EEB POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWS
The EEB Department regularly hosts departmental postdoctoral fellows. These are scientists conducting innovative and exciting research in ecology and evolutionary biology. These postdoctoral fellows lead independent research programs but typically collaborate with one or more labs in the department.
EEB Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
The EEB Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at the University of Toronto is a prestigious opportunity for early-career researchers to develop and expand their expertise in ecology and evolutionary biology. Designed for scholars eager to engage in innovative, independent research, this fellowship fosters an environment of collaboration, mentorship, and academic excellence.
Why Join the EEB Postdoctoral Fellowship?
· Independent Research with Support Fellows will have the freedom to pursue novel and ambitious research projects while benefiting from collaboration with leading faculty in ecology and evolution. Each fellow receives an annual research allowance to support their work.
· World-Class Research Environment As a fellow, you become part of one of Canada’s top ecology and evolution research hubs, with access to cutting-edge laboratories, field stations, and computational resources. The department boasts strong links to the Royal Ontario Museum, the Centre for Global Change, and the School of the Environment. Additionally, fellows have access to the Koffler Scientific Reserve, a dedicated research site for field-based studies, and partnerships with Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources, providing long-term data sets and infrastructure at Algonquin Provincial Park.
· Community and Collaboration EEB Fellows are integral members of our vibrant and inclusive academic community, regularly engaging with faculty, graduate students, and fellow postdocs. Each fellow will organize a departmental workshop to share insights, foster discussion, and advance the field.
· We are now accepting applications for our Departmental Postdoctoral Fellowship. Interested candidates should follow the application process here.
· Competitive Salary and Benefits Annual Salary: $70,000 CAD plus comprehensive benefits, including childcare support, as outlined in the CUPE 3902 Unit 5 Collective Agreement. Renewable Term: Initial 12-month appointment, with the possibility of renewal based on research progress.
Current Recipients
2024-current
Name: Ben Pyenson
Research Interest: Cooperation enables independent units to live in more complex systems, like insect societies where labor is divided among individuals. Patterns that facilitate task specialization in a social environment may resemble those that facilitate the niche specialization that is common to many insects. To understand the evolution of cooperation and ecological specialization, I investigate how the nervous system facilitates task and resource preference in diverse insects, like ants, bees, and flies. Working with the Cutter, Freedman, Rodd, and Sztepanacz labs in EEB, I use genomics, sensory gene expression, and computational analysis of behavior to explore how the neural components of taste and smell mediate the decision to feed or lay eggs at a particular site.
Lab affiliation(s): Cutter, Freedman, Rodd, Sztepanacz
CV: Pyenson_CV_2025_EEB
Email: benjamin.pyenson@utoronto.ca
2024–current
Name: Kuangyi Xu
Research Interest: My broad research interest is to provide intuition to understand biological phenomena and make applicable predictions, by using mathematical modelling, computational simulations and data analyses. My research to date has focused on the evolution of reproductive systems and their genetic and ecological consequences, evolutionary rescue, sexual selection and flowering strategies.
Lab affiliation(s): Agrawal, Osmond, Wright
CV: CV
Email: kuangyi.xu@utoronto.ca
Past Recipients
The EEB fellowship was established in xxxx. Below is a historical listing of our past recipients and where they are now.
2022-2024
Name: Mark Hibbins
Lab affiliation(s): Wright
Website: https://mhibbins.github.io/
2021-2023
Name: Linyi Zhang
Lab affiliation(s): Weis
Website: https://zhanglabgwu.weebly.com/
2020 – 2021
Name: Ailene MacPherson
Lab affiliation(s): Wright
Website: https://amacp.github.io/
2019-2021
Name: Maxwell Farrell
Lab affiliation(s): Mideo
Website: https://farrell.glasgow.ac.uk/
2019-2021
Name: Joanna Rifkin
Lab affiliation(s): Barrett, Wright
Website: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=qUqof9kAAAAJ&hl=en
2018-2018
Name: Felipe Dargent
Lab affiliation(s): Jackson, Gilbert
2018-2020
Name: Charlie Loewen
Lab affiliation(s): Mideo, Gilbert
2018 – 2019
Name: Santiago Sanchez-Ramirez
Lab affiliation(s): Cutter
2017 – 2019
Name: Megan Greischar
Lab affiliations(s): Mideo, Rollinson
Website: https://blogs.cornell.edu/greischarlab/
2016 – 2018
Name: Corlett Wood
Lab affiliation(s) : Stinchcombe
Website: https://www.the-wood-lab.com/