Postdoc Fellowships Program: NSERC

Postdoc Fellowships Program at the NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada)

The Postdoctoral Fellowships (PDF) Program provides support to a core of the most promising researchers at a pivotal time in their careers. The fellowships are also intended to secure a supply of highly qualified Canadians with leading edge scientific and research skills for Canadian industry, government and universities.

Eligibility Conditions

To be considered eligible for support, as of the deadline date of the year in which you apply, you must:

1. be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada;
2. hold or expect to hold a doctorate in one of the fields of research that NSERC supports.

Where can you hold your fellowship

You can hold your PDF at:

1. Canadian universities;
2. provincial research institutions in Canada;
3. other appropriate research laboratories in Canada;
4. universities and research institutions abroad.

In addition:

1. You may hold a PDF abroad only if you have received your doctorate from a Canadian university.
2. NSERC encourages PDF award holders to broaden their research experience by gaining exposure to different research environments.

3. You are not permitted to hold your fellowship at the same university (or its affiliated hospitals, research institutions, and other laboratories) where you received your doctorate.
4. You may not hold the PDF with your PhD supervisor, even if your supervisor changes research institutions.

Application Procedure

You can apply for a PDF by completing and submitting Form 201, and attaching supporting documents if necessary. Read the instructions on how to complete Form 201.

Application deadline

October 15. Incomplete applications will be rejected.

With the exception of personal contact information, NSERC will not accept any changes or updates to your application after it has been submitted. Personal contact information may be updated by sending an email to schol@nserc-crsng.gc.ca.

Selection criteria

NSERC scholarships and fellowships selection committees review all PDF applications. The selection committees are organized according to the broad discipline categories:

1. Civil, industrial and systems engineering
2. Chemical, biomedical and materials science engineering
3. Mechanical engineering
4. Electrical engineering
5. Computing sciences
6. Mathematical sciences
7. Physics and astronomy
8. Chemistry
9. Earth sciences
10. Evolution and ecology
11. Cellular and molecular biology
12. Plant and animal biology
13. Psychology