Hiring a Postdoctoral Fellow

Purpose: 

To provide policies, processes, and requirements for hiring and extending (paid) postdoctoral fellows. 

Relevant Definitions: 

Postdoctoral Fellow (postdoc): A temporary academic administrative and professional (A&P) job intended to provide a training program of advanced academic preparation and research training to an individual, under mentorship of a more experienced scientist/scholar, within three years of completing their Ph.D. 

Some general (minimum) expectations, in line with the VPR/EVPP requirements:

• this person will be directly supervised by/working with at least one active faculty member;
• this person will meet the Ph.D. degree requirements prior to their start date;
• this person will not have received Ph.D. more than 3 years prior to start date;
• the job will be full-time (40SWH) and expected to last for at least one year;
• the job is funded for at least one year;
• the job will meet/exceed minimum salary requirements for the title;
• this person will be performing scholarly and academic work appropriate for this job title/the intended use of this title.

Process: 

1. Determine whether you will be hiring someone directly, or whether you will need to recruit for the postdoc position:
   1. If recruiting: 
      1. Follow the regular process for staff recruiting. (see Staff Recruitment wiki)
         1. Make sure that the required qualifications and attributes of the position align with the VPR/EVPP requirements for the 0712-Postdoctoral Fellow job profile.
      2. Create the job requisition for the new or existing postdoc position in the PM sup org of the supervising faculty member. (For Workday help, please see Creating a Job Requisition WIG)
         1. If no PM org exists, please see Requesting a New Sup Org.
   2. If not recruiting:
      1. You can hire into either a PM or JM sup org belonging to the supervising faculty member. See Hire Academic Staff for Workday guidance.
         1. If the postdoc position is one you expect to continue over time, best practice would be to create (and reuse) the position in a PM org.
2. Ensure all requirements for the postdoc job have been met before initiating the Workday BP to Hire.
   1. Determine whether the Ph.D. has been conferred. 
      1. If Ph.D. has not been conferred, you will need a signed letter, on university letterhead, from the hire’s graduate adviser/graduate office/registrar, attesting that all degree requirements for the Ph.D. have been met, along with a future conferral date. (You will need this for the Hire BP.)  
      2. If Ph.D. has been conferred, ensure that degree was not received more than 3 years prior to start date. (If this is the case, then "Postdoctoral Fellow" is not the appropriate job profile, per VPR/EVPP Research Position guidelines.)
   2. Make sure you have a copy of the person's CV.
   3. Prepare an offer letter, using the COLA-modified postdoc offer template; you will need the signed version to attach to the Workday BP.
      1. The offer letter ought to specify the expected dates of appointment; Postdoctoral Fellow is a temporary research title, and therefore the expected duration and possibility of renewal should be stated upfront. (Note: Unless funding is guaranteed for more than one year, best practice would be for 1 year in length, subject to renewal...) 
      2. Please note: any commitment to a postdoc hire for new space must receive advance approval from the Dean.
      3. Note about hire/employment dates: 
         1. Refer to HR Date Checker for best practices and requirements for staff hire/end dates.
         2. To create an appointment of one year in length:
            1. CORRECT: June 1, 2022 - May 31, 2023
            2. INCORRECT: June 1, 2022 - June 1, 2023
3. For the Workday Hire BP:
   1. Use Worker Type of "Regular Benefits-Eligible (Fixed Term)" 
   2. Required comments: 
      1. Ph.D. field, date, and granting institution
      2. Confirm expected dates and funding of job, supervisor, and additional information that would be useful for approvers.
      3. Ex. "Jeff Lebowski received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Southern California in May 2022. Initial postdoc appointment for $50,000 (annual); 9/1/22-8/31/23; funded by 26-0000-0012; supervised by Prof. W. Sobchak. Possibility of extension for up to two additional years, subject to renewal of funding and satisfactory performance."
      4. Attach CV and signed offer letter to the BP.

COLA-specific Policies: 

• As with all hire BPs, an offer letter much be attached (including for renewals). Best practice is to use the university’s template, as modified by COLA (link below). 
• Postdoc Teaching Load/Expectations:. A one-course load (1-0/0-1) is the ideal, but a 1-1 is allowed without additional justification and approvals.* A 2-1 is the maximum postdoc teaching load, requires justification, should not be the norm, and must be discussed with COLA HR before being agreed to. 
  • *Note: If teaching will be part of the postdoc position, you should specify this in the offer letter/hiring agreement. You will also need to create a 0% Lecturer PAR.

Other Related Links: 

HOP 7-1020 Research Titles: https://policies.utexas.edu/policies/research-titles 

COLA-modified postdoc offer template: https://utexas.app.box.com/file/872182605088 

EVPP Job Recruitment and Job Requisitions for Research Staff: https://utexas.app.box.com/s/nttndux1fqyomnx24mukcu9wlekxbzvx

Vice President for Research Policies (look under “University” and “Research Titles”: https://research.utexas.edu/resources/policies/