FAU Postdoctoral Fellows Procedures

1. Recruitment and Hiring

The hiring of Postdoctoral Fellows is exempt from the FAU recruitment process due to their 1) special expertise that typically has to align with that of the supervisor/mentor and 2) time-limited appointment. The established FAU recruitment process may be used if needed to recruit for a postdoctoral position.

  • A. Eligibility

    Eligibility for appointment as a Postdoctoral Fellow requires the candidate to hold a terminal degree (e.g., Ph.D., M.D., DSW, EdD, DrPH, DNP). If the official transcript is not available, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and FAU HR will accept an official letter from the dean or registrar of the candidate’s academic institution that certifies all three (3) of the following points:

    1. All the required coursework and research have been completed.
    2. The final report on the doctoral thesis has been approved by the examiners.
    3. The degree will be conferred on a specific date.

    A sample degree verification letter is provided online here: https://www.fau.edu/research-admin/postdoc-affairs/files/sample-degree-verification-letter-062521.docx. FAU must receive an official copy of the transcript showing the award of the degree from the institution once it is available.

    For degrees awarded in the United States, an official sealed transcript of the highest completed degree is required. The transcript should be sent from the educational institution directly to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs in a sealed envelope or they may send the transcripts electronically to postdoc-verify-educ@fau.edu.

    Candidates from non-US institutions must hold advanced degrees equivalent to those awarded in US Institutions. Official verification of documentation must be received prior to the start of employment. It is the responsibility of the new employees with foreign education credentials to provide a translation and equivalency from a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) accredited independent evaluation service. Failure to provide appropriate documentation by official start date may result in loss of the employment opportunity. In no event will a Postdoctoral Fellow be appointed without the degree having been awarded.

    For degrees awarded by an international university, the Postdoc Fellow is required to submit, (1) foreign credential evaluation and (2) translation certificate. The evaluation agency should send the required documents in a sealed envelope to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, or they may send the documents electronically to postdoc-verify-educ@fau.edu. A list of accredited evaluation agencies can be found at http://www.fau.edu/admissions/EvalAgencies.php.

    For credentialing instructors, official transcripts are required prior to their teaching start date.

  • B. Hiring

    Postdoctoral Fellows will be hired into the “Postdoctoral Group” job family category in Workday with conditions and provisions outlined herein.

    The appointment of a Postdoctoral Fellow in a Research, Entrepreneurship or Administrative position is typically a 12-month assignment, for up to three (3) years. A Teaching Postdoctoral Fellow can be either a 12-month or 9-mos assignment. This appointment can be extended by up to three additional years for a total of six (6) years spanning all levels of appointment. Further extensions are only granted in extreme cases with considerable justification. Upon the end date, the appointee will have no continued contractual employment relationship with the University.

    Hiring and employment is subject to all federal and state laws, university regulations, including but not limited to, the University Intellectual Property Policy, Policy on Faculty Conflict of Commitment and Conflict of Interest, Policy on Integrity in Research and Procedures for Reviewing Alleged Misconduct, and the Policy on Employment of Relatives. If applicable, postdoctoral appointees must also comply with the recommendations and requirements of the University’s compliance committees (IRB, IACUC, IBC, etc.).

    All FAU employees must be able to work in the United States. It is the responsibility of the hiring department to contact FAU’s Office of Global Academic Services to seek guidance on the exchange visitor program information and to verify the appropriate visa status is maintained while at FAU. The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs does not support immigration applications.

  • C. Compensation

    The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs does not mandate, regulate, or control salaries. The salary and duties of a Postdoctoral Fellow must meet the minimum level for an exempt employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act and any policies of Florida Atlantic University. For national trends on postdoc salaries, visit the National Postdoctoral Association website or NIH NRSA.

    Since the Postdoctoral Fellow is considered a trainee by definition and the work assigned is considered a continuation of one’s education, the Postdoctoral Fellow is not eligible for any FAU merit-based bonus payment.

