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Dissertation & Postdoctoral Research Awards

Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program is intended to attract and retain top-tier postdoctoral talent, both nationally and internationally; develop their leadership potential; and position them for success as research leaders of tomorrow, positively contributing to Canada's economic, social, and research-based growth through a research-intensive career.

Seventy fellowships are awarded annually, divided evenly between Canada's three federal granting agencies (CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC). There is a total of 140 awards active at any one time.

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program is unique in its emphasis on the synergy of research goals and projects between the following:

  • applicant—individual merit and potential to launch a successful research-intensive career
  • host institution—commitment to the research program and alignment with the institution's strategic priorities

CAGS/ProQuest-UMI Distinguished Dissertation Awards

The CAGS/ProQuest-UMI Distinguished Dissertation Awards annually offer two awards:

  • One for engineering, medical sciences, and natural sciences
  • One for fine arts, humanities, and social sciences

The awards are granted by the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS) and are sponsored by Proquest-UMI (University Microfilms International).​

CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards

The CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards recognize Canadian doctoral dissertations that represent original work, making an unusually significant contribution to their disciplines. Two awards are given annually in rotating fields of study. Both methodological and substantive quality of the dissertation will be judged.

China Scholarship Council Scholarships

The China Scholarship Council (CSC) is a non-profit institution affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education. In partnership with the University of Toronto, the CSC offers scholarships to outstanding Chinese students who will pursue postdoctoral studies at U of T.

Please note that the CSC postdoctoral award (approx. CDN $15,000 per year) does not meet the U of T policy regarding stipend levels for postdoctoral fellows. Postdocs who obtain a CSC scholarship will be required to obtain another award or to investigate top-up funding with their U of T supervisor.

Governor General's Gold Medals

The Office of the Governor General annually offers gold medals to honour academic excellence at the graduate level. Three gold medals are available at the University of Toronto.

One medal will be awarded to a candidate from Division I or II; one medal will be awarded to a candidate from Division III or IV; the third medal will be awarded to an outstanding candidate from any division. All nominees will be invited to attend the awards ceremony in May, hosted by the Dean, Graduate Studies and Vice-Provost, Graduate Research and Education. The winners will be announced and presented with the medals at this ceremony.

John Charles Polanyi Prizes

To honour the achievement of John Charles Polanyi, recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Ontario Government established a fund to provide John Charles Polanyi Prizes annually to up to five outstanding researchers or scholars who are in the early stages of their career and at Ontario universities. The prizes is currently valued at $20,000 each. They are available in the areas of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Economic Science, broadly defined.