Date Established: 12/3/2008
Date Last Revised: 12/3/2013
Category: Academic
Responsible Office:
Postdoctoral Scholars
Responsible Executive:
Provost
Postdoctoral study encompasses scholarship and training. This document is designed to inform both postdoctoral scholars and their faculty mentors of policies unique to individuals with the titles of Postdoctoral Associate or Postdoctoral Fellow.
A Postdoctoral Scholar’s appointment will meet the following conditions:
Designated titles for postdoctoral appointments are Postdoctoral Fellow and Postdoctoral Associate. The title of Postdoctoral Fellow is used only in connection with awards financed under a Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of a granting agency outside the university or through a Postdoctoral Training grant. The title of Postdoctoral Associate is the usual designation for all other Postdoctoral appointments.
Fiscal agents and related titles include:
1. Research Foundation (RF) - Postdoctoral Associate; Postdoctoral Fellow
2. University at Buffalo Foundation (UBF) - Postdoctoral Associate; Postdoctoral Fellow
3. State University of New York (SUNY) - Postdoctoral Associate
All Postdoctoral Associate positions must be posted through UBJobs.
Initial RF and UBF appointments are made for up to a three year period, but may be extended to five years. An additional one-year extension may be granted upon justification. State appointments may only run for three years, but may be extended to four years to accommodate programs within the School of Medicine. (Appendix A is a sample state appointment offer letter; Appendix B is a sample RF appointment letter). For RF and UBF appointments, exceptions may be granted to meet specific training needs of an individual and prevailing practice in the discipline only after review by the Graduate School through its Office of Postdoctoral Scholars. All federal, state, and sponsor guidelines must be followed.
The minimum full-time annual salary for a Postdoctoral Associate for a calendar year is $30,000. Any waiver of this minimum salary limit must be approved by the Office of Postdoctoral Scholars. All sponsor guidelines take precedent over this policy.
It is recommended that within the first thirty days of the appointment, the Postdoctoral Scholar write an Individual Development Plan (IDP) and discuss this with his or her faculty mentor. The mentor should meet with the Postdoctoral Scholar at regular intervals to assess progress and goals. The Postdoctoral Scholar should provide his or her mentor, at least once annually, with a progress report of his or her research and professional development using the suggested format in Appendix C.
A Postdoctoral Associate may be eligible for various types of leave, consistent with the fiscal agent’s appointment type. Postdoctoral Fellows are not employees and do not accrue leave.
The Dispute Resolution Procedure is a two-stage (informal and formal) process. The informal stage of complaint pursuit is open to all Postdoctoral Scholars. The Postdoctoral Scholar may request the Office of Postdoctoral Scholars to assist with informally resolving complaints prior to instituting a formal complaint through official channels. The first step toward resolving a Postdoctoral Scholar’s dispute or grievance should be through consultation between the disputants. The parties should meet and exert a good faith effort to resolve the dispute amicably. Postdoctoral Scholars are encouraged to discuss concerns or complaints with their mentors, other senior faculty members, and their department chair to attempt informal resolution at an early stage. The Associate Dean of Graduate Education (head of the Office of Postdoctoral Scholars) should have a reasonable opportunity to resolve the dispute informally before a formal grievance is initiated. This may involve consultation with the mentor, department chair, and dean of the school or college, as appropriate.
If the associate dean’s efforts to resolve the dispute are unsuccessful, he or she will notify the Postdoctoral Scholar of his or her right to initiate a formal grievance. A formal grievance may be invoked only after the prospective grievant has first reported the basis for his or her dispute to the Office of Postdoctoral Scholars.
Formal grievances or complaints may be pursued through the following mechanisms:
Discontinuation with Notice
A Postdoctoral Scholar may have his or her appointment ended at any time, for lack of funding or for other reasons. It is recommended that sixty calendar days prior written notice be given.
Termination of Appointment for Cause
A Postdoctoral Scholar may have his or her appointment immediately terminated at any time if he or she is found to have violated the obligations specified in this policy. Such violations include egregious actions, such as destruction of experiments, stealing, sexual harassment, and inappropriate behavior. Managers and supervisors should use reasonable judgment to decide whether an employee’s action may be remedied by some form of progressive discipline (for RF appointments, see the Research Foundation Progressive Discipline Policy). Discontinuation of appointment for cause is to be preceded by written notice.
This policy applies to individuals with the title of Postdoctoral Associate or Postdoctoral Fellow.
Postdoctoral Associate
A postdoctoral scholar who is working on a particular project. The Postdoctoral Associate has an employer-employee relationship, receives a paycheck every two weeks through payroll, payroll taxes are withheld, and may be eligible for certain benefits consistent with the fiscal agent appointment type.
Postdoctoral Fellow
A postdoctoral scholar who receives a stipend in support of their academic study or fellow-initiated research or in recognition of the recipient’s promise as a research or teaching scholar. A Postdoctoral Fellow is not considered an employee and taxes are not withheld (exceptions may apply to non-resident aliens) although they may be entitled to certain benefits. This title is used only for appointments with awards financed under a fellowship or training program.
Postdoctoral Scholar
An individual who has received a doctoral degree (or equivalent) and is engaged in a temporary and defined period of mentored advanced training to enhance the professional skills and research independence needed to pursue his or her chosen career path (National Institutes of Health or National Science Foundation definition). Postdoctoral Scholar refers to those individuals with the titles of Postdoctoral Associate or Postdoctoral Fellow.
Principal Investigator
A Principal Investigator (PI) is a University at Buffalo (UB) 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.
Contact | Phone | |
---|---|---|
Luis A. Colon, Ph.D. | 716-645-2939 | lacolon@buffalo.edu |
December 2013 | Updated for minor text changes. |
November 2011 | Updated Office of Equity, Diversity and Affirmative Action (EDAAA) department name to reflect the current name of: Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). |
John B. Simpson, President
12/3/2008
Date
Sample State Postdoctoral Associates Offer Letter
Date
Name
Street
City, State, Zip
Dear ,
We are pleased to offer you a full-time appointment as a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of ______________ at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Your appointment period will commence on (date). You will be paid at the annual salary rate of $_________ on a bi-weekly basis. This offer is contingent upon proof of your identity and employment eligibility. In addition, prior to beginning your appointment, you must provide the Office of Postdoctoral Scholars official documentation that you have received the relevant terminal degree (as well as an English translation of that documentation, if necessary).
You may be eligible to participate in one of the University’s health and other benefit programs. Soon after you arrive, you will attend a benefits orientation with the Human Resources staff who will explain the benefit programs. As a Postdoctoral Scholar you may be eligible for vacation leave, holidays, and sick leave consistent with your appointment type.
It is expected that your time here will be committed to research and scholarship. Should you accept this offer, your continued appointment as a Postdoctoral Associate will require both satisfactory performance and compliance with existing and future university and departmental policies. The Postdoctoral Associate is by nature a temporary position.
If the terms specified in this letter are acceptable to you, please sign and return the original letter to me by (date). By signing below, you agree to adhere to all University policies, including those defining intellectual property rights.
We look forward to your association with the University at Buffalo.
Yours truly,
[Name of mentor]
_____________________________________________ ___________________
Signature confirming acceptance of appointment Date
Sample RF Postdoctoral Associate Appointment Letter
Date
Name
Street
City, State, Zip
Dear ,
We are pleased to offer you a full-time appointment as a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of ______________ at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. The fiscal agent for this appointment is the Research Foundation of the State University of New York. Your appointment will commence on (date). You will be paid at the annual salary rate of $_________ on a bi-weekly basis. This offer is contingent upon proof of your identity and employment eligibility. In addition, prior to beginning your appointment, you must provide to the Office of Postdoctoral Scholars official documentation that you have received the relevant terminal degree (as well as an English translation of that documentation, if necessary).
You may be eligible to participate in one of the Research Foundation’s health care programs and other benefit programs. Soon after you arrive, you will attend a benefits orientation session with the Human Resources staff who will explain the benefit programs.
It is expected that your time here will be committed to research and scholarship. Should you accept this offer, your continued appointment as a Postdoctoral Associate will require both satisfactory performance and compliance with existing and future university and departmental policies. The Postdoctoral Associate is by nature a temporary position.
If the terms specified in this letter are acceptable to you, please sign and return the original letter to me by (date). By signing below, you agree to adhere to all University policies, including those defining intellectual property rights.
We look forward to your association with the University at Buffalo.
Yours truly,
[Name of mentor]
Postdoctoral Scholar Progress Report
This progress report provides an opportunity for the Postdoctoral Scholar to reflect on his/her research and professional development achievements and goals.
1. Is your project progressing well? List your major accomplishments during the past year.
2. How have your skills in the following areas improved in the past year? How will you work to further enhance the following skills in the coming year?
3. What are your research goals in the coming year? Include project goals, additional research skills to be acquired, grants to pursue, papers, presentation opportunities and potential collaborations.
4. What are your career goals? What additional skills or training do you need to acquire to achieve your desired career objectives? When is your target date for moving to a new position and when should you begin your job search?
5. Joint evaluation (by Postdoctoral Scholar and faculty mentor) of progress this past year:
__________________________________________//_____________________
Faculty Signature Department
__________________________________________
Faculty Name (please print)
__________________________________________//_____________________
Postdoctoral Scholar Signature Date
__________________________________________
Postdoctoral Scholar Name (please print)
Formal Complaint Procedures for Postdoctoral Fellows