Research Excellence Postdoctoral Fellows 2025/26

We are pleased to announce the recently launched Research Excellence Postdoctoral Fellows Program (REPFP) competition. Co-funded by UofT and DLSPH faculty PIs, the REPFP is a prestigious opportunity for early-career scholars. The program is designed for exceptional postdoctoral scholars eager to contribute to an innovative, vibrant and inclusive academic community that align with the DLSPH academic plan. DLSPH will award up to 5 REPFP awards over the next 3 years. More details on the award, eligibility and selection criteria can be found here.

The structure of the award is as follows:

An annual salary of $80,000 per year for two years plus benefits
An additional $10,000 in funding is provided annually for independent research set up as an expense account or research allowance

Co-Funding Requirements
Total award is $104,600*/year including salary, benefits and research allowance consisting of:

Provided by the University: $62,760*/year for 2 years
Provided by the PI-supervisor: $41,840*/year (2025/26 rate) from existing research funding held at DLSPH

*Note: PIs will be responsible for any additional employer costs that may be applicable as a result of future Collective Agreements

DLSPH Supervisor Eligibility
DLSPH will prioritize applications from supervisors who are full-time faculty members and whose primary employer is UofT. Supervisors can nominate a maximum of 2 candidates.

Important Dates

DLSPH Notice of Intent to Apply: 4:00 pm on Thursday, January 15, 2026
1. Complete this short form with the name of the prospective applicant and supervisor.
Complete Application Package:  4:00 pm on Monday, February 2, 2026
1. Submit all required components as one PDF file via this DLSPH submission form.

The submission should include:

A supervisor statement  from the faculty supervisor (Max two pages)
Research proposal from the nominee (Max two pages plus up to two additional pages for references/citations)
Training statement from the nominee (Max one page)
Nominee’s C.V. (Any format, no page restriction)
Description of the candidate’s research alignment with the DLSPH Academic plan (Max 1/2 page)
Description of the candidate’s considerations regarding inclusivity, diversity, equity, and/or accessibility in their proposed research program and approach to research (Max 1/2 page)

NOTE: This is the same information required for the DLSPH Canada Research Impact+ Postdoctoral Fellowship competition. Candidates who are interested in applying to both should indicate their interest on the joint submission form (noting the differences in eligibility requirements).

FAQ

What should the research proposal include?

The independent research proposal should clearly articulate how the proposed work represents a significant departure from or advancement beyond the candidate’s doctoral research. The proposal should also outline the anticipated long-term impact of the research, including how it contributes to the field and aligns with U of T’s strategic research priorities.

What should the training statement include?

The statement should describe:

Their professional, academic, and extracurricular experiences/achievements and how these contribute to their learning success and ability to develop and implement an independent research plan (1/2 page); and

How the learning they expect to acquire will contribute to their productivity and to the research goals they hope to achieve. Indicate why they decided upon the proposed learning location and what they expect to learn from the learning experience (1/2 page).

What should the supervisor statement include?

The statement should:

Describe the complementarity between the research interests/background of the supervisor and candidate, how the proposed research complements the supervisor’s ongoing projects and/or new research directions, and the anticipated mutual benefits; this includes how the collaboration will support the candidate’s transition to research independence and long-term career success.

Reveal information specific to the field of study (e.g., benchmarks of excellence, publication norms/standards/practices, impact factor of research contributions) that would otherwise not be known outside the discipline.

Provide details regarding the candidate’s proposed research environment, clearly stating the supervisor’s and graduate unit’s commitment. Examples of commitment include (but are not limited to) mentorship, opportunities for collaboration, dissemination, and/or knowledge translation, resources (e.g., funding, facilities, personnel) that will be available to support the candidate as they carry out their proposed research; and how these resources will enable the candidate to establish a sustainable, independent research program.

Illustrate the supervisor’s commitment to the applicant’s academic and professional trajectory and development of an independent research program, clearly indicating the resources and/or mentoring activities that are available through the learning environment to support career development.

Is there any flexibility regarding the start date of the fellowship?

The fellowship must start between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027. Deferrals (up to six months) may be permitted.

If the applicant currently holds a postdoctoral fellowship from another source, would they be eligible?

Yes, the guidelines state that the candidate should “not have previously engaged in more than one postdoctoral appointment” so as long as they’ve completed only one by the time the REPF begins, they would meet this criteria.

Are faculty members who hold a DLSPH status appointment eligible to supervise an applicant?

Yes, status faculty are still eligible but the review committee will consider applications from full-time faculty members first. Also, the candidate must “be engaged as or seeking a position as a postdoctoral employee of the University of Toronto (teaching hospital postdocs are not employees of the university)” so the work must be done at U of T.

What are the evaluation criteria?

Applications will be reviewed and scored using the following criteria, weighted equally:

Research or Scholarship Proposal	Does the candidate outline their considerations regarding inclusivity, diversity, equity, and/or accessibility in their proposed research program and approach to research? Does the candidate make a strong case for how their research aligns with the DLSPH Academic plan? 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 UofT’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?