Postdoctoral Fellows

Postdoctoral Fellow (PDF): an individual in training who has completed a doctoral degree within the last 5 years and is engaged in research and training at the University under the supervision of a faculty member. The time period may be extended by circumstances requiring an interruption in a research career (e.g. maternity/parental/adoptive leave). Requesting an appointment of a PDF prior to completing a doctoral degree will only occur in exceptional cases and require the PDF to demonstrate their plan to complete all degree requirements within a reasonable time period (less than six months) and that the guidelines of the funding agency permit such appointments.

Faculty Sponsor: a member of faculty responsible for supervising a Postdoctoral Fellow during the duration of the appointment. The Faculty Sponsor must have an academic appointment under the UWFA-RAS collective agreement.

Below are the steps to hiring a Postdoctoral Fellow:

1. After contacting your Human Resources Consultant, complete the Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment Request Form below by placing an (X) in the appropriate boxes and filling in the blanks. Please ensure you are using the current form to date.
2. Forward the completed form, CV, and award/authorization letters (if applicable) to your Chair and Dean to obtain signature approval.
3. Once the signatures have been obtained, please attach CV and all applicable documents to the form, and forward to the office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation for final approval and a Letter of Invitation to be issued.

NOTE: The Letter of Invitation is not an offer of employment.  The Letter of Invitation will be used by Human Resources to issue the official letter offer.

• Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment Request Form (Revised: October 31, 2024)

All questions related to hiring an international Postdoctoral Fellow should be directed to:

Kareem Alkhaldi
Immigration Consultant, Human Resources
204.988.7672
immigration@uwinnipeg.ca

Faculty Sponsors will advise their Chair of their intent to hire a PDF, outlining any requirements for departmental and/or institutional resources (e.g., space, equipment and access to facilities). The Dean shall advise the Vice-President Research and Innovation (VPRI) of the pending appointment and that Departmental or other resources are in place. The VPRI will issue the formal Letter of Invitation to the PDF. A Letter of Invitation is not an employment offer. The Letter of Invitation will welcome the candidate to the University of Winnipeg and instruct them to work with Human Resources on the final offer letter.

In cases where a Faculty Sponsor wishes to advertise a PDF in an open competition, they shall follow University of Winnipeg hiring procedures and policies, and work with a Human Resources Consultant.

The length of a Postdoctoral Fellow (PDF) appointment is normally not less than one year and not longer than three. Appointments exceeding three years will require renewal. For appointments less than one year, a rationale for not considering a Research Associate or Senior Research Associate will be required. Appointments under twelve months may be considered in cases where funding from a funding agency stipulates shorter durations.

PDF appointments are expected to be full time and based on 35-hour work week.

A formal request for a Renewal of an Appointment is required by the Faculty Sponsor. The Faculty Sponsor must provide written justification to the Dean and Vice-President Research and Innovation (VPRI) requesting an extension, citing the reasons and that funding is available. Normally, not more than one extension will be granted. Human Resources and Payroll will be notified by the VPRI on the extension and any financial implications of the extension.

Prior to requesting a PDF at the University of Winnipeg, please contact your Human Resources Consultant to discuss salary and benefits option for the appointment.

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) announced that postdoctoral fellows holding awards in Canada will be paid through their Canadian host institutions after April 1, 2022.

This means that all Tri-Agency postdoctoral fellows will hold Postdoctoral Fellowship appointments and will be deemed as UW employees.

As employees, Postdoctoral Fellows are entitled to benefits:

Costs:

• MERCS + benefits (with paid vacation days) = 16%
• MERCS + benefits + pension (with paid vacation days) = 22%

MERCS (Mandatory Employment Related Costs, i.e.; CPP, EI, Payroll Tax):  10%

Full-time appointments of 8+ months are eligible for benefits (excluding pension). Appointments 2 years and over are also eligible for pension.

Supervisors and the Postdoctoral applicants must discuss prior to the application submission about benefits to determine whether the researcher will cover the benefits through another grant or other eligible funds.

Please note that in an email from the Tri-Agencies to the Postdoctoral Administrator Liaisons, it stated that “no portion of the fellowship can be withheld by a host institution without prior consent of the award holder, except for taxation purposes”.

Call for Proposals: Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024

Internal Deadline: Tuesday August 6th, 2024 - DEADLINE EXTENDED FROM AUGUST 1st

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program provides funding to the very best postdoctoral applicants, both nationally and internationally, who will positively contribute to the Canada's economic, social, and research-based growth. The fellowship provides $70,000 (taxable) per year for two years (non-renewable).

The program is open to both Canadian and international researchers who have recently completed a PhD, PhD- equivalent, or health professional degree: 

• between September 15, 2021 and September 30, 2025 (inclusively), and
• before the start date of their award.

Applicants who have not fulfilled all requirements for their degree at the time of application must submit proof no later than October 15, 2025.

For applicants who have completed more than one PhD, PhD-equivalent or health professional degree, the eligibility window applies to the most recent of these degrees.

Applications must be completed in full collaboration with the proposed host institution.
For the 2024-25 competition, The University of Winnipeg will be supporting 2 proposals, which will be selected by The Research Nomination Committee.  For the internal competition we are asking applicants to provide the following information:

• 4-page Max. Research Proposal (as per the full Banting PDF instructions)
• 4 page Max. Bibliography 
• 1-4-page Supervisor Support Letter
• Complete Banting PDF CCV

Ensure attached documents meet presentation standards (https://banting.fellowships-bourses.gc.ca/en/app-dem_guide.html#g14) 

We also encourage applicants and their supervisors to view the Banting 2024 Selection criteria. This is the criteria that the Research Nomination Committee will use when assessing applications for the internal competition.

These items must be emailed to d.jones@uwinnipeg.ca by 5pm Tuesday, August 6th, 2024.

The external application deadline is Sept. 17, 2024 at 20:00 EDT.

Please note that since April 2022, all Tri-Agency postdoctoral fellows that hold Postdoctoral Fellowship appointments will be deemed as University of Winnipeg employees. Supervisors and the Postdoctoral applicants must discuss prior to the application submission to determine whether the researcher will cover the mandatory employment related costs (i.e.: CPP, EI, Payroll Tax) + benefits (with paid vacation days) + pension (if applicable) through another grant or other eligible funds.

For more information on the program and guidelines for completing the application, please visit the Banting website.

SSHRC Exchange Grant (for SSHRC PDFs only)

The University of Winnipeg has received institutional funding from SSHRC to support an internal grant for UW Postdoctoral Fellows in the Social Sciences and Humanities. The SSHRC Exchange/Explore Grant will provide funding opportunities for UWinnipeg PDFs to support their career development while working and training with a UW supervisor. See the Funding Opportunities–Internal Research Grants page for more information on deadlines and WebGrants for the application form.

The UWinnipeg Postdoctoral Fellow Services Guide has been created to assist you with getting the most out of your experience at The University of Winnipeg.

If you have any questions, please consult with the contacts listed in the booklet, or with your faculty sponsor and / or department assistant.

If there are any sections in this handbook requiring updates or clarification, please contact Dylan Jones (researchoffice@uwinnipeg.ca) or 204.258.3065 in the Office of the VP, Research and Innovation.