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CEE Postdoctoral Scholar appointment process

This information is intended for CEE faculty mentors who are interested in recruiting and hiring Postdoctoral Scholars. Detailed below is the UW Academic HR process that must be followed for hiring Postdoctoral Scholars at the University of Washington.

Administrative support

If you have questions related to Postdoctoral Scholar appointments and/or reappointments, please contact Karen Heath, Assistant to the Chair (ATC), at karenh3@uw.edu.

If you have questions related to work authorization, i.e. visas, please contact  Karen Heath and she will work with faculty mentors to get the hiring and visa process started.

The General Information for New Postdoctoral Scholar Appointments Form and General Information for Visa Sponsorship (If Applicable) Form are intended for CEE faculty mentors who are interested in recruiting and/or hiring Postdoctoral Scholars. Please complete the forms and submit. Assistant to the Chair, Karen Heath will receive a copy and will work with you to get the recruitment or hiring or visa process started.

Please click on the links or scroll below to the section(s) most applicable to you.

UW Postdoctoral Scholars

Individuals in these titles have received a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) and are engaged in full-time, mentored advanced training to enhance professional skills and research independence. They perform primarily research and scholarship under the direction and supervision of University faculty mentors. All UW Postdoctoral Scholars are represented by the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America Union (UAW). The union contract is located here.

Important factors when considering a Postdoctoral Scholar hire:

Appointment length:

For most Postdoctoral Scholar appointments, the initial appointment must be 12 months, and may be reappointed thereafter for up to a maximum of 60 months (5 years). If faculty mentors choose to not reappoint for a full year after the initial appointment, the faculty mentor must indicate the reason, i.e. lack of funding, in the reappointment letter.

Reappointment considerations:

Postdoctoral Scholars must be notified of reappointment no less than 30-days prior to the reappointment start date.

Layoff during a reappointment:

Layoff is defined as an involuntary separation or a reduction in duration of appointment for a Postdoctoral Scholar after the first year of the initial appointment as a result of appropriate funding becoming unavailable. If the faculty mentor cannot commit to the dates of reappointment, the Postdoctoral Scholar must be notified at least 60 days in advance of the effective date of the layoff.

FTE:

Postdoctoral Scholars must be hired at full time (100% FTE).

Salary:

Postdoctoral Scholars minimum compensation is based on an experience-based salary scale, as determined by the union contract.

Recruitment:

Postdoctoral Scholars are not required to be competitively recruited. However, if faculty mentors do not have an individual in mind to fill the position, the best practice is to create an advertisement and actively recruit through UW’s Interfolio.

International remote work for academic personnel:

Academic Personnel working remotely in an international location where the UW does not have legal presence or working in a location where the UW has legal presence but not connected to a specific UW project is generally prohibited. This is because it puts the University and the individual at risk for tax and employment legal violations.

During COVID-19, some countries have made greater allowances for international work and exceptions may be made in extraordinary circumstances. International remote work arrangements require central review and approval, and an understanding by the individual of their personal legal responsibilities.

Please contact Karen Heath if you have questions and/or need assistance. The process involves review and approval by the CEE Chair, COE Dean, UW Academic HR,\ and the UW Tax Office. For more information on this policy, please visit this webpage.

Teaching:

In limited circumstances, postdoctoral scholars may, with the support of their faculty mentor, seek to advance their professional skills by serving as the official instructor of record in a class. UW may allow Postdoctoral Scholars to teach one class for academic credit one time per academic year (June 16 – June 15), while remaining full-time (100% FTE) in their postdoctoral scholar positions.

A Postdoctoral Scholar must have a temporary faculty appointment, usually as a part-time teaching associate.

Teaching a class for academic credit may not be a condition of employment for a postdoctoral scholar and should not be indicated in their appointment or reappointment letter.

When requesting a temporary faculty appointment for teaching under this policy, unit administrators for the postdoctoral scholar must complete a Postdoctoral Scholar Teaching Request Form and submit it to Karen Heath. All requests must go through COE for approval.

Note: If a Postdoctoral Scholar will be on a J-1 Visa and the faculty mentor would like them to teach, then teaching MUST be indicated in the DS-2019. This detail must be communicated with the Budget Manager.

*Note: Postdoctoral scholar-fellows, interim postdoctoral scholars, postdoctoral scholars paid direct (PDR), and affiliate postdoctoral scholars who are employed by non-University entities (e.g., individuals paid directly by Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Veterans Administration, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, or the U.S. Military) are excluded and are ineligible for engaging in teaching as the official instructor of record or for receiving compensation for performing any teaching of for-credit classes at the University.

Titles

The postdoctoral collective bargaining unit includes those UW employees who meet the definition of Postdoctoral Scholar per the union contract and shall be appointed to the titles of the following listed below. When considering hiring a new postdoc, please review all of the titles below so that you can choose the most relevant title for your needs.

