Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Toronto: 2027 start
The Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Toronto pays $85,000 CDN a year for two years. Apply by October 5, 2026.
The Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Toronto is taking applications for fellows who start in 2027. It is a program of Schmidt Sciences. It funds scientists with a PhD in the natural sciences or engineering who want to apply artificial intelligence to research in their own field.
The fellowship lasts two years. It pays $85,000 CDN a year in salary. The program adds a fixed $11,000 CDN a year toward benefits and the postdoctoral levy. Fellows also get modest extra money for conference travel and research training. Research costs such as consumables and field work are not covered; the host supervisors pay for those.
You need a natural sciences or engineering degree, and computer science and mathematics count. You must have finished your PhD no earlier than January 1, 2024. You need a supervisor at the University of Toronto. If that supervisor has no AI expertise, you also need a second supervisor who has it. Experience with AI is not required. International candidates must finish the PhD before they start. Projects in health and medical science are not eligible, and neither are projects whose main goal is to build new AI tools.
Send the application as one PDF by email to schmidtfutures@utoronto.ca. It includes the application form, a research proposal of up to three pages, a bibliography, an AI in Science training plan, a candidate statement, a page on leadership contributions and your CV. Your supervisor sends a separate assessment form together with two reference letters. You also fill in a short demographic survey.
The deadline is Monday, October 5, 2026 at 5 PM Eastern time. The committee meets in November 2026 and sends decisions in January 2027. Fellows start between May 1, 2027 and January 1, 2028. The committee scores the quality of the research at 35 percent and the strength of the candidate at 35 percent. The fit between applicant, supervisors and research setting counts for 20 percent, and the AI training plan for 10 percent. The program gives priority to new projects with a new supervisor.