Postdoctoral Fellows
Access your Research Staff Dashboard to check transaction and appointment status, and identify appointments expiring soon.
Postdoctoral fellow appointments are approved by the Faculty Affairs Office. The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs maintains relevant policy governing these appointments as well as information on professional development, mentoring, resources, and support for postdoctoral fellows.
Postdoctoral Fellow Titles
Postdoctoral Scholar
NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow
Postdoctoral Fellow - Department of Education
Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow
View detailed position descriptions.
Appointment Term Length
- Standard appointment term length is one year
- If the proposed appointment is less than one year, written justification is required to (1) explain the need for the short term and (2) confirm that upon conclusion of the short term, the postdoctoral fellow will either be reappointed for a full year or terminated
- If the proposed appointment is longer than one year, written justification is required to (1) explain the reason for the longer term and (2) confirm that funding is guaranteed for the duration of the appointment. The maximum term length is three years.
Postdoctoral Fellow Stipends
The minimum stipend level for a postdoctoral research fellow appointment at the Feinberg School of Medicine is the National Institutes of Health Kirschstein-National Research Service Award (NRSA) stipend for zero years of experience. View NRSA Stipend Levels and the Feinberg Policy on Postdoctoral Fellow Stipends.
- NRSA Postdoctoral Fellows: All newly appointed and reappointed NRSA postdoctoral research fellows must receive the NIH NRSA stipend rate for her/his years of experience as a postdoctoral research fellow.
- Non-NRSA Postdoctoral Research Fellows: All other postdoctoral research fellows must receive a salary at least equivalent to the NRSA stipend for zero years of experience; aligning their salary with the NRSA scale for years of experience is recommended but not required, and annual increases should be based on performance review
Recruitment
Sometimes departments ask about opportunities to advertise postdoctoral fellow positions at NU. The following posting options are available:
- Department Website
You may advertise postdoctoral fellow opportunities on your department website - Office of Postdoctoral Affairs Website
Contact the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs to have a position listed on their website - NU Careers Site
While not an avenue through which postdocs commonly find opportunities, departments occasionally ask to list postdoctoral fellow positions on the NU Careers website. The process for doing so is to email hr.compensation@northwestern.edu and provide the following:- Job description for the role
- Ask that HR create a new research staff (RES) position number for posting to eRecruit
New Appointment
Complete the OnBase submission form (for help, view this OnBase page) and attach these documents:
- Upload the Personal Data Form separately to its respective button
- If the appointee is not in town yet, submit the form and include as much information as you can get. When the appointee arrives, submit a new form containing the appointee's signature and LOCAL address.
- If an existing employee is changing to a postdoctoral fellow, the personal data form isn't necessary
- Combine the following documents into a single PDF file and upload to the Position / Appointment Form button. When combining documents, use this order:
- NU Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment form, signed by the Principal Investigator and the chair of the department or center director
- Salary for NRSA Postdoctoral Fellows must be commensurate with the NIH NRSA stipend rate for years of experience as a postdoctoral fellow; for non-NRSA Postdoctoral Fellows, the salary must be at least the NRSA rate for zero years of experience and aligning with the NRSA stipend rate for years of experience is encouraged but not required. View FSM policy and NRSA stipend levels.
- Position Data/Appointment Forms, signed by the department administrator or center director
- Appointment form Action/Reason = HIR/HIR
- Position Data form Action/Reason = POS/NEW
- Written justification if appointment term deviates from one year
- If shorter: written justification that (1) explains the reason for the short term and (2) confirms that upon conclusion of the short term, the employee will either be reappointed for a full year or terminated
- If longer: written justification that (1) explains the reason for the longer term and (2) confirms that funding is guaranteed for the duration of the appointment. The maximum term length is three years.
- Current CV
- If degree completed within 6 months of start date: Proof of degree completion or notarized diploma
- For Visiting Postdocs: Documentation/letter from the appointee's home institution to verify his/her current status there
- NU Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment form, signed by the Principal Investigator and the chair of the department or center director
New Postdoc with New Coterminous Instructor AppointmentSubmit the postdoctoral fellow and coterminous Instructor documents in a single OnBase transaction
Complete the OnBase submission form (for help, view this OnBase page) and attach these documents:
- Upload the Personal Data Form separately to its respective button
- If the appointee is not in town yet, submit the form and include as much information as you can get. When the appointee arrives, submit a new form containing the appointee's signature and LOCAL address.