Postdoctoral Scholar

An appointment is made in the title “Postdoctoral Scholar” when the agency funding the salary requires or permits the appointee to be an employee of the University, or whenever General Funds or other University discretionary funds are used to support the position.

Required appointment materials

  • Appointment letter: The ATC will draft an appointment letter and send it to the faculty mentor. The faculty mentor will be asked to review the letter and add  content that is relevant to the Postdoc’s appointment and job expectation.
  • Sexual misconduct disclosure form: Before the prospective Postdoctoral Scholar receives their hire letter, per Washington State law they must complete all pages of the Sexual Misconduct Disclosure form, sign/date, and return the completed form to Karen Heath.
  • Ph.D. degree documents: One of the following degree documents is required:

    OR

    • Proof of conferral: Diploma copy, or official transcript showing date of conferral. NOTE: If the prospective Postdoctoral Scholar can provide this document, then they will be hired as a regular Postdoctoral Scholar.
    • Proof of completion of degree requirements (e.g. if fully completed but not yet conferred): Must consist of an official signed letter with letterhead from the institution they expect to receive their Ph.D. from. This letter can come from the relevant office from their institution, including their graduate school, registrar, etc. (a letter from a faculty adviser or counselor is not acceptable). The letter must also include the future date that the degree will be conferred. NOTE: If this document is provided upon initial appointment, then they will be hired as an Interim Postdoctoral Scholar and they will be changed to a regular Postdoctoral Scholar once they provide the proof of completion of degree requirements (option  above). There is no difference between these two titles, just the title name. With this option, the proof of conferral must be provided no later than 12 months following the start date.
  • CV: A current CV that includes the following information:
    • The expected or actual date PhD was completed (must reflect day/month/year).
    • Previous Postdoctoral Scholar experience (if applicable).
  • Confirm work authorization

Required reappointment materials

  • Reappointment hire letter: The ATC will draft a reappointment letter and send it to the faculty mentor. The faculty mentor will be asked to review the letter and add/revise content that is relevant to the Postdoc’s appointment and job expectation.
    • Less than one year reappointment: If faculty mentors choose to not reappoint for a full year after the initial appointment, the faculty mentor must indicate any one of the following reasons:
      • insufficient funding for a full year
      • the continuation of the project is less than one year
      • visa limitations [add specific limitation details]
      • eligibility within the postdoctoral title has been exhausted and you are no longer able to be appointed as a postdoctoral scholar beyond the end date listed above. You will not be renewed beyond [END DATE]. This message serves as a notice of non-renewal per the appointments and reappointments article of the collective bargaining agreement
  • Ph.D. degree documents (if applicable): If the Postdoctoral Scholar is a conditional at the time of reappointment, they will be expected to submit the proof of conferral to the ATC so that their title can be changed to a regular Postdoctoral Scholar. The proof of conferral must be provided no later than 12 months following the start date or else they will be terminated.
  • CV: An updated CV.
  • Work authorization

Postdoctoral Scholar—Interim

An appointment is made in the title “Interim Postdoctoral Scholar” for UW graduate students who recently obtained their Ph.D. degree or equivalent and who request this title for a short-term appointment to complete an existing project from their graduate educational programs before moving on to other employment.

When the University appoints an Interim Postdoctoral Scholar, the appointment shall be for less than six (6) months. While regular Postdoctoral Scholars may be appointed more than once, no one shall be appointed as an Interim Postdoctoral Scholar for more than a cumulative total of six (6) months in one or multiple appointments.

Should an Interim Postdoctoral Scholar be appointed as a regular Postdoctoral Scholar or Postdoctoral Scholar – Fellow at the conclusion of the interim appointment, their hire date shall remain the original date of appointment into the interim title.

Time spent working in this classification shall count toward the five (5) year maximum eligibility criteria for Postdoctoral Scholars.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Interim Postdoctoral Scholar appointments are not eligible for benefits because their appointments are less than 6-months. If it’s important that your appointee receives benefits, then please contact Lily Mabbott, HR & Payroll Specialist, at lvmabbs@uw.edu to discuss a possible temporary staff appointment.

Required appointment materials

Follow steps 1-4 in “Postdoctoral Scholar Required Appointment Materials”

Required reappointment materials

May not be re-appointed as an interim postdoctoral scholar for more than a cumulative total of 6 months in one or multiple appointments in this title. Should an interim postdoctoral scholar be appointed as a postdoctoral scholar or postdoctoral scholar-fellow at the conclusion of the interim appointment, their hire date should remain the original appointment date into the interim title.

