Job opportunity: Postdoctoral Fellows for PREPARED initiative

Applications are invited for 3 Postdoctoral Fellows to join the PREPARED (Pandemic Preparedness Engaging Primary Care and Emergency Departments) initiative, with an anticipated start date of January 2027. (Start date can be flexible.) One of the positions will be supported through the Canada Impact+ program, intended to recruit top international or returning Canadian talent.

PREPARED is a national research study focused on acute respiratory infections, surveillance, and pandemic preparedness across primary care and emergency department settings in Canada. PREPARED supports recruitment to clinical trials, such as TreatResp, and serves a platform to support Canadian biomanufacturing.

The postdoctoral fellows will contribute to several areas of research within PREPARED. Specific projects will be tailored to each candidate’s background, expertise, and interests and may include:

• Epidemiology of acute respiratory infections: Examining patterns of respiratory pathogens, patient characteristics, health service use, and clinical outcomes. Projects may use surveillance and electronic medical record data to identify and monitor acute respiratory infections and evaluate approaches for near-real-time surveillance.
• Microbiome research: Studying associations between the human microbiome and susceptibility to, severity of, and recovery from acute respiratory infections, as well as potential impacts on other areas of health.
• Biomarkers of infection and inflammation: Investigating inflammatory, immune, and other biomarkers associated with infection type, disease severity, and clinical outcomes, with opportunities to explore their relevance to other conditions, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

All postdoctoral fellows will also contribute to industry engagement, supporting collaboration with biotechnology, diagnostics and pharmaceutical partners. Fellows will be involved in developing and leading grant applications that expand PREPARED into new areas of research.

The positions will provide multiple opportunities to lead analyses, manuscripts, conference presentations, and grant applications and to collaborate with investigators and research teams across Canada.

Applicants should have:

• A PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in epidemiology, public health, data science, or a related field, obtained within the previous five years;
• Experience in quantitative and biomedical research;
• Strong statistical and analytical skills;
• Experience with scientific writing and publication; and
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.

Experience with electronic medical record data, infectious disease surveillance, microbiome research, biomarkers, large health datasets, machine learning, diagnostic evaluation, or industry-partnered research would be considered an asset.

All postdoctoral fellows will be connected with the Upstream Lab, and affiliated with the University of Toronto.

The positions are expected to begin in January 2027. (Start date can be flexible.)

The duration of this position is 1 year, with potential to renew for 1 year.

Interested applicants should submit:

• A 2-page cover letter;
• Curriculum vitae;
• Academic transcripts;
• 2–3 examples of academic writing; and
• Contact information for two references.

Applications should be sent by email to upstreamlab@unityhealth.to with the subject line “PREPARED PDF.”

The cover letter should briefly describe the applicant’s research background, methodological expertise, and areas of interest within PREPARED.

DEADLINE: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with a final deadline of November 15, 2026.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received until the positions are filled.

More information about PREPARED is available at preparedcanada.org.