Prospective post-doctoral fellows

As a post-doctoral fellow (PDF) at the University of Victoria, you'll be engaged in building the future in a dynamic and diverse community of scholars. You'll have opportunities to develop your research and possibly your teaching skills, and collaborate with other outstanding researchers and teachers, in an innovative, supportive and collegial environment.

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How do I become a post-doctoral fellow?

Typically, a postdoctoral fellow needs to have completed a PhD from a recognized university, and start the fellowship no more than four years from completion of the doctorate.

A post-doctoral fellow (PDF) means a person who holds a post-doctoral fellowship at the university. In general, PDFs are either:  

• grant funded, meaning they are paid from their supervisor’s grants, and are employed by their PDF supervisor, or
• externally funded, meaning they receive PDF funding from an external organization through a competitive process, and have an appointment at the university through a PDF supervisor. 

If you have recently completed or are near completion of a PhD, you may want to contact UVic faculty members to discuss your interests and see if they have any PDF positions available through their grant funding. You should also consider seeking your own funding from an external organization that funds post-doctoral fellowships, such as CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC, among others. Generally, application deadlines for such competitions are in the early fall, results are announced the following spring, and the recipients are eligible to access funds shortly after formal announcement of the results.  

If you are not a Canadian or a permanent resident of Canada, you will need to apply for a work permit and/or visa, to enable you to come to Canada for your postdoctoral fellowship. Obtaining these is your responsibility, and the process can take up to several months or more, depending on where you are from. Informatin can be found at Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Individuals interested in becoming PDFs at UVic are also advised to read the Post Doctoral Policy and Appointment Procedures. Together, the policy and procedures provide information on a wide range of issues, including: eligibility requirements for PDFs, process for appointment, and template Letters of Offer (with standard terms conditions), which all potential PDF's must receive.