If faculty mentors would like to hire as a regular Postdoctoral Scholar, follow steps 1-6 in “Postdoctoral Scholar Required Reappointment Materials”

Postdoctoral Scholars - paid direct (PDR)

This position should be used when individuals who otherwise meet the criteria as UW postdoctoral scholars are paid directly (PDR) by a non-UW entity/funding source. Individuals in these titles hold UW appointments for the sole purpose of professional development and training according to the terms of their funding agreement.

Some key PDR requirements to note:

  • Health care: Unless the funding source provides funding toward the prospective Postdoctoral Scholars health care insurance, approval of these positions is contingent upon the mentor/appointing unit’s commitment to pay a $500/month supplemental health care stipend for those who are eligible. The funding course must provide financial documents confirming that they will fund health care.
  • Appointment duration: Time spent in this appointment counts toward the 5-year maximum eligibility criteria.
  • Compensation: The funding course must meet the experience level compensation requirements. The funding course must provide financial documents detailing the salary information converted to US dollars.
  • External approval: Faculty mentors who are considering appointing individuals into these positions should consult with COE.

Required appointment materials

In addition to the steps below, follow steps 1-4 in “Postdoctoral Scholar Required Appointment Materials.”

  • Financial documents from the funding course:
    • Health care:

      Or

      • Funding Source provides financial documents that confirms they will pay for health care insurance.
      • Mentor/appointing unit’s commitment to pay a $500/month supplemental health care stipend for those who are eligible. The funding course must provide financial documents confirming that they will fund health care.
    • Compensation:: The funding course must meet the experience level compensation requirements. The funding course must provide financial documents detailing the salary information converted to US dollars.

Required reappointment materials

Follow steps 1-6 in “Postdoctoral Scholar Required Reappointment Materials”

Postdoctoral Scholar - Fellow

An appointment is made in the title “Postdoctoral Scholar – Fellow” when the Postdoctoral Scholar has been awarded a fellowship or traineeship for postdoctoral study by an extramural agency and the fellowship or traineeship stipend is paid either directly or through a University account.

Required appointment materials

Follow steps 1-4 in “Postdoctoral Scholar Required Appointment Materials”

Required reappointment materials

Follow steps 1-6 in “Postdoctoral Scholar Required Reappointment Materials”

Competitive recruitment

Postdoctoral Scholars are not required to be competitively recruited. However, if faculty mentors do not have an individual in mind to fill the position, the best practice is to create an advertisement and actively recruit through UW’s Interfolio. 

The department will pay for, as well as publish Postdoctoral Scholar appointments in Academickeys.com. If you would like the advertisement published in a different outlet, then the department will provide up to $300 to cover the cost of publishing it elsewhere. If you have questions, please contact Karen Heath. 

Advertisement development steps:

  1. Contact Karen Heath, ATC, to get started on the recruitment process.
  2. ATC will ask faculty mentors to complete the Postdoctoral Scholar Recruitment - Advertisement Development form.
  3. ATC will enter the information in the form into Interfolio and submit for approval. Once the ad has been approved, ATC will publish the ad and notify the faculty mentor.

Reviewing applicants steps:

  1. ATC will share the “Reviewing applicants – Your ad is published, now what?” document that details best practices for evaluation process and required actions in Interfolio.
  2. Once the finalist has been selected, ATC will work with the faculty mentor on hiring.

Compensation

The below language is taken directly from the UAW postdoctoral Scholars Local 4121 (06-20/2023-01/31/2025) contract. To review the complete contract, please visit: UAW Postdoctoral Scholars (Postdoc) contract

Article 32 – Compensation

Section 32.1. General Provisions

  1. The University may provide compensation to individual Postdoctoral Scholars at rates above those stipulated in this Article.
  2. When the requirements of the sponsoring agency exceed the terms of this Article, the requirements of the sponsoring agency shall control all salary/stipend adjustments.
  3. The provisions of this Article shall not apply to any Postdoctoral Scholar appointed on a grant that restricts that Postdoctoral Scholar’s remuneration to only the pay provided by the grant.

Postdoctoral Scholars

Effective January 1, 2023, the minimum salary for Postdoctoral Scholars is $65,508 except as defined below. Effective January 1, 2024, the minimum salary for Postdoctoral Scholars will increase by four and half percent (4.5%, which annualized is $68,460) except as defined below. Any adjustments to the minimum, effective January 1, 2024, will be implemented after the increases outlined in Section 32.2A.

Postdoctoral Scholar-Fellows

Postdoctoral Scholar-Fellows with new appointments, reappointments, or anniversary dates (whichever comes first) after January 1, 2023*, will have their total stipend increased to $65,508 subject to section 32.1. C. Effective July 1, 2023*, the minimum for all Postdoctoral Scholar-Fellows will be increased to $65,508 subject to 32.1.C. This increase does not extend the appointment period for the Postdoctoral Scholar.

