IVADO Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 2026 at University of Laval

IVADO is seeking outstanding national and international postdoctoral researchers. These IVADO postdoctoral researchers will contribute to advancing the IAR³ initiative, New Paradigms for Robust, Reasoning, and Responsible Artificial Intelligence and its Adoption , funded by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund . This prestigious funding program brings together individuals who will make significant contributions to the advancement of IAR³ and will offer a unique springboard for their careers.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineNovember 23, 2025
• Value$100,000
• Study LevelPostdoctoral Fellowships
• SponsorUniversity of Laval
• City to studyQuebec
• School to studyUniversity of Laval
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

The annual funding amount is $100,000. This includes:

• $80,000 salary/year for the postdoctoral fellow (including benefits) distributed as follows:
  • $60,000 funded by IVADO;
  • $20,000 funded by an eligible supervisor (see the "Eligibility Criteria" section). Note that depending on the availability of funds and compliance with the applicable salary scales at the intern's affiliated universities, the supervisor may decide to offer salary support exceeding $20,000.
• $20,000 in research funding/year (e.g., student salaries, travel and living expenses) funded by IVADO.

Requirements

For the postdoctoral candidate 

The candidate must register for a postdoctoral program at one of the following five universities: HEC Montréal, McGill University, Polytechnique Montréal, Université de Montréal, or Université Laval. The postdoctoral fellow must be in Quebec for the entire duration of the funding; leave and travel for scientific activities must be approved by the supervisor, and trips of atypical duration (several weeks) must be discussed with IVADO.

The candidate:

• Must have obtained their doctorate less than three years before the start of IVADO funding (see Calendar section); or
• Expected to obtain it by the start of IVADO funding (see Calendar section);
• Must retain postdoctoral status for the entire duration of the funding (2 years).

Career breaks and other special circumstances will be taken into account when calculating eligibility, provided they are clearly explained (e.g., parental leave, sick leave) in the application. The dates of any delays or interruptions must be provided.

Applications from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged.

Applications from a variety of disciplines, including the social sciences and humanities, are strongly encouraged.

Applications from candidates with primary doctoral affiliations outside of Quebec are strongly encouraged.

International award recipients must obtain the appropriate permits (e.g., a work permit) for the duration of their stay in Quebec.

For the supervisor or potential supervisor  

The supervisor:

• Must be a regular faculty member of HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal, Université de Montréal, Université Laval or McGill University;
• Must hold one of the following eligible positions: assistant professor, associate professor, full professor;
• Must not have been the thesis director, co-director or co-director of the candidate;
• Must not be or have been the candidate's supervisor, co-supervisor or co-supervisor if he or she is already in postdoctoral studies;
• Must be affiliated with one of IVADO's academic members , or be a professor at one of its 5 partner universities and significantly involved in the IAR³ initiative.

Please note that if the same supervisor supports multiple candidates in this edition of the competition, only one funding grant will be awarded per supervisor. In other words, the same supervisors may be funded from one year to the next, but only one grant will be awarded per supervisor, per year.

Application Deadline

November 23, 2025

How To Apply

Are you qualified and interested in this opportunity? Kindly go to University of Laval on limesurvey.umontreal.ca to apply

The application file must include:

• The online registration form , including a description of your postdoctoral project (maximum two pages; references can be listed on a third page);
• A funding plan that explains how you intend to use the $20,000/year in research funds (e.g., hiring students, purchasing equipment, inviting colleagues or traveling, etc.), in the format of your choice;
• Your CV (free format);
• Your official doctoral transcripts (please explain the grading scale in the case of non-Canadian universities);
• Two letters of recommendation;
• A list of a maximum of 3 potential eligible supervisors;
• Optional: You may also include (in addition to the two letters of recommendation) a letter of support from an eligible supervisor, if that person has already agreed to support your application and provide you with the $20,000 annual salary supplement. The same person cannot write both a letter of recommendation and a letter of support.

Each letter of recommendation must be sent to us by its author at [email protected] , from their institutional email address, with the subject line "Postdoc Letter 2026 [Candidate Name]", attached as a PDF.

Your letter of support (if your application includes one) must clearly state that the supervisor in question is committed to providing you with $20,000 in additional salary per year for 2 years.

Important : Letters of recommendation must be sent to us by their authors before the competition closing time . If we have not received all your letters by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on November 23, 2025, your application will be considered incomplete and you will be ineligible for the program.

Applications can be submitted in English or French.

For more information, kindly visit University of Montreal scholarship webpage.