  • D. Benefits

    Postdoctoral Fellows (Level 1), both 9mos and 12mos, are eligible for specific benefits including:

    • Health Insurance – Enrollment in a healthcare plan offered by FAU during the first sixty (60) calendar days of employment. After this initial enrollment period, employees may only enroll or make changes during the annual Open Enrollment period each fall.
    • Retirement Plans – Employees may choose between the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) and the plans offered through the Florida Retirement System (FRS). All plans require that the employee contribute a mandatory 3% contribution.
    • Holidays – Paid Holidays when the University is officially closed.
    • Emergency Closings – Paid when the University is officially closed.
    • Annual Leave – is accrued at a rate of 3.08 hours per pay period, not to exceed 80 hours per calendar year for a 12-month postdoctoral fellow and 61.6 hours for a 9 month postdoctoral fellow, which if not used, will be forfeited each year. In addition, there will be no payout of any unused annual leave at the end of the employment appointment.
    • Sick Leave – is accrued at a rate of 1.54 hours per pay period, not to exceed 40 hours per calendar year for a 12-month postdoctoral fellow and 30.8 hours for a 9-month postdoctoral fellow, which if not used, will be forfeited each year. In addition, there will be no payout of any unused sick leave at the end of the employment appointment.
    • All federal or state leave programs, provided they meet eligibility requirements.
    • FAU’s Employee Educational Scholarship Program (EESP)

    At the Senior Research Fellows (Level 2), both 9mos and 12mos level, the following changes apply:

    • Annual leave hours will be allowed to roll over to the following year up to a maximum of 160 hours for a 12-month senior research fellow and 160 hours for a 9-month senior research fellow. There will be no payout of any unused annual leave at the end of the employment appointment.
    • Sick Leave hours will be allowed to roll over to the following year up to a maximum 80 hours for a 12-month senior research fellow or 80 hours for 9-month senior research fellow. There will be no payout of any unused sick leave at the end of the employment appointment.
    • Upon promotion, unused annual and sick leave accrued as a Postdoctoral Fellow (Level 1) will not be lost but will carry over to the Senior Research Fellow (Level 2).

    Affiliate Postdoctoral Fellows:

    • All benefits are provided by and follow sponsor guidelines and funding
  • F. Orientation

    Postdoctoral Fellows are hired continually throughout the year. Hiring departments should confer with Human Resources for the appropriate FAU New Employee Orientation process. The Division of Research, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will invite each new postdoctoral fellow to attend one of the regularly scheduled postdoc orientations, typically held on a monthly basis.

2. Individual Development Plan (IDP)/Performance Evaluation

While each Postdoctoral Fellow is ultimately responsible for their own career progression, the faculty supervisor/mentor will initiate a discussion regarding individual goals and available resources within the first 30 days of employment using the FAU IDP form as a guide. A clear research, teaching and career development agenda will be established. Once completed, the initial IDP will be uploaded into the Postdoctoral Fellow’s file in Workday by the Postdoctoral Fellow via the Profile View/ Personal / Documents tab / Add. Supervisors/Mentors are expected to submit a copy of the initial IDP form to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs for record-keeping.

Postdoctoral Fellows are being evaluated annually thereafter during their anniversary month using and updating the IDP form. A self-assessment action will be sent to the Postdoctoral Fellow via Workday. Once completed, this annual assessment will route to the faculty supervisor/mentor for written feedback, discussion, and final submission to HR. Supervisors/Mentors will submit a copy of the IDP form to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs for record-keeping. A lack of a current IDP on file will impact decisions that come before the Director of Postdoctoral Affairs.

3. Promotion to “Senior Research Fellow”

After a minimum of six months as a Postdoctoral Fellow (level 1), the supervisor/mentor may consider the employee for promotion to the Senior Research Fellow (level 2) job profile which falls within the Postdoctoral Group Job Family. The Senior Research Fellow should be viewed as a transitional position while still being under the advisement of a supervisor/mentor. This position is intended to offer the postdoctoral fellow a career advantage by allowing and expecting PI status on grant applications including but not limited to a K99/R00 or research grant (e.g. NIH R-type). The goal is to expand independence, grant writing, and grant management.

