Prospective post-doctoral fellows
As a post-doctoral fellow (PDF) at the University of Victoria, you'll build the future in a dynamic community of scholars. You'll have opportunities to develop your research and collaborate with other outstanding researchers.
Join us and work in an innovative, supportive and diverse environment.
What is a post-doctoral fellow?
A post-doctoral fellow (PDF) is someone who is pursuing their research after completing their doctorate. They conduct independent research, but must be supervised by a UVic faculty member. There are two appointment categories for PDFs at UVic:
- An Internal PDF is funded by a faculty member’s research grant. Internal PDFs are employees of the university.
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An Award Recipient PDF is funded primarily by their own external award. Award Recipient PDFs are not employees of the university, but are valued members of the university community.
A PDF needs to have completed a PhD from a recognized university. They must usually start their appointment no more than five years after they completed their PhD.
Become a PDF at UVic
If you’re interested in becoming a PDF, contact UVic faculty members to discuss your interests and see if they have any PDF positions available. It’s best to do this when you’ve recently completed or almost completed a PhD.
You may be able to apply for UVic's Aspiration Post-doctoral Fellowships. These fellowships are competitive match-funding for faculty to recruit new outstanding post-doctoral fellows to UVic.
You can also consider seeking your own funding from an external organization. You can look at the funding page for post-doctoral fellows to get an idea of what funding may be available. Funding agencies with post-doctoral awards include CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC, MITACS, and MSHRBC. You are also encouraged to search for your own research area specific funding.
International candidates
If you’re not a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, you’ll need to apply for a work permit and/or visa to come to Canada for your post-doctoral fellowship. Getting these is your responsibility. The process can take a long time, depending on where you are from. The UVic immigration website has more information, and you should also look at Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Policy & appointment procedures
If you’re interested in becoming a PDF at UVic, you may wish to look at UVic post-doctoral fellows website. You may also wish to read the University Post-Doctoral Fellows Policy and Appointment Procedures. This policy
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- defines the eligibility requirements for a PDF appointment at the university;
- distinguishes between an Internal and Award Recipient PDF;
- establishes the responsibilities of the faculty member as the supervisor and/or employer of a PDF;
- establishes the responsibilities of the PDF; and
- outlines the support provided by the university.
Contact us
If you have questions or need help, please contact us.