoctoral fellows studying under the mentorship of faculty members whose primary affiliation is with the University of Toronto, Mississauga campus. The UTM Postdoctoral Fellowship program will provide 3 awards annually—1 in the Humanities, 1 in the Social Sciences, and 1 in the in Sciences - each with a duration of one year. The UTM Postdoctoral Fellowship award will include $48,000 for salary, plus $2,000 as a research grant.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants to the University of Toronto UTM Postdoctoral Fellowships program through the Sociology department may be citizens of any country and must:

• be eligible to be appointed as a Postdoctoral Fellow following all University of Toronto definitions and policies.
• may not concurrently hold another post-doctoral fellowship award, such as NSERC/SSHRC/CIHR or equivalents.
• cannot currently hold a tenure-track or continuing faculty position at a college or university.
• must meet all Canadian immigration requirements.
• must have a proposed supervisor who has a tenured or tenure-track appointment in a UTM Department.

Application Procedures

To begin the application process for the University of Toronto, the applicants should first contact and obtain the agreement of a faculty advisor or co-advisors who are members of the UTM faculty. Once the applicant has secured the support of a potential advisor, they and/or the supervisor should inform both the UTM Chair (Phil Goodman) and the department's Research Coordinator of their intent to apply. See the Opportunity web page for detailed instructions. The full application is due to the department on October 1st and the divisional office on October 15. (These dates may vary slightly from year to year. For full application details please see the program webpage.)

University of Toronto Scarborough Inclusive Excellence Postdoctoral Program and the University of Toronto Scarborough Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

The UTSC Inclusive Excellence Postdoctoral Program provides funding to UTSC departments to increase opportunities for hiring postdoctoral fellows from underrepresented groups, specifically Indigenous and Black researchers. Applicants must be nominated by a UTSC Faculty member. Each award provides $70,000 per year to UTSC departments to support up to two years of postdoctoral salary and benefits. Successful postdoctoral fellows will also receive a start-up fund of $5,000 per year. The award is open to both domestic and international post-graduates.Nominees must also identify as Indigenous and/or Black. Please see the program description for further eligibility and application information. Current applications deadline is December 12, 2022.

The UTSC Postdoctoral Fellowship Program can be held in any department or research unit across U of T Scarborough and applicants must secure sponsorship of a supervisor (or supervisors) from the professoriate at U of T Scarborough. Each award will provide $45,000 (plus benefits) per year for a maximum of two years and are tenable only at U of T Scarborough. Both fully funded and partially funded fellowships are available. Supervisors with other sources of funding may apply for partially-funded fellowships, if they commit $22,500 of funding (plus benefits) per year for two years. Please see the program description for further eligibility and application information. The application deadline is December 1, 2022.

University of Toronto Faculty of Arts & Science Postdoctoral Fellowship

The Arts & Science Postdoctoral Fellowships are designed to provide outstanding recent doctoral students advanced training in their field of study. These fellowships are not discipline specific, but rather can be held in any department or research unit across the Faculty of Arts & Science of the St. George Campus at the University of Toronto. Applicants must secure sponsorship of a supervisor, or supervisors, from the professoriate within the Faculty of Arts & Science. There are two types of funding for the fellowships. One is fully-funded, where A&S contributes the full stipend of $48,000 and benefits per year for a maximum of 2 years. The other is match-funded, where supervisors and/or units contribute half the stipend ($24,000) and benefits, the second half of which is matched by A&S. A section of the Supervisor Postdoctoral Fellowship Form requires the supervisor to specify which funding type applies to their application.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants to the University of Toronto Arts & Science Postdoctoral Fellowships program through the Sociology department may be citizens of any country and must:

• have fulfilled all degree requirements for a PhD no earlier than May 1, two years prior to award start
• not hold a tenure-stream or continuing faculty position at a college or university
• meet all Canadian immigration requirements
• have the support of a supervisor from the  St. George Sociology Faculty.

Application Procedures

To begin the application process for the University of Toronto, the applicants should first contact and obtain the agreement of a faculty advisor (or co-advisors) who is a member of the St. George faculty. Once they have secured the support of a potential advisor, they and/or the supervisor should inform both the St. George Chair (Shyon Baumann) and the department's Research Coordinator of their intent to apply.

The application requires a one-page research proposal, a letter of support from the proposed supervisor and the candidate's CV.

Please see the Faculty of Arts & Science website for guidelines and application forms. The full application is due on December 1. Please inform the chair and research coordinator of your intent to apply no later than November 1.