Faculty Mentors

Is a search required?

A search is required for all postdoctoral appointments, except in the instances listed in the FAS Appointment and Promotion Handbook.

Conducting a search

When hiring a postdoc from outside of Harvard, the position is advertised in order to reach the maximum pool of realistic applicants. Suggestions of publications in which to post include:

• Posting open positions on the departmental/area website

• Making direct inquiries with colleagues at other institutions

• HERC (New England Higher Education Recruitment Consortium) – Contact Ben Marciniak for information on posting ads

• Field-related internet listserves

• Field-related publications

• Research University Alliance My Postdoc Portal, to which Harvard belongs and is free.

Advertising copy must use the affirmative byline: "Harvard is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law." The search ad also must specifically express interest in developing a broad pool of candidates. Care should be taken to avoid language that could be construed as discriminatory with regard to age.

Resources on becoming an effective mentor.

Tools for Grant Applications: Sample mentoring plan and Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) course.

This page provides an extensive list of resources to help postdocs.