Please note that the 2026 competition is closed. The final deadline was March 2.

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.

The award is open to Indigenous and/or Black researchers, both domestic and international candidates.

Nominees must:

• demonstrate academic excellence and high potential for success in their chosen fields;
• identify as Indigenous to Turtle Island and/or Black Indigenous and/or Black researchers only. The terms and conditions for award holders will align with any University processes and policies around Indigenous identity substantiation;
• have obtained a doctoral degree, at the time the fellowship commences and normally within the last five years from the start of the fellowship; and
• not have held a Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship previously.

Recipients must:

• begin the fellowship by January 2027, following the competition;
• be engaged as a postdoctoral employee of the University of Toronto;
• be hired by a U of T supervisor appointed to a graduate unit;
• register and remain registered with the Postdoctoral Office at SGS;
• not hold concurrently another major fellowship;
• not hold a faculty position or be on leave from such a position;
• establish an IDP (Independent Development Plan) and submit to SGS within the first three months of the fellowship. The IDP should be reviewed annually and the revised copy sent to the Postdoctoral Office at SGS; and
• submit proof of completion of degree no later than three months after the fellowship commences if they had not fulfilled all requirements for their degree at the time of nomination.

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

For successful recipients taking up the award at the Faculty of Information in 2026-27, the Fellowship will support:

• a postdoctoral salary at $70,000/year for up to two (2) years plus employer costs* and
• a start-up stipend fund of $5,000 per year (as taxable income), funded through the Faculty Research Office.

*Employer costs in 2026-2027 include the Standard Benefit Rate (SBR) payable at a rate of 10.50% and the PDF Levy, payable at a rate of 7.75%.

Employment as a Provost Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto is covered by the terms of the CUPE Unit 5 Collective Agreement.

Candidates interested in being nominated for the opportunity at the Faculty of Information should first contact their prospective supervisor to confirm their ability to support the application and fellowship (if successful).

Candidate Notice of Intent, NOI (February 18, 2026, 11:59PM ET)

Following the discussion with their potential supervisor, fellowship candidates must complete our NOI form confirming their intent to submit an application, along with the name of their proposed supervisor at the Faculty of Information. This form must be submitted after candidates have spoken to their potential supervisor and after the faculty member has agreed to endorse the candidate.

NOIs are mandatory but are not adjudicated.

Final Application Package (March 2, 2026, 11:59PM ET)

For an application to be considered complete for faculty-level selection:

1. Candidates must complete the PPFP 2026 eligibility form with basic information (e.g., self-identification category, expected or actual PhD completion date).
2. Candidates must send the following four application sections to research.ischool@utoronto.ca (as a single PDF file using naming convention of Last name_First name_PPFP2026_3-6.PDF):
   • Research or scholarship proposal (max. 2 pages, plus up to 2 additional pages for references/citations)
   • Training statement (max. 1 page)
   • Nominee’s CV (no page limit)
   • Short personal biography (max. 1/3 page)
3. Faculty supervisors must email a confidential Supervisor Statement (max. 2 pages) to research.ischool@utoronto.ca. Use file naming convention NomineeLast name, First name_PPFP2026_SupervisorStatement.PDF.

Please review the detailed SGS guidance on the nomination packages to ensure that sections follow content/formatting requirements. 

Applications received by the Faculty of Information Awards Committee will be adjudicated in accordance with the selection criteria used by the School of Graduate Studies (SGS). Nominees and supervisors are encouraged to consider these criteria when developing their applications.

Each division may forward up to six (6) nominees for central adjudication, with three (3) candidates in each self-identification category. The U of T SGS committee will adjudicate the two self-identification categories as two individual streams.

In selecting Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellows, preference will be given to nominees who have not yet held a postdoctoral fellowship. In addition, SGS will be seeking to balance diversity of the candidates and distribution of Postdoctoral Fellows across academic divisions to ensure that program goals and objectives are met.

Results of the competition will be made available and communicated to Faculty Research Offices in mid-June 2026.

The Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is available to engage eight (8) Indigenous and/or Black postdoctoral researchers across the University annually. 

For questions about the application process at the Faculty of Information, please contact research.ischool@utoronto.ca.

For questions about the process at other divisions, refer to the divisional contact list available on the University of Toronto’s PPFP page.