Welcome Postdoctoral Fellows!

Welcome to the Department!  We hope your postdoc journey with us is enjoyable and successful!  

The Biochemistry Department at U of T has over 60 associated research groups, spread over different research centres on the St. George Campus, Mississauga Campus, and in our affiliated Hospital Institutes. As Postdocs build their own research portfolios, they play important roles in supporting Faculty, training Graduate and Undergraduate students, and keeping things moving in our labs. There is a reason U of T is recognized as an incredible player in medical sciences research, and you are part of our story. Thank you!

If your contract is through U of T itself, you'll start by checking in at the Departmental Office with the Departmental Business Officer for onboarding. Please ensure you check in about the specific type of contract as there are some differences between employee and trainee postdoc categories. The School of Graduate Studies Postdoctoral Office has helpful pages on understanding your contract and understanding university policies and standards. If your contract is through one of our Affiliated Hospitals, contact your PI for information about onboarding at your local site. However, you are still a Member of our Department and will still have access to many U of T resources!

Whether you are located on or off campus, we have a Biochemistry Postdoctoral Association, with monthly socials hosted in MaRS on the last Wednesday of the month, and quarterly professional development events. We would love to meet you and help support your time any way we can. In order to get to know you a bit better and ensure you're included in selected resources, we ask all postdocs to register and join our listserv here. You can also get in touch with us directly at ut.biochem.postdocs@gmail.com. The BPA is also in the process of developing a Handbook for Postdocs and would love to know of any particular information or resources that would be helpful to you, or what you find most useful to know as you onboard. While we develop our list, we also recommend reviewing the Graduate Program Helpful Links and Health Wellness and Community pages as many services are also available to Postdocs. The SGS Postdoctoral Office and Temerty Faculty of Medicine Postdoc Pages also provide specialized resources, training, and awards for Postdocs.

During the Fall - Winter academic term, the department has weekly seminars on Wednesdays at noon. These are currently hybrid with both an in-person seminar usually in the Medical Sciences Building or at Sick Kids, and a Zoom option. The seminars are usually given by Graduate Students or Postdoctoral fellows – if you would like to give a seminar, contact Carrie Harber, who organizes the schedule for the year. George Connell Lectures are given several times a year by an invited speaker. Postdocs are welcome to sign up to invite and host a Connell speaker. 

In the fall, the Department usually has an Annual Research Day and Retreat, with a day of talks and posters from faculty and trainees (all graduate students and all categories of postdocs). Postdocs are welcome to join the organizing committee. 

The Benjamin Schachter Memorial Lecture is an annual event where alumni from the department who have gone on to careers in industry are invited back to speak. Postdocs are welcome to attend and to be part of the organizing committee for the event. 

In addition to events organized by the Biochemistry Postdoctoral Association, the Biochemistry Graduate Student Union (BGSU) often hosts events for the Graduate Students where Postdocs are also invited to join, including professional development events and the Annual Holiday Party in December.  

The Biochemistry department has several groups Postdocs can be part of, these include WIDE (the wellness, inclusion, diversity, and equity committee), the Transcripts blog (scientific musings by Biochemistry trainees for a public audience), and the Peer Communications Team (peer feedback on scientific presentations for trainees).