Aspiration Post-doctoral Fellowships
The Vice-President Research and Innovation provides competitive match-funding for faculty to recruit outstanding new post-doctoral fellows to conduct cutting-edge research at the University of Victoria. This investment advances our world-class training and commitments to develop the next generation of research leaders.
Aspiration Post-doctoral Fellowships provide two years of critical salary support, research training, and recognition for outstanding post-doctoral fellows. These fellowships are intended to recruit post-doctoral fellows new to the University of Victoria.
In the 2025-26 competition, four fellowships will be awarded in a competitive process. Proposed research may be in any area. Proposals will be evaluated in part on their ability to make an impact through fundamental inquiry in alignment with Aspiration 2030’s impact areas. The five impact areas are: climate, environmental change and sustainability, health and wellness, indigenous-led scholarship, social justice and equity, and technology and the human experience. Proposed research that has the potential to raise the external profile of the university in high impact areas will be prioritized. Post-doctoral candidates must demonstrate how they will advance Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in their research and discipline.
The 2025–2026 competition will also introduce the Aspiration Post-doctoral Fellowships in BC Biodiversity Conservation. These fellowships will be awarded to candidates whose proposed research advances understanding of BC biodiversity conservation, with a preference for research that centres on or considers the impacts of climate change. One or two of these fellowships will be awarded in addition to the four other Aspiration Fellowships.
About Aspiration 2030
The Aspiration Post-doctoral Fellowship program is an initiative of Aspiration 2030, UVic’s Research and Creative Works Strategy, which identifies the university’s research aspirations, actions, outcomes and impact areas. UVic’s vision is creating a better world through curiosity, engagement and innovation. The aspirations and actions outlined in Aspiration 2030 reflect the university’s unwavering institutional commitment to research and creative work in all its forms.
Key information
Salary
Eligibility
Candidates must be new to UVic and have received their PhD by the start date of the fellowship, but not more than two years prior to the application deadline, barring special circumstances. There is no citizenship requirement. The proposed research may be in any area.
Duration
Help
For the 2025–2026 competition:
Number of fellowships
Application deadline
Start date
Results
How to apply
Applications must be submitted using the online . In addition to the questions in the form, the application components consist of a candidate statement, a supervisor statement, a research proposal, a candidate CV, and a special circumstances document (if applicable). Candidates must also secure two letters of reference that must be sent directly to postdocadmin@uvic.ca.
Instructions for each application component are provided below. These instructions, as well as the eligibility requirements, conditions of the fellowship and information about adjudication are available as a pdf. All submitted documents must be on an 8.5 x 11-inch size page with 12-point font text and a minimum of 2 cm margins on all sides.
The deadline for the 2025-2026 competition is Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 5pm Pacific.
Application checklist
- Confirm eligibility and review conditions
- Compile required documents into a single pdf to submit via the application form
- Candidate statement (1 page)
- Supervisor(s) statement (1 page)
- Research proposal (2 pages + references)
- Candidate CV (no page limit)
- Special circumstances (if applicable, 1 page)
- Request two letters of reference be sent to postdocadmin@uvic.ca
- Apply by completing the online