Postdoctoral Employee and Fellow Policies and Practices Policy

Reason for Policy

Postdoctoral study encompasses scholarship and training. This document is designed to set forth policies related to the appointment, roles, requirements and responsibilities of Postdoctoral Associates, Postdoctoral Fellows and Postdoctoral Fellows Direct Pay.

Statement of Policy

Postdoctoral Associate Appointment

Eligibility for a Postdoctoral Associate appointment requires an advanced degree, PhD, M.D. or equivalent.

Postdoctoral Associate recruitment postings and appointments are typically full time. Requests for part time appointments should be reviewed and approved by the Postdoctoral Office or appropriate academic office on campus in consultation with the RF Human Resources Office.

Postdoctoral Associate appointments must follow local campus policies and practices.

Duration

Postdoctoral Associate appointments may not exceed a period of five years and are contingent on satisfactory performance and existence of funding.

Periods that a Postdoctoral Associate is on an approved leave of absence may not be counted towards the five year period. Determinations will be made by the Postdoctoral Office or appropriate academic office on campus on a case by case basis.

In rare circumstances, a 1 year extension may be granted on a case by case basis based on performance and existence of funding. Requests for extensions must be reviewed and approved by the Postdoctoral Office or appropriate academic office on campus.

Compensation

Postdoctoral Associate compensation is set at each campus within the RF compensation range and is subject to sponsor guidelines.

Postdoctoral Fellowship Appointment

A Postdoctoral fellowship is a competitive award of financial support to an individual which provides a stipend and in some cases money for benefits coverage. Although Postdoctoral Fellowships may be awarded on the basis of a proposed research program, they are not awarded to accomplish a specific statement of work, and they do not lead to an employer-employee relationship. Postdoctoral Fellowships are awarded on a merit basis to assist a scholar in his or her professional training and development.

Postdoctoral Fellowships may be paid through the Foundation or directly to the individual from the funding organization. Postdoctoral Fellows are official affiliates of the institution and must comply with local campus rules with that affiliation.

Goals of Postdoctoral Traineeship

Goals of postdoctoral traineeship are to provide advanced research training beyond the doctoral degree and to prepare individuals to follow careers that require expertise in their field. The postdoctoral experience at a campus is a unique "apprenticeship" between sponsor and trainee. Faculty sponsors help prepare postdocs for the next step in his or her career.

Training and Career Development

Training is a central component of a postdoc’s experience. It provides the opportunity for postdoctoral associates and fellows to enhance research skills critical to pursue careers as independent investigators or other related careers. All federally-funded postdoctoral associates are expected to actively engage in both training and career development, as per OMB Clarification on 2 CFR 200.400-2(f), in recognition of their dual role as both trainees and employees. Training programs shall be established by the campus location.

Responsibilities

The following table outlines the responsibilities for compliance with this Policy:

Definitions

Postdoctoral Associate- (Employee) An individual holding a doctoral degree who is engaged in a defined temporary period of mentored research and/or scholarly training for the purpose of acquiring the professional skills needed to pursue a career path of his or her choosing. Postdoctoral Associates train under the direction and supervision of faculty sponsors in preparation for academic or research careers. Postdoctoral Associate and Senior Postdoctoral Associate are titles that can be used for this classification.

Postdoctoral Fellow- (Non-Employee) An appointment is made as a fellow when the Postdoc has been awarded a fellowship or traineeship for postdoctoral study by an extramural agency and the fellowship or traineeship is paid through a Research Foundation account.

Postdoctoral Fellow Paid Direct- (Non-Employee) An appointment is made as a fellow paid direct when the Postdoc has been awarded a fellowship or traineeship for postdoctoral study by an extramural agency and the agency pays the fellowship or traineeship directly to the Postdoc, rather than through the RF.

Principal Investigator- A campus faculty or staff member who bears responsibility for the intellectual leadership of a project. The PI accepts overall responsibility for directing the research, financial oversight, and compliance with relevant university policies and sponsor terms and conditions.

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