Postdoctoral Scholar Paid Directs (PDRs)

Postdoctoral Scholars paid directly are funded by a non-UW entity/funding source. PDRs must receive a minimum of $53,760 from their funding source, unless funded at a higher rate by their non-UW entity/funding sources. New appointments and reappointments on or after July 1, 2024, must receive a minimum of $56,484 from their funding source, unless funded at a higher rate by their non-UW entity/funding source. The provisions of Article 32 do not otherwise apply to PDRs.

Work authorization

Postdoctoral Scholars must have work authorization to work in the United States of America. Postdoctoral Scholars can have any of the following work authorizations:

Optional practical training (OPT)

This is a temporary employment that is directly related to an F-1 student’s major of study. OPT is for students (typically newly graduated Ph.D. students from a US school) who will engage in post-secondary schools, i.e. Postdoctoral Scholar. The initial OPT work authorization will be for 1 year. The student will receive support in the initial OPT application from their Ph.D. institution.

  • Processing timeline: It can take up to 2.5 to 5 months for USCIS to process the OPT application and it is not possible to expedite the process.
  • Hiring implications: Unit cannot hire a Postdoctoral Scholar until ATC receives a copy of the Employment Authorization (EAD) card with specified employment date range.

24-month (STEM) Optional Practical Training (OPT) Extension:

For students who majored in designated Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) degrees approved by DHS. This type of OPT is a 24-month extension of OPT. Postdoctoral Scholars will have to apply for this extension in order to be reappointed.

  • Processing timeline: Processing times vary greatly, but typically it takes 90-120 days.
  • Hiring implications: Unit cannot hire a Postdoctoral Scholar until ATC receives a copy of the I-20 Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status. The EAD card can be sent in later.

J-1 Exchange visitor:

Exchange visitor (J-1) visas are nonimmigrant visas for individuals approved to participate in exchange visitor programs in the United States.

  • Teaching duties: If a Postdoctoral Scholar will be on a J-1 Visa and the faculty mentors would like them to teach, then teaching MUST be indicated as a responsibility in the DS-2019. This detail must be communicated with the Budget Manager.
  • Processing timeline: Visa processing time varies by home country, it’s recommended to initiate the process as early as possible for the Exchange Visitor to apply for the visa, receive the J Visa and travel to the US. CEE Department recommendation is to initiate a J Visa request at least 4 months in advance to ensure the visitor can receive their DS-2019 and get a visa interview at their nearest consulate in a timely manner
    • After a signed J-Visa request and supporting docs are sent to ISO, the DS-2019 is mailed within two weeks. ISO recommends the DS-2019 be mailed to the Exchange Visitor at least three months in advance of their start date

H1-B initial visas:

UW sponsorship of H-1B visas is strictly limited to certain full-time, paid appointment titles. H-1B is often an appropriate visa classification for full-time UW-salaried academic personnel, including:

  • Postdoctoral Scholars who graduated from U.S. schools or who are currently working in the U.S.
  • J-1 Exchange Visitors who have exhausted their 5 years of J-1 eligibility
    • Processing Time: It is recommended to submit H-1B visa requests to the ISO as early as 7 months prior to the employment start date, so requests to the department should be made at least 8-9 months ahead.

H1-B extension:

H-1B limit

US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) regulations establish a six-year cap on the number of consecutive years a foreign national may hold H-1B status. Initial admission as an H-1B can be up to three years. And after the initial sponsorship, extensions of stay are granted in up to three-year increments. Any periods of time in H-1B status with other US employers prior to UW appointment count toward the six-year limit.

  • Processing Time: H-1B extensions need to be submitted to the ISO at least six months before the start date of the extension, so requests should be made to the department 7-8 months ahead.
CEE Employment Visa Timeline
  New J-1 Ext. J-1 New H-1B Ext. H-1B
ISO Lead Time 3 months 3 months 7 months 6 months
CEE Lead Time 4 months 4 months 8-9 months 7-8 months
ISO Orientation Must attend ISO check-in Must attend ISO check-in No ISO check-in No ISO check-in
CEE Employment Authorization Must contact Lily Mabbott to update I-9 Must contact Lily Mabbott to update I-9 Must contact Lily Mabbott to update I-9 Must contact Lily Mabbott to update I-9
Fees ISO: $562
Filing Fee: No premium
Amendments and corrections: $105
ISO: $562
Filing Fee: No premium
Amendments and corrections: $105
ISO: $562
Filing Fee: $460
Fraud Protection Fee: $500
Premium Processing Fee: $2,500
ISO: $562
Filing Fee: $460
Fraud Protection Fee: $500
Premium Processing Fee: $2,500