Administrative Considerations

FAS policy applies to all categories of postdoctoral fellows, irrespective of their funding source. For the purposes of this handbook, the term “Postdoc” applies to research scholars who have recently completed a doctoral degree and are temporarily engaged in research in the FAS/SEAS. This includes four categories of researchers:

• “Employee” postdocs, who are supported by research grants and contracts or internal Harvard funding under the direction of a Harvard Principal Investigator;

• Stipendiary postdocs, who receive a fellowship that is managed by Harvard University. In this case the fellow is paid through Harvard;

• External postdocs, who are paid directly by an external entity and are, therefore, not paid through Harvard;

• Research Associates, who, ordinarily, have had at least three years of postdoctoral experience and are continuing their research under the general supervision of one or more faculty members.

In university documentation, postdocs are often covered under the term “researchers.” Postdocs are not covered under faculty, staff, or students. However, if you see a policy the covers only faculty, staff, and students, please inquire about whether it also applies to postdocs by contacting Stephen Kargère, Director of the FAS Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (kargere@fas.harvard.edu)

When a faculty member offers a postdoctoral appointment to a candidate, the offer letter should conform to the template provided in the FAS Appointments and Promotion Handbook. In order for the appointment to be processed, the letter must be accompanied by the documents listed in the Handbook.

The letters of appointment and renewal should indicate whether the mentor has available funding to fulfill the terms of the appointment; if not, the letter should indicate the duration of assured funding. When the appointment is to be coterminous with external funding, research grant, contract, training grant, etc., this fact should be included in the letter of appointment, including the end date of the funding, even if renewal is expected.

Eligibility for appointment as a postdoctoral fellow requires a candidate to hold, or to have completed the requirements for, an advanced degree, e.g., Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent. Requirements of doctoral degree verification are described under "Documentation required" in the FAS Appointments Handbook.

Per the FAS Appointments Handbook, the appointment (which, if paid, is contingent on funding) is ordinarily full-time and is made for a minimum of three months and is not to exceed 12 months. (If a part-time appointment is requested, justification must be given to and approved by the assistant dean.) Reappointment at this rank may be possible, subject to review by the principal investigator, and individuals may ordinarily serve in this category, whether full- or part-time, for three to five years. Feedback on performance will be provided on an annual basis. An annual reappointment letter must be submitted for reappointment to this rank. The reappointment letter should include the dates of the reappointment, new salary and/or pay source information, and should outline any changes to the appointment since the original appointment offer letter.

At the end of their postdoctoral appointment, postdocs may then be reclassed to Research Associate, an annual appointment that may be renewed for up to five years.

The appointment may be on Harvard payroll (“paid”) or funded independently (“unpaid”).

According to section 13, “Salary,” in the FAS Appointments Handbook,

• Paid appointments may be as employee postdoctoral fellows (when the postdoctoral fellow is supported by research grants and contracts under the direction of a Harvard Principal Investigator) or as stipendiary postdoctoral fellows (when a fellowship is awarded to a postdoctoral fellow and is managed by Harvard University, with the fellow paid through Harvard). For further guidance on stipendees, please see the Research Appointments Matrix. Effective August 1, 2024, the minimum salary for postdocs is $67,600.
• The salary minimum continues to apply to both internal and externally funded postdoctoral fellows who are paid through Harvard. An external postdoctoral fellow is a postdoc who receives funding from a source outside of Harvard. If the funding flows through Harvard, it must meet the $67,600 minimum. However, if the funding goes directly to the postdoc, please refer to the section below describing positions not paid through Harvard.
• Positions unpaid through Harvard include those on fellowships that are paid directly to the fellow. If the postdoctoral appointment is unpaid through Harvard, the candidate must have external funding that meets the minimum base salary requirement of $61,008 (for postdocs with no prior experience) or the appropriate step on the NIH scale. Personal funds may not be used (in full or in part) to meet this requirement.
   

-----> Any postdoc who believes that they are paid less than the FAS salary minimum should contact Stephen Kargère, Director of the FAS Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. If you have any questions, you may also reach out to your Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs or Zoe Fonseca-Kelly, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs.

All full-time postdocs on annual appointments (as opposed to appointments under one year) and whether paid by Harvard or not, and all Research Associates, are entitled to:

• 

  20 days of paid vacation per appointment year. (Paid vacation for partial year postdoc appointments are prorated accordingly.) This provision is already included in the template postdoc offer letter. In the case of annual appointment, however, these 20 days are not prorated, but earned up front.

• All University holidays with the proviso that, should a postdoc be required to work on the holiday due to the research group/lab schedule, an alternative day off should be given at another time agreed with the faculty supervisor.
• Sick days: Sick leave may be taken as needed, up to 12 business days of sick leave per year (equivalent to one day per month). Time off for illness or family matters may also be covered under the MA PFML or FMLA.
• 

  Death in the Family: 3 days.

Please note, that:

• These policies apply to postdocs, including Research Associates, who serve on a 12-month basis. If an appointment is less than full time, vacation and sick times are prorated.
• Unused vacation days, bereavement days, or sick days do not carry over from year to year.
• There is no payout of unused vacation, bereavement, or sick time when an appointment ends.
• All vacation must be approved by your PI in advance. (It is highly recommended that you confirm the arrangement with your PI in writing to avoid any possibility of future misunderstanding).

Leaves policies are described on the FAS Office of Postdoctoral Affairs website. Forms of leave include MA Paid Family Medical Leave (MA PFML), leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and Personal Leave.

• Sick leave may be taken as needed, up to 12 business days of sick leave per year (equivalent to one day per month).

• If illness extends beyond 10 business days (2 weeks), documentation from a physician may be required to qualify for short-term disability coverage (in the case of Harvard benefits-eligible postdocs).

• Any unused sick leave at the end of the appointment year does not carry over into the following year, except in the case of time off for illness or family matters that may be covered under the MA PFML or FMLA.

Postdocs are expected to provide at least one month’s notice of resignation. When appropriate to the discipline, it is the obligation of the postdoc to ensure that all research materials and records are left in a state to allow continuation of the project.
 

In the case of early contract termination due to unsatisfactory performance, the FAS Appointments Handbook describes the process and documentation required here.
 

Ordinarily, a minimum of 3 months’ notice of the nonrenewal of a Postdoctoral Fellow or a Research Associate appointment will be expected, except in extraordinary circumstances.