What is the AMTD Fellowship?

With the generous three million dollar donation from alumnus Calvin Choi, the AMTD Waterloo Global Talent Postdoctoral Fellowship offers an unmatched opportunity to accelerate scholarship and careers for emerging scholars who have a disruptive research agenda that can generate globally competitive talent or outcomes in this unparalleled ecosystem. Beginning in 2020 and ending in 2025, a limited number of highly prestigious fellowships will be available to support the global developments of exceptional academics, researchers and inventors in disciplines of utmost importance to the University of Waterloo and AMTD.

The AMTD Fellowship brings together world-class scholars from top universities across the globe who are prepared to lead in a future that promises both great opportunity and waves of disruption.

This Fellowship is dedicated to attract and support scholars who can not only continue this history but also accelerate the development of revolutionary talent – research and scholarship, for the betterment of society.

Waterloo’s commitment also includes dedicated staff to ensure a smooth transition for postdocs (and their families) to the University. Once situated, beyond the direct mentoring received from Waterloo’s world-class faculty members, postdocs will have access to global connections, most notably through the University’s and the program sponsor’s networks in Canada, the United States, Asia and beyond. The University commits to facilitating connections and access to resources for postdocs to take their ideas to the next level:

• If a postdoc wishes to access local or global expertise in their area of research, the University will support that endeavour. 
• If a postdoc wishes to bring together researchers for conferences or symposia, the University will support those initiatives. 
• If a postdoc wishes to engage in outreach efforts to disseminate findings and attract collaborators, the University will support those travels. 

Fellowships will be awarded in the University of Waterloo's strategic areas of research strength.

Building off Waterloo’s long history of commercialization, the areas of strength can be concentrated in pursuing commercialization, innovation and start ups as well as the traditional deep research.

The University of Waterloo regards diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to employment equity and accessibility for all employees. As such, we encourage applications from women, Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) peoples, Black people and People of Colour, persons with disabilities, members of diverse gender identities, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. At Waterloo, scholars will have the opportunity to work across disciplines and collaborate with an international community of scholars and a diverse student body, situated in a rapidly growing community that has been termed a “hub of innovation”.

In 2021, the University of Waterloo restated its longstanding commitment to take steps to engage our campus community and address racism at Waterloo. The University’s objectives include ending systemic racism in all its forms at Waterloo. Through an additional gift from the AMTD Foundation, the fellowship program is being expanded to increase the likelihood that Fellowship(s) will be held by Black and Indigenous scholars.

Financial Details

Annual salary of $75,000, engagement fund of $7,500 plus access to a pool of additional funds to create disruptive research dissemination opportunities.

The term of the appointment is two years.