The Postdoctoral Excellence Award is now open for application. The application deadline is April 1, 2026 at 4:30PM (CST).
Purpose
The University of Saskatchewan Postdoctoral Fellow (PDF) Excellence Award celebrates excellence in research, scholarly, and artistic work by postdoctoral fellows at the University, recognizing their critical role in advancing the University's mission.
Call for nominations
Opens for applications every winter.
- Value: $1000
- Number of Awards: Two awards, annually
Important dates
| Application opens | March 11, 2026 |
| Application deadline | April 1, 2026 |
| Application review and adjudication |
April 2026 |
| Applicants notified of results |
May 2026 |
| Formal recognition | National Postdoc Appreciation Week (Sept. 7 - 11, 2026) |
How to apply
- The applicant must have completed a PhD no earlier than five years prior to the time of application.
- The applicant must have been employed in a postdoctoral capacity at USask for more than 6 months at the time of application.
- Candidates may only receive this award once while at USask.
- Contributions to research or scholarly activities
- Quality of contributions and extent to which they advance the field of reserach (scholarly activities, publications, patents, reports, posters, conference presentations, creative outputs, etc.)
- Scholarships, awards, and distinctions granted during the postdoctoral appointment, including details on amount, duration, and prestige
- The applicant plays an active role in collaborative research activities
- Demonstrated leadership in research, mentorship, or PDF-related activities
- The applicant possesses relevant leadership training (academic, professional, experiential, traditional teachings, etc.)
- Professional, academic, and extracurricular engagement and collaboration with supervisors, colleagues, peers, students, and other members of the community
- Responsibility for directing people, and/or leading, organizing, and making decisions within a group, project, or event
- Originality, initiative, and autonomy
- Public outreach, engagement and/or service to a profession
- Contributions to professional organizations at and beyond USask
- Public outreach including industry, stakeholder, media, and public engagements
Submit the application package by April 1, 2026 at 4:30PM (CST).
Applicants will submit:
- A completed application form
- A brief curriculum vitae (2 pages maximum)
- A statement of significant achievements at USask (1 page maximum)
- Two letters of support:
- One letter from supervisor
- One letter from a mentor or department representative
Send the entire application package as a single PDF file to postdoctoral.studies@usask.ca.
Please direct all inquiries about the process to postdoctoral.studies@usask.ca.