PhD students

Perimeter Institute offers a rich environment for PhD students with unparalleled opportunities to interact with research leaders from around the world while laying the foundation for a future career in physics.

PhD students are supervised by a Faculty or Associate Faculty member located at Perimeter Institute but receive their degree from the partnering university where their supervisor has a full or adjunct appointment. These universities include the University of Waterloo, University of Guelph, University of Toronto, York University, McMaster University, and Western University. Past graduates have obtained competitive postdoctoral fellowships at international institutions, including NASA, MIT, and the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics.

PhD students at Perimeter are financially supported by the PhD Residency Program Award. This award must be applied for separately from the PhD application submitted to the university and must include the support of their supervising professor with adjunct or faculty status at Perimeter.

How to apply to a PhD program

Step 1: Find a Perimeter Institute Faculty member who will supervise your PhD. Currently, faculty are no longer accepting new applications for their team. Please check back October 2023 when the application program opens. 

Step 2: In October, once you have applied to their affiliated university or reached an agreement with a Perimeter Faculty supervisor, then you may apply for Perimeter's PhD Residency Program Award. (Note: Perimeter is not a degree-granting institute, so applicants must successfully apply to a PhD program at their chosen university. Acceptance into the PhD Residency Program is dependent on a successful university application.) 

For more information please contact [email protected]

Perimeter Institute is committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons, women, Indigenous/Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. Perimeter Institute provides support throughout the application process for applicants with disabilities. We work with you to understand the impact of your disability to appropriately accommodate you during the application/interview process. Please contact [email protected] for assistance.