- If an existing employee is changing to a postdoctoral fellow, the personal data form isn't necessary
- Combine the following documents into a single PDF file and upload to the Position / Appointment Form button. When combining documents, use this order:
- NU Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment form, signed by the Principal Investigator and the chair of the department or center director
- Salary for NRSA Postdoctoral Fellows must be commensurate with the NIH NRSA stipend rate for years of experience as a postdoctoral fellow; for non-NRSA Postdoctoral Fellows, the salary must be at least the NRSA rate for zero years of experience and aligning with the NRSA stipend rate for years of experience is encouraged but not required. View FSM policy and NRSA stipend levels.
- Coterminous Faculty Cover Sheet: If the coterminous appointment is paid by NMG, a business plan and draft offer will need to be submitted for approval before you submit the OnBase transaction. Visit the coterminous faculty page for more information.
- Position Data/Appointment Forms in this order:
- Record 0 for the postdoctoral fellow appointment (since this is the primary position)
Appointment form Action/Reason = HIR/HIR
Position Data form Action/Reason = POS/NEW - Record 1 for the coterminous Instructor appointment
Appointment form Action/Reason = HIR/ADD
Position Data form Action/Reason = POS/NEW - For NRSA (T32) Postdocs: If there is salary associated with the coterminous appointment (Record 1), salary should be split across record 0 and 1, but record 0 (the NRSA postdoc) should have 100% effort.
- Record 0 for the postdoctoral fellow appointment (since this is the primary position)
- Written justification if appointment term deviates from one year
- If shorter: written justification that (1) explains the reason for the short term and (2) confirms that upon conclusion of the short term, the employee will either be reappointed for a full year or terminated
- If longer: written justification that (1) explains the reason for the longer term and (2) confirms that funding is guaranteed for the duration of the appointment. The maximum term length is three years.
- Current CV
- If degree completed within 6 months of start date: Proof of degree completion or notarized diploma
- NU Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment form, signed by the Principal Investigator and the chair of the department or center director
Reappointment
Annual Process for Reappointment/Merit Increase
Each summer, there is a brief window of time when reappointments and merit increases are processed using panels in myHR. Details for the current or most recent summer process (including deadlines for its use) are in the checklist below. If the checklist does not apply, use the standard process.
Standard Process
If the reappointment includes an off-cycle salary increase, you may need to complete the Non-Merit Salary Increase Form and receive approval from the Office of Finance & Administration before submitting an OnBase transaction. View the page on Non-Merit Salary Increases for more information. This process does not apply if raising the stipend of a postdoc to the appropriate NRSA level for years of experience (whether they are a NRSA or non-NRSA postdoc).
If the increase is not subject to the non-merit increase process, or you already have approval through that process, complete the OnBase submission form (for help, view this OnBase page) and attach these documents:
- Combine the following documents into a single PDF file and upload to the Position / Appointment Form button. When combining documents, use this order:
- NU Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment form, signed by the Principal Investigator and the chair of the department or center director
- Salary: NRSA Fellows must receive salary increases annually to reflect the NRSA stipend rate for their years of experience; for non-NRSA Fellows, annual incremental salary increases consistent with the NRSA stipend rate for years of experience are recommended but not required and should be based on an annual performance review. View FSM policy and NRSA stipend levels.
- Position Data/Appointment Forms, downloaded from myHR with employee ID#
- Appointment form Action/Reason = DTA/REA
- Approved Non-Merit Salary Increase form, if subject to the non-merit salary increase process
- Written justification if appointment term deviates from one year
- If shorter: written justification that (1) explains the reason for the short term and (2) confirms that upon conclusion of the short term, the employee will either be reappointed for a full year or terminated
- If longer: written justification that (1) explains the reason for the longer term and (2) confirms that funding is guaranteed for the duration of the appointment. The maximum term length is three years.
- CV, only if the appointee has been working at NU for three years or more
- NU Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment form, signed by the Principal Investigator and the chair of the department or center director
- Upload the Personal Data Form separately to its respective button ONLY if appointee needs to update local address or other information
Change Appointment Effective Date
Complete the OnBase submission form (for help, view this OnBase page) and attach these documents:
- Combine the following documents into a single PDF file and upload to the Position / Appointment Form button. When combining documents, use this order:
- NU Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment form, signed by the chair of the department or center director. The Principal Investigator's signature is optional.
- Position Data/Appointment Form, downloaded from myHR with employee ID
- Appointment form Action/Reason = HIR/HIR, write in "change effective date" in comments section at bottom
- Position Data form Action/Reason = POS/NEW (If changes to the position are being made.)
