UBC Okanagan Postdoctoral Fellowship in Canada for Researchers 2026
Applicant criteria
- NationalityNo specific nationality required
- Age18 - 60
- GenderBoth
Opportunity criteria
- Opportunity FieldMedical Sciences, Science, Engineering and Architecture , Others
- Job locationCanada
- Deadline2026-11-23
Opportunity description
The University of British Columbia offers the UBC Okanagan Postdoctoral Fellowship in Canada to domestic and international postdoctoral researchers pursuing work in STEM or the arts, humanities and social sciences. The pre-application proposal is due November 23, 2026; applicants recommended by their proposed faculty must submit a full application by February 2, 2027.
About the UBC Okanagan Postdoctoral Fellowship
Up to two fellowships are awarded each year: one for research in STEM disciplines and one for research in the arts, humanities and/or social sciences. The fellowship is tenable only at the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus in Kelowna, British Columbia. It is worth $60,000 annually and runs for up to two years. The award is non-renewable, and second-year funding depends on confirmation of satisfactory performance through an annual report.
The fellowship must begin no earlier than May 1 of the competition year and no later than April 30 of the following year. It can be held only once in a lifetime. Recipients cannot hold it at the same time as a Tri-Agency postdoctoral research training award or the Killam Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. Applicants who currently hold or have held a major postdoctoral research training award can apply only if that funding officially ends on or before the UBC fellowship start date; ending another award early to apply is not permitted.
The College of Graduate Studies manages selection. Scholarly excellence and independent research account for 60% of the assessment. This includes research contributions, scholarships and awards, the duration of graduate studies in context, project completion, critical thinking, judgment, initiative, and resilience and flexibility in adjusting research plans. The proposed research project accounts for 40%. Reviewers consider its originality, merit, potential significance, clarity and feasibility, the relevance of the applicant’s experience and academic training, and the suitability of the proposed supervisor, facilities and academic support.
Applicants first submit a Pre-Application Proposal form. Those recommended by their proposed faculty are invited to submit a full application. The application guide, proposal form, timeline and instructions are available in the Additional Resources section of the official fellowship page. Researchers can also browse other postdoctoral and research fellowships and opportunities open to Arab applicants.
Who Should Apply
This fellowship is suited to researchers with a completed PhD who are ready to pursue an independent research project in one of the two supported disciplinary groupings at UBC Okanagan. Canadian citizens, Canadian permanent residents and international applicants are eligible, subject to the degree-completion rules and other restrictions. UBC PhD graduates and current or former UBC postdoctoral scholars must explain why they wish to remain at UBC in a Special Circumstances attachment.
Key Highlights
- Location: UBC Okanagan campus, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
- Up to two awards annually, covering STEM and arts, humanities and/or social sciences research.
- Annual value: $60,000.
- Duration: up to two years; second-year funding is conditional on satisfactory performance documented in an annual report.
- Pre-application proposal deadline: November 23, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. PCT.
- Full application deadline for selected applicants: February 2, 2027, at 5:00 p.m. PCT.
Benefits
- Annual fellowship value of $60,000.
- Funding for up to two years; second-year funding is contingent on satisfactory performance confirmed through an annual report.
Eligibility criteria
- Open to Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada and international applicants.
- Applicants must have fulfilled all PhD degree requirements before taking up the fellowship. Applicants who have not completed all requirements when they apply must provide proof of completion before the fellowship begins. Convocation is not considered a degree requirement.
- The PhD must have been received no more than five years before the fellowship start date. If an applicant has completed more than one PhD, the eligibility window applies to the most recent degree.
- The eligibility window may be extended by a cumulative maximum of three years for eligible career interruptions, and only for the duration of those interruptions. Examples include parental leave, illness, health-related family responsibilities, mandatory military service, war, civil conflict or natural disasters in the country of residence, socioeconomic reasons, and lack of research opportunities. Applicants must justify eligible interruptions in the Special Circumstances attachment. A career interruption means a period when research activity, whether full-time or part-time, was completely interrupted.
- UBC PhD graduates and current or former UBC postdoctoral scholars must provide a compelling rationale for remaining at UBC in the Special Circumstances attachment. Current UBC postdoctoral scholars must provide a stronger rationale the longer they have been at UBC. Acceptable reasons may include family obligations, health reasons such as proximity to health care, research with Indigenous communities in British Columbia, or community or cultural responsibilities.
- Applicants who currently hold or have held a major postdoctoral research training award, such as a Tri-Agency or Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship or a Michael Smith Research Trainee Award, may apply only if the award funding officially ends on or before the UBCOPF start date. Early termination of another award to apply is not allowed.
- Applicants must not hold a tenure-track or tenured faculty position and must not be on leave from such a position.
- Applicants may submit only one UBCOPF application per 12 months.
- The fellowship is tenable only at the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus, must begin between May 1 of the competition year and April 30 of the following year, is held for up to two years, cannot be held concurrently with a Tri-Agency postdoctoral research training award or the Killam Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, and can be held only once in a lifetime.
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UBC Okanagan Postdoctoral Fellowship in Canada for Researchers 2026