Postdoctoral Fellowships
Postdoctoral fellowships offer recent PhD graduates invaluable opportunities to further their professional development, deepen their research work and make a seamless transition from student to independent researcher.
Eligibility Requirements
The postdoctoral fellowship aims to welcome graduates who wish to work and contribute to research in the lab of a Mila professor.
Candidates applying for a postdoctoral fellowship at Mila must:
- be within five years of having graduated with a PhD or equivalent;
- have no active status or affiliation with any institution or organization;
- include all the required documents in their application to guarantee its validity;
- be invited by a Mila faculty member to carry out research in their lab;
- following the invitation, apply for the postdoctoral fellowship at the affiliated university of the professor with whom they will be working*.
*In Quebec, "postdoctorate" is a full-time student status and a trainee category, and the Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur (MES) stipulates that all postdocs must be registered in a university student registration system.
International Candidates
International trainees should check with Immigration and Citizenship Canada and the Canadian embassy in their country to find out whether they need a work permit for their research stay in Canada.
Important reminder
- It can take from 6 to 8 months to obtain a work permit.
- It is advisable to obtain confirmation that the work permit has been obtained before taking any steps to stay in Canada (buying plane tickets, renting accommodation, etc.).
Mila is not authorized to provide assistance in the process of applying for an entry permit to Canada. All questions concerning immigration procedures should be addressed to Immigration and Citizenship Canada.
Admission Process
Invitation from a Mila Professor
Once the application has been submitted, the professor/supervisor is responsible for selecting and sending invitations to potential postdocs to join their lab. Since postdoc opportunities can occur at any time throughout the year, there is no set date or defined timeline for receiving an invitation. Selection and invitations depend on the needs of the lab and the availability of professors, which can vary according to current or upcoming research projects. This flexibility allows potential candidates to receive invitations at different times of the year, depending on the opportunities available within Mila's research labs.
As an institution, Mila maintains affiliations with several universities across Quebec. For foreign candidates, or those from universities not affiliated with Mila, who wish to apply for the postdoctoral fellowship at Mila, it is necessary to register at their professor’s affiliated university in order to fulfill the requirements of the program.
This process enables candidates, regardless of their academic background, to access and benefit from the resources and opportunities offered by Mila by aligning themselves with the academic framework of their supervisor’s affiliated institution.
Required Documents
You will first need to create an account on the MyMila portal to access the application form and submit your request.
Make sure all your documents are ready before you start the application:
- An updated CV
- Letter of motivation
- PhD transcripts
- PDF document of relevant / selected work
- Sample code
- Two letters of recommendation*
*You can choose to upload your letters of recommendation OR enter the email addresses of your referees so that we can contact them. A confirmation email will be sent to you once we have received the letters of recommendation.
Mila is an inspiring research institute, a big machine learning lab full of bright students, professors and staff. The best thing of Mila to me is its people and the sense of community that we strive to create.
Alex Hernandez-Garcia, Postdoctoral Researcher, Université de Montréal