POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

Human Resources Department (HRD)

POLICY 3

Effective Date: 06/01/2004

Last Modified Date: 10/05/2004

Carolina annually hosts approximately 900 postdoctoral fellows on its campus. Postdoctoral fellows are placed in many different departments and centers at the University, and they are associated with the University primarily to continue their academic training. However, some aspects of their relationship with the University more closely resemble those of employees than those of students. Given the hybrid nature of their association, the University has developed these policies to better outline the University's and the postdoctoral fellow's obligations and expectations in various contexts.

Definition of Postdoctoral Fellows

UNC–Chapel Hill adheres to the FASEB (Federal of American Societies for Experimental Biology) definition of postdoctoral fellows. The following criteria must be met:

• the appointee was awarded a Ph.D., equivalent doctorate or terminal degree (e.g., Sc.D., M.D., M.F.A.) in an appropriate field;
• the appointment is temporary;
• the appointment involves substantially full-time research or scholarship;
• the appointment is viewed as preparatory for a full-time academic or research career;
• the appointment may be part of a clinical training program, if research training under the supervision of a mentor is a primary purpose of the appointment;
• the appointee works under the supervision of a scholar or a department in a university or similar research institution [e.g., national laboratory, NIH (National Institutes of Health), etc.]; and
• the appointee is expected to publish the results of his or her research or scholarship during the period of appointment, in consultation with his or her mentor.

Expectations of Postdoctoral Fellows

The University has adopted the following universal set of performance expectations (developed by FASEB) for postdoctoral fellows:

• conscientious discharge of assigned duties;
• adherence to ethical standards;
• compliance with good laboratory practice and recognized University standards;
• observation of established guidelines for research involving biohazards, human subjects, or animals;
• open and timely discussion with the mentor regarding research progress, distribution of reagents or materials, or any disclosure of findings or techniques privately or in publications;
• collegial conduct towards coworkers; and
• compliance with all applicable University policies and procedures.

Appointment Policies for Postdoctoral Fellows

Appointment and Discontinuation of Appointment

The maximum term of appointment for a postdoctoral fellow is five years. Following this five-year training period, a postdoctoral fellow must either be moved into an established employee position (see the Office of Postdoctoral Services Web site) or separated (with a minimum 90 days' notice).

• "Term of appointment" refers to total time spent at UNC–Chapel Hill under rank code 27 or 28. It does not include time at other institutions.
• To request an extension of appointment, postdoc mentors/advisors may submit a Request for Extension of Appointment (a form found on the Policies page of the Postdoctoral Services' Web site). The form must be co-signed by the postdoctoral fellow, as well as by the department chair (or dean when appropriate), and submitted to the Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development. Such requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

A postdoctoral fellow may have his/her appointment ended with 30 days' notice if the funding supporting his/her appointment ends. However, a postdoctoral appointment may be ended without notice at any time during the appointment if s/he is found by his/her mentor to have violated the expectations set forth above. The Fellow may appeal this decision; see the Grievances section below.

Evaluation

A mentor of a postdoctoral fellow must complete an annual written evaluation of the fellow's performance. The evaluation process should be simple and must include the opportunity for the fellow to respond in writing to the evaluation.

Compensation

Effective July 1, 2006, the minimum stipend for a postdoctoral fellow shall be no less than $34,200. This level will be assessed annually by the Postdoctoral Advisory Committee, and it is projected that this minimal salary level will increase by approximately 3% each year.

Until July 1, 2006, it is recommended that all postdoctoral fellows be paid no less than $34,200. Waivers of this minimal stipend will be considered, but must be for highly unusual reasons.

Leave

A postdoctoral fellow is eligible for a minimum of 10 days of compensated vacation leave (in addition to recognized University holidays) per year and 12 days of compensated sick leave per year. Neither vacation leave nor sick leave can be carried over to a new calendar year.

• The 10 days of vacation leave is the required minimum. An increased number of vacation days may be negotiated between postdoctoral fellow and mentor.
• Leave will be made available in total on the first day of the appointment and will be reappointed annually.
• Departments do not need to track postdocs' leave; however, fellows and mentors may choose to do so on an individual basis.
• Unused vacation and sick leave will not be paid out when the postdoc appointment ends.

A postdoctoral fellow is eligible for six weeks of paid parental leave to care for a new biological or adopted child, which includes exhausting all available vacation and sick leave. This paid parental leave must be taken within one year of the birth or placement of the child.

• Fellows are eligible to use up to the six weeks of paid leave even though they earn only 22 days of vacation and sick leave (about 4-1/2 weeks) per year.
• Fellows may also use Family and Medical Leave if they meet the eligibility requirements.

Grievances

A postdoctoral fellow is eligible to use the University's mediation policy at any time to address a matter of concern. Additionally, a postdoctoral fellow may use the following procedure to address matters of concern related to his/her appointment:

1. The fellow must make every effort to resolve the matter informally through discussions with his or her mentor.
2. If the matter is not adequately resolved by discussion with the mentor, the fellow must then seek resolution informally through the mentor's section head, department chair, center director, or other unit administrator directly responsible for the mentor's professional activities.
3. If the issue is still unresolved, the fellow may formally request resolution by the dean of the school in which the mentor is appointed. Such a request must be accompanied by a written statement describing the matter of concern, the supporting facts, and the disposition of prior discussions. The dean shall resolve the matter promptly, providing a written response outlining the reasons for the decision.
4. If the concern is still unresolved, the fellow may formally request in writing a resolution by the provost.

Additional Information

Questions about these policies may be directed to Tony Waldrop, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development. He can by reached by telephone at 962-1319 or by e-mail.

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