Postdoctoral Fellowship Award Program

Supporting the next generation of researchers

Postdoctoral Fellowship Award Program information

The WCHRI Postdoctoral Fellowship Program supports outstanding postdoctoral candidates seeking training under the supervision of WCHRI academic members who will provide a training environment that specifically focuses on advancing women and/or children’s health. Successful candidates must demonstrate how this award will enable them to further their career goals in the area of women and/or children’s health. Awards are valued at up to $80,000. and funding is transferred over two years.

Applicant eligibility

All applications to WCHRI must be highly relevant to our relevance criteria in order to be eligible for funding. For this program, projects presenting with a focus on global health and/or breast cancer are not eligible.

Eligibility criteria is as follows:

  • Applicants must have a conferred PhD in keeping with UAPPOL Postdoctoral Fellows Policy and be within the first 36 months of their current postdoctoral training at the application access form deadline.
  • Applicants must be formally employed as a Postdoctoral Fellow, physically located at the University of Alberta, and actively engaged in doing the research that will be proposed in the application at the time the access form is submitted. 
    • Applicants may not hold or be on leave from any other academic position or appointment. 
  • Applicants must be under the direct, primary supervision of a WCHRI academic member. Where formal co-supervision applies, the co-supervisor must also be a WCHRI academic member.
  • Primary supervisors may only submit one application per competition cycle.
  • Applicants must present with a career development plan that fosters skill development specific to women and/or children’s health.
    • Career development mentors are not required to be University of Alberta faculty.

Program eligibility is established upon submission of the completed application access request and application forms.

Postdoctoral Fellowship Award Program call for applications

  • Applications involving global health or breast cancer research, or otherwise related to these areas, are not eligible for funding consideration. Global health or breast cancer may not be included in any aspect of the proposed research, including the population, setting, research focus, goal(s), or outcome.

In order to access the application form and support program requirements, the following applies:

  • The postdoctoral fellow is required to submit the WCHRI Postdoctoral Fellowship application access request form.
  • An application form link will be sent to the applicant (in one business day) when all application access requirements have been met.
  • Application form links are unique and specific to each applicant.
  • Postdoctoral fellows under the primary supervision of a WCHRI academic member are automatically WCHRI in-training members.
  • Letters of reference are confidential and will be solicited directly by WCHRI from the referee.
  • Submitted information is final and not subject to amendment. Late submissions, emailed material and/or supplemental information is not accepted.

A complete, current listing of all funding programs and deadlines is available on the WCHRI Research Grants page.

Program reference material

Information Session

WCHRI will hold a Grant Information Session on October 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m, to support applicants interested in this award opportunity.

Application and deadlines

The application is a two-step process:

1. Application Access Request Form.

  • The deadline for submission is October 30, 2026, at 4 p.m.

2. Application Form.

  • Access is provided based on the submission of the application access request form.
  • Letters of reference are confidential and will be solicited directly by WCHRI from the referee.
  • The deadline for submission is November 30, 2026, at 4 p.m.

Access the application form

Competition results

Please refer to the WCHRI Grants and Awards webpage for competition outcome timelines.

Application outcomes are final, and not subject to further consideration or appeal.

For further information

All Postdoctoral Fellows are to refer to the program information (including guidelines) and then refer questions to their supervisor(s) and/or mentor.

Supervisors that require program clarification are invited to contact WCHRI grants.