Change in Title
Complete the OnBase submission form (for help, view this OnBase page) and attach these documents:
- Combine the following documents into a single PDF file and upload to the Position / Appointment Form button. When combining documents, use this order:
- NU Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment form, signed by department chair or center director and the Principal Investigator
- In the "Action Requested" section, write in Change in Title
- Position Data/Appointment Form, downloaded from myHR and updated
- Position Data Form Action/Reason = POS CLS if keeping the same position number in myHR (update fields as appropriate to re-classify the existing position); POS NEW if creating a new position
- Appointment form Action/Reason = DTA/REA if keeping the same position number; XFR DPO if creating a new position
- Current CV
- NU Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment form, signed by department chair or center director and the Principal Investigator
RehireReturn of previously active research staff; may be in different job title and/or department
Complete the OnBase submission form (for help, view this OnBase page) and attach these documents:
- Combine the following documents into a single PDF file and upload to the Position / Appointment Form button. When combining documents, use this order:
- NU Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment form signed by the Principal Investigator and chair of the department or center director.
- Check the reappointment box and write REHIRE
- Salary: For NRSA Postdoctoral Fellows, salary must be commensurate with the NIH NRSA stipend rate for years of experience as a postdoctoral fellow; for non-NRSA Postdoctoral Fellows, the salary must be at least the NRSA rate for zero years of experience and aligning with the NRSA stipend rate for years of experience is encouraged but not required. View FSM policy and NRSA stipend levels.
- Position Data/Appointment Forms
Appointment form Action/Reason = REH/REA - Written justification if appointment term deviates from one year
- If shorter: written justification that (1) explains the reason for the short term and (2) confirms that upon conclusion of the short term, the employee will either be reappointed for a full year or terminated
- If longer: written justification that (1) explains the reason for the longer term and (2) confirms that funding is guaranteed for the duration of the appointment. The maximum term length is three years.
- CV if more than six months since termination
- NU Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment form signed by the Principal Investigator and chair of the department or center director.
- Upload the Personal Data Form separately to its respective button if more than six months since termination
Transfer
New department completes the OnBase submission form (for help, view this OnBase page) and attaches these documents:
- Combine the following documents into a single PDF file and upload to the Position / Appointment Form button. When combining documents, use this order:
- NU Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment form
- Salary: For NRSA Postdoctoral Fellows, salary must be commensurate with the NIH NRSA stipend rate for years of experience as a postdoctoral fellow; for non-NRSA Postdoctoral Fellows, the salary must be at least the NRSA rate for zero years of experience and aligning with the NRSA stipend rate for years io experience is encouraged but not required. View FSM policy and NRSA stipend levels.
- Position Data/Appointment Forms downloaded from myHR and updated
- Former department downloads forms from myHR, signs, and sends to new department
- Appointment form Action/Reason = XFR/DPO, and change appropriate fields
- Position Data Form Action/Reason = POS NEW if opening a new position; no change necessary if using an existing position
- Written justification if appointment term deviates from one year
- If shorter: written justification that (1) explains the reason for the short term and (2) confirms that upon conclusion of the short term, the employee will either be reappointed for a full year or terminated
- If longer: written justification that (1) explains the reason for the longer term and (2) confirms that funding is guaranteed for the duration of the appointment. The maximum term length is three years.
- CV
- NU Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment form
- Upload the Personal Data Form separately to its respective button
- If the appointee has worked for the medical school in the last six months in a RESEARCH STAFF position, you don't need to submit a personal data form.
Leave of Absence
Leaves of absence are coordinated by the Benefits Division. Please contact them for assistance: benefits@northwestern.edu.
Resignation
Complete the OnBase submission form (for help, view this OnBase page) and attach these documents:
- Position Data/Appointment Forms indicating termination date and correct Action/Reason codes
- Resignation letter from research staff member, uploaded separately to its respective button
Termination
Per November 2010 policy from HR, termination of Postdoctoral Fellows must follow a new process:
Termination Table
Talking Points
Sample Letter
To process a termination, complete the OnBase submission form (for help, view this OnBase page) and attach these documents:
- Combine the following documents into a single PDF file and upload to the Position / Appointment Form button. When combining documents, use this order:
- Position Data/Appointment Forms downloaded from myHR and updated with termination date and action/reason codes
- Copy of non-reappointment letter from department or center to postdoc
- Visiting Postdocs do not require a non-reappointment letter
Death
Complete the OnBase submission form (for help, view this OnBase page) and attach these documents:
- Combine the following documents into a single PDF file and upload to the Position / Appointment Form button. When combining documents, use this order:
- Position Data / Appointment Forms, downloaded from myHR and updated
Action/Reason Code: TER/DEA - Obituary (if available)
- Position Data / Appointment Forms, downloaded from myHR and updated