PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS and POSTDOCS

There are over 600 students performing research for their Master’s and Doctoral degrees at UHN. These students undergo research projects supervised by UHN Scientists and are affiliated with academic institutions which administer their degree programs.

Most UHN graduate students are in programs at the University of Toronto (U of T), as the majority of UHN Principal Investigators (PIs) are affiliated with U of T. UHN PIs and graduate students are also affiliated with other Ontario universities such as Toronto Metropolitan University, York University and the University of Waterloo. Graduate students from international institutions can also perform research at UHN for their degrees through scholarships, internships, and partnerships.

Individuals interested in pursuing their graduate research at UHN will need to identify a supervisor and apply to a graduate program at a degree-granting institution. There are two main approaches through which prospective graduate students find positions at UHN.

1) Identify a UHN Supervisor. Prospective students can explore the list of UHN Scientists to identify supervisors of interest. Scientists can be searched by research institute, research area, or by name. Students are encouraged to contact scientists directly to inquire about graduate student positions. Once a prospective student has found a UHN scientist to supervise them, they are required to apply to the university graduate department the scientist is affiliated with.

2) Identify a Graduate Program. Prospective students can identify university graduate departments of interest and explore the affiliated graduate faculty. Each department has different requirements, applications, deadlines, and guidelines for finding supervisors.

Some of the most common graduate programs that UHN graduate students are affiliated with at U of are: Department of Immunology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Psychology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Medical Sciences, Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Medical Biophysics, and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute.

There are over 300 postdoctoral researchers at UHN who come from around the world to train under the guidance and mentorship of a UHN Scientist. Postdoctoral training is available at both the post-PhD and post-MD level.

Individuals interested in postdoctoral researcher opportunities at UHN are encouraged to explore this list of UHN Scientists, searching by research institute, research area, or by name, to identify scientists with shared research interests. Prospective postdoctoral researchers are also encouraged to interact with UHN scientists at conferences, events, and through collaborations. Prospective postdoctoral researchers can contact potential supervisors directly by email, including their CV and expression of interest.

Some postdoctoral researcher opportunities at UHN are also posted on the UHN Careers webpage. Prospective postdoctoral researchers can explore current opportunities and create job and career alerts for positions of interest. Selected opportunities from the UHN Careers webpage are highlighted below.

Undergraduate students can perform research at UHN throughout the year through co-op programs, thesis projects, research positions for academic credit or traineeship or by becoming research volunteers. These positions can provide undergraduate students with valuable research experience and skills.

Undergraduate students can also participate in summer research programs. For more information on UHN summer research opportunities, visit the UHN Summer Training and Research program website.

The number of available positions for co-op work terms, thesis projects and research volunteers can vary. Interested undergraduate students can explore the list of UHN Scientists, searching by institute, research area, or name, and identify labs they are interested in working in.

Students are encouraged to contact potential supervisors directly, expressing interest in temporarily joining their lab. It is encouraged that students include a CV and a statement of why they are interested in working in that research lab.

For non-research volunteer opportunities at UHN, please refer to the steps and instructions found on UHN’s Volunteers page.

Students can obtain meaningful training and experience through a temporary summer position working with a UHN Scientists. Summer positions are available to individuals completing their undergraduate degrees, medical degrees, or individuals in graduate programs with internships or summer work programs.

Summer student positions are often 12- or 16-week opportunities during May to August. Start dates and length of positions can vary depending on the agreement between supervisors and students.