The competition at the Faculty of Information is closed. The final deadline was April 1.

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, which is a collaborative initiative between the University and its divisions, is designed to engage 100 exceptional postdoctoral fellows across the university over the next few years. Its goal is to attract the highest-quality researchers globally – top domestic and international emerging scholars who demonstrate exceptional promise in their fields and the potential to have positive impact at U of T.

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. This initiative 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. The program will support postdoctoral scholars eager to contribute to an innovative, vibrant and inclusive academic community.

This award is open to both domestic and international candidates.

Candidates must:

• have demonstrated academic excellence, proven capacity to conceptualize and execute independent research beyond their doctoral work, and evidence of intellectual leadership in their chosen field;
• expect to complete all doctoral degree requirements by the time the fellowship commences and normally be within five years from the completion of their degree;
• not be a current or former PhD student of the proposed supervisor (or co-supervisor, if applicable);
• not have previously engaged in more than one postdoctoral appointment; and
• must have applied to the REPFP only at the Faculty of Information (applications to multiple U of T divisions are not permitted).

Award recipients must:

• begin their Faculty of Information fellowship by January 2027;
• have completed all degree requirements prior to the start of the fellowship;
• be engaged as a postdoctoral employee of the University of Toronto (teaching hospital postdocs are not employees of the university);
• be hired by a U of T supervisor appointed to the Faculty of Information;
• register and remain registered with the Postdoctoral Office at the School of Graduate Studies (SGS);
• not concurrently hold another major fellowship;
• not hold a faculty position or be on leave from such position; and
• establish an Individual Development Plan (IDP) and submit it to the Postdoctoral Office at the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) within the first three months of the fellowship. The IDP should be reviewed annually and the revised copy sent to SGS.

Supervisors:

• must hold a primary (51%), full-time appointment with the Faculty of Information in a tenure stream or teaching stream (continuing) position;
• must hold a graduate faculty membership;
• cannot be the candidate’s current or former PhD supervisor;
• can endorse only one (1) candidate for adjudication with the Faculty of Information; and
• cannot be CLTA, graduate-only appointments, cross-appointments, adjunct appointments, or emeritus faculty.

Co-Supervisors:

If applicable, co-supervisors from the Faculty of Information or other U of T divisions are permitted, but they must also hold a full-time appointment in a tenure stream or teaching stream (continuing) position at the University of Toronto. The co-supervisor may not be the candidate’s current or former PhD supervisor.

The Faculty of Information is recruiting up to two postdoctoral fellows in the 2026 round. Each award will provide the full cost of a two-year postdoctoral salary and associated employer costs, plus an additional $10,000 in annual independent research funding.

The structure of each award is as follows:

• The postdoctoral employee is hired at the salary rate of $80,000 per year for two years; and
• An additional $10,000 in funding is provided annually for independent research.

This is a research-focused opportunity and does not include formal teaching as part of the fellowship.

Co-Funding Requirements for Supervisors/Co-Supervisors

The total award value is $104,600*/year, including salary, benefits (10.50%), PDF levy (7.75%), and the annual research funding. The fellowships will be cost-shared between the University of Toronto, the Faculty of Information, and supervisor/co-supervisor.

• $62,760/year (60%) provided through institutional support
• $20,920/year (20%) provided by the Faculty of Information
• $20,920/year (20%) provided by the supervisor/co-supervisor

The Faculty of Information will provide full divisional matching – University of Toronto (60%), Faculty of Information (40%) – for projects that address themes and topics related to galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM). If supervisors wish to be considered for this additional funding, they will be asked to describe in their Expression of Interest (EOI) how the planned work addresses these areas of scholarship.

*The total value may change due to annual salary increases and additional employer costs that may be applicable as a result of future collective agreements.

This competition is closed. There are no current openings

SUPERVISORS ONLY: Supervisor Expression of Interest, EOI (February 13, 2026, 11:59PM ET)

Prospective Faculty of Information supervisors must submit an EOI form that proposes a research direction for the proposed Fellowship. The project vision must align with the Faculty of Information’s Strategic Plan (2025-2029). It must seed a new or expanded opportunity that will not only benefit the faculty members’ research agenda but also catalyze new opportunities for our Faculty. Supervisors can submit only one (1) EOI.

EOI project descriptions will be posted on this page. Supervisors are expected to use these descriptions as guideposts for potential applicants, and candidates are expected to use these to initiate discussions with potential supervisors. If endorsed by the specific supervisor, candidates should also refer to these descriptions in their final application package.

CANDIDATES: Connecting with Eligible Supervisors (February to March)

Candidates interested in holding the fellowship at the Faculty of Information must work with a supervisor who submitted an EOI by the February 13 deadline. Candidates are invited to browse the available opportunities and then contact the listed supervisor—and co-supervisor, if applicable—to express interest in the project and discuss the possibility of collaborating on the final application.

Supervisors may request additional materials to help determine which applicant they will endorse for the full application deadline on April 1.

CANDIDATE–SUPERVISOR PAIRS: Final Application (April 1, 2026, 11:59PM ET)

Following the endorsement from an eligible faculty member, candidate–supervisor pairs must work together to complete the final application package. For an application to be considered complete for adjudication, the candidate must complete an eligibility form with basic information AND append the four application sections listed below as a single PDF file using naming convention of Last name_First name_REPFP2026.PDF).

The eligibility form and the proposal upload are available via a single Faculty of Information REPFP submission link.

Please contact research.ischool@utoronto.ca if you have any questions about the submission.

The four application sections to be uploaded as a single PDF file include the Supervisor Statement, Independent Research Proposal, Learning Statement, and the Candidate’s Curriculum Vitae (CV).

Divisions are responsible for adjudicating applications and selecting postdoctoral fellows for this program. Below are the selection criteria and scoring rubric that will be used to evaluate applicants and adjudicate the awards. Proposals will undergo a competitive, peer-review process by a multidisciplinary committee chaired by the Associate Dean, Research. The panel will have representatives from technical and social science/humanities fields.

If necessary, short-listed candidates may be invited for an interview during the selection process.

Selection Criteria	Description
Research or Scholarship Potential	• Has the candidate identified a promising independent research agenda? • Does the research plan demonstrate clear intellectual independence from the candidate’s doctoral work and supervisor’s existing research portfolio? • Are the ideas put forward in the research plan innovative and/or original? • Is the research plan relevant to the candidate’s research career objectives? • Does the research plan have the potential of significantly advancing our understanding of the area? • Does the research plan clearly identify areas of cross-disciplinary collaboration?
Applicant Track Record	• Academic and research training received by the candidate • Awards or acknowledgments of academic achievement • Scholarly activity as relevant to discipline (e.g., publications, chapters, presentations, community-engaged work, public scholarship, creative practice and related scholarly activity) • Research accomplished to date – has the candidate started to demonstrate independence and originality? Contributions to team research? • Quality of candidate’s training, mentorship, and supervisory activities
Scholarly Potential	• Scholarly potential in the field can be demonstrated through the candidate’s engagement as a mentor, their ability to manage research, to contribute novel ideas to their research program, to make decisions that are crucial to the success of a research program, to lead cross-disciplinary and collaborative research, and to have excellent working relationships with those around them, etc. • Will the candidate make meaningful contributions while a postdoctoral fellow at the U of T? Will the postdoctoral fellow be launched into a meaningful career trajectory? • Does the research or scholarship plan provide evidence of the candidate’s leadership in the design and conduct of the proposed research?
Feasibility & Potential for Impact	• How might the proposed research advance U of T’s/Faculty of Information’s excellence in the area over the longer term? • Has the supervisor demonstrated support for the scholarly development of the candidate and their independent research program? • What institutional arrangements or structures will be in place to support the candidate’s development of an independent scholarly program? • What space, operating funds, infrastructure and/or other resources will be available to the candidate and how will these supports set the research program up for success? • Does the graduate unit or supervisor demonstrate leadership in the candidate’s chosen field? • How will the candidate be set up for career success beyond the period of the fellowship?

Descriptor	Scoring Range	Definition
Outstanding	4.5-4.9	• The application excels in most or all relevant aspects. Any shortcomings are minimal. • The application is innovative, fills an important critical gap in knowledge, has very few flaws, and the candidate (with support of supervisor/team) is well poised to perform the independent research program and have a very productive track record. • There is strong evidence of institutional support, including infrastructure, mentorship, and career development opportunities that will enable long-term impact and success beyond the fellowship.
Excellent	4.0-4.4	• The application excels in many relevant aspects and reasonably addresses all others. Certain improvements are possible. • The application is very interesting, makes important advances, the candidate (with support of supervisor/team) is excellent, but there are some minor limitations that need to be addressed or a clear description of impact is missing. • Institutional support is evident but may lack detail or long-term planning.
Good	3.5-3.9	• The application excels in some relevant aspects and reasonably addresses all others. Some improvements are necessary. • The application is compelling, but has limited scope or impact, is not structured as an independent research program, and/or raised some concerns about the feasibility of the candidate and/or team. • Support structures are present but may not be sufficient to ensure long-term success or independence.
Fair	3.0-3.4	• The application broadly addresses relevant aspects. Major revisions are required. • Institutional support is unclear or insufficiently described. • The application has merits but also has many limitations. Fellowship will not be awarded.
Poor	0.0-2.9	• The application fails to provide convincing information and/or has serious inherent flaws or gaps. • There is little to no evidence of institutional support or planning for long-term impact. • The application has significant flaws and is not ready to be funded. Fellowship will not be awarded.

Applicants will be notified of the results by July.

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 REPFP page.