Postdoctoral Fellow Appointments

Postdoctoral training is an important component of the educational and research missions of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. To further these missions, the University and its faculty provide a unique opportunity for a few well-qualified individuals to continue their development and training as Postdoctoral Fellows.

Postdoctoral Fellows are defined as those individuals who have recently been awarded a Ph.D., M.D., or M.D./Ph.D., or comparable degree, and whose goals are to acquire additional training and experience in order to enter a career in academia and/or a research career.

A postdoctoral fellow works under the supervision of a faculty mentor who is responsible for his/her fiscal and intellectual activities. Because one goal of the postdoctoral trainee is to ultimately secure a permanent position, usually at another institution, the appointment is a temporary one.

The guidelines covering the appointment of Postdoctoral Fellows and their training are outlined below.

• There will be only one title used for postdoctoral trainees -- Postdoctoral Fellow--, regardless of source of funds (i.e. faculty grants, training grants and/or fellowship awards).

   

• The initial appointment of postdoctoral fellows to the College of Medicine requires a letter of appointment signed by the faculty mentor and the Department Chair, indicating the Postdoctoral Fellow's responsibilities, term of appointment, and initial salary and benefits associated with the appointment. All initial letters of appointment will be forwarded to the Office of Faculty Affairs for review. (See Attachment I.).

   

• The primary purpose of postdoctoral training is to provide additional research and scholarly training in preparation for an academic and/or research career. Therefore, postdoctoral appointments are temporary and may not exceed five years. (Brief extensions may be requested when necessary to complete a critical research project.)

   

• Another purpose of postdoctoral training is to develop independent investigators; however, during the course of training, the faculty mentor is expected to provide oversight, and the proposed research and scholarly activities of the postdoctoral fellow must be agreed upon and directed by the mentor.

   

• The postdoctoral fellow appointment usually involves full-time research and the fellow is expected to publish the results of his/her research in conjunction with his/her faculty mentor.

   

• The administration of postdoctoral fellow programs is the responsibility of the Department in conjunction with the faculty mentor or sponsor. The responsibility for mentoring postdoctoral fellows and advising and assisting them in job placement is primarily a function of the mentor. However, departments may assist in job placement whenever possible.

   

• Department Chairs in conjunction with the faculty are responsible for the general oversight of the quality of the research and training of the Fellows in their academic units.

   

• Because of the variability of training and talents of postdoctoral Fellows, it is difficult to establish a rigidly stratified salary structure. Nevertheless, the salary granted at the time of the initial appointment of postdoctoral fellows should not be less than the prevailing NIH postdoctoral stipend for beginning fellows.

   

• The activities of Postdoctoral Fellows are subject to all university policies applicable to other employees, including UCs intellectual property policy.

   

• BENEFITS (See Human Resources for current benefit summaries):
  • Health
    The Postdoctoral Fellow will be provided basic family health, dental, and prescription coverage.
  • Vacation
    Ten days vacation will be accrued per year of training and may be carried over to a maximum of thirty (30) days. Vacation accruals will not be paid out upon separation.
  • Sick Leave
    Sick leave will accrue at the rate of one day per month.
  • Maternity/Paternity Leave
    Six weeks paid maternity/paternity leave will be granted. All accrued vacation and sick leave will be used as part of the six week leave.
  • Tuition Remission
    Three (3) credit hours tuition remission will be granted to Postdoctoral Fellows.

   

• Postdoctoral fellows will be required to take a course in requisite didactic material in research ethics as specified by sponsoring agencies.

   

• Complaints involving postdoctoral fellows that cannot be resolved at the departmental level will be handled by a dispute resolution procedure developed by the college specifically for postdoctoral fellows. (See Dispute Resolution Guidelines below)

 

Postdoctoral Fellow Sample Letter of Offer (DOC)

 

 

---

 

Dispute Resolution Guidelines

It is the policy of the College of Medicine of the University of Cincinnati to provide an opportunity for the resolution of disputes involving postdoctoral fellows in a fair and collegial manner and when at all possible at the departmental level. These guidelines establish a formal process for postdoctoral fellows to request review and redress of certain disputes arising out of their academic relationships with their mentors, departments, and college.

Disputes may arise from complaints regarding evaluation, program requirements, violation of academic freedom, sexual, racial or religious discrimination or harassment, and all other issues related to academic and professional demeanor.

Procedure:

• Complaints that arise should first be brought to the attention of the appropriate faculty mentor. The mentor and the fellow should attempt to work together to achieve a satisfactory resolution to the issue. If the complaint involves the mentor personally or if the fellow remains dissatisfied, the complaint should be forwarded in writing to the department director.

   

• In departmental review, the department director conducts the review, which may include meeting with the fellow and the mentor, separately and together. The department director may also solicit feedback from departmental faculty or others who are familiar with the fellow's work. The department director then informs the fellow and the mentor in writing (with a copy to the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies and to the Office of Faculty Affairs) of the department's decision regarding the complaint. The decision must be rendered within 15 business days of receiving the written complaint. If the issue cannot be resolved at the departmental level, a review mechanism will be instituted by the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies.

   

• At the College level, the Associate Dean will appoint an ad-hoc committee to review the complaint. The committee will consist of two (2) faculty members (one faculty member will be appointed chair by the Associate Dean), two (2) senior level postdoctoral fellows and the Associate Dean. The committee chair will set the time and date for the hearing and notify in writing the fellow, the mentor, the department chair and the Dean of the College of Medicine. The fellow and mentor will be asked to meet with the committee to present the dispute. At its discretion, the Committee may permit others familiar with the matter to attend the meeting.

   

• The committee shall provide a report of the meeting along with a letter of recommendation regarding their disposition of the dispute to the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education. The Associate Dean shall reject or accept the report and recommendation and will then inform the fellow and mentor of his-her decision. In all instances, the final decision rests with the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education who shall review all records and render a final decision.
   

More Information