Postdoc Resources for Faculty and Staff

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs administers implements and advises postdocs on relevant Ohio State policies, provides professional development programs, and supports the mentoring relationship between faculty mentors and their postdocs.

Our goal is to support the Ohio State faculty who mentor postdocs to develop highly productive and collaborative relationships with postdoc mentees. Please click on the links below for more information on the topics.

What is a Postdoc at Ohio State?

The Ohio State University defines a postdoctoral scholar “postdoc” as an individual who meets the following criteria:

• the appointee was recently awarded a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate or terminal degree (e.g., DrPH, EdD, MD, MFA) in an appropriate field from an accredited domestic or foreign institution.
• the individual is hired using Job Code 8806 (Post Doctoral Scholar) or Job Code 8818 (Post Doctoral Scholar-NRