Overview

Postdoctoral scholars have a unique role within the U of T research ecosystem. While their needs are clearly distinct from those of graduate students, they can still benefit from accessing some of the same resources. And they can certainly benefit from an understanding of all the places that can provide them with support. Across campuses, faculties, hospitals, centres, and strategic initiatives, many people are charged with assisting postdoctoral scholars to make the most of their time here.   

To learn more about the professional development landscape at U of T and support available to U of T postdocs, please explore the resources below.

Professional Development Strands

In order to facilitate individual development planning, CGPD has organized professional development into four strands: Research, Communication, Leadership & Collaboration, and Career Planning. These four strands are designed to help graduate students understand and plan the activities that will support their professional development. Although the needs of postdocs are different, it can still be helpful to investigate the programming organized around those four strands.

5 Minute Research Talks (5MRT)

Learning to explain your research to non-expert audiences is a key communication skill for researchers from all disciplines. The 5 Minute Research Talks program, hosted by McMaster University’s McCall MacBain Postdoctoral Fellows Teaching and Leadership Program, is an annual opportunity open to all postdocs at Canadian institutions. Postdoctoral scholars have five minutes to present their research to a generalist audience, at an event that celebrates the outstanding scholarship of Canadian postdocs, with the possibility to win great prizes and reach a wider audience than traditional scholarly publication. SGS provides assistance with travel expenses to the in-person event, which takes place at McMaster University, for postdocs registered with U of T. Email us at cgpd@utoronto.ca for more information about travel expense reimbursement.