A Senior Research Fellow remains in a postdoctoral position and should continue to be under the advisement and guidance of their supervisor/mentor. This promotion should only be considered for an outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow with proven experience and maturity to be responsible for their own lab and/or research projects. The Postdoctoral Promotion Checklist, a current Individual Development Plan (IDP) along with a justification letter from the supervisor/mentor must be completed and approved by the Director of Postdoctoral Affairs. These additional documents will be uploaded with the reclassification actions in Workday. Please allow at least 5 business days for approval. Discipline-specific exceptions may be made with justification and upon approval.

The status of Senior Research Fellow grants the Postdoctoral Fellow PI eligibility thru FAU’s Principal Investigator Eligibility policy. The individual will be supported in this position typically one (1) – three (3) years, at which point there is an expectation that the individual will seek out and transition to a new position in alignment with their individual career plan.

It is important to note that, even though the Senior Research Fellow is eligible to serve as a PI, the Senior Research Fellow is still a postdoctoral fellow and under the oversight of her faculty mentor. Therefore, all grant applications should be discussed and agreed upon before embarking on a project and before submitting a grant proposal.

Both the Senior Research Fellow and supervisor/mentor should consider the following points when a Senior Research Fellow submits a grant. The Fellow will need to have an appropriate position at FAU to carry out research funded on a grant:

  • What is the Senior Research Fellow’s appointment end date? If the postdoctoral fellow’s appointment at FAU ends, then they may or may not be able to take the grant with them depending on the grant type.
  • What are the infrastructure needs and resources availability for the proposed project?
  • What is the university’s/college’s/unit’s required commitment to the proposed project?

Because of the temporary nature of the postdoc position, the Senior Research Fellow is not eligible for internal (FAU) grants (including HBOI’s State License Plate) nor any external grant which is considered non-transferable upon their departure from FAU.

Minimum requirements for promotion to Senior Research Fellow are:

  • Minimum six months at FAU in the Postdoctoral Fellow job profile
  • Promotion checklist and justification letter signed by supervisor/mentor, dean/director, and Director of Postdoctoral Affairs.
  • Ability and willingness of the Postdoctoral Fellow to submit and obtain external research funding as PI of a research award (non-fellowship).
  • Adequate research experience to oversee their own research program as indicated in justification letter to be ultimately approved by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.
  • Adequate leadership and team-building skills to lead a group of students and researchers as indicated in justification letter to be ultimately approved by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.

This move will be considered a promotion and reclassification within the same Postdoctoral Group job family. Promotion requires a discussion and approval from the supervisor/mentor, the department/college/institute administration and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, utilizing the checklist provided in the Appendix. Benefits follow those of the postdoctoral position. This position should not be used in place of a faculty position.

All hires and reclassifications/promotions of postdoctoral fellows should follow standard FAU Human Resources policies and procedures.

4. Changing Supervisors/Mentors

There may be instances where a change of a supervisor/mentor is necessary. In all circumstances, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will need to approve any changes after reviewing a written notice from the current and/or proposed new supervisor/mentor along with approval from the department chair, dean/unit director.

Any change in supervisor/mentors while at FAU will be considered a new postdoctoral position. The Postdoctoral Fellow should clearly define it as such on their CV. Additionally, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will require a new IDP with the new supervisor/mentor. If the individual is a Senior Research Fellow at the time of transfer, then the new supervisor/mentor will need to resubmit the Senior Research Fellow application for a SRF to SRF transfer. The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs strongly recommends a new offer letter be created, signed and recorded to document any change in reporting line.

A postdoctoral fellow who moves from one supervisor/mentor to another will carryover any accrued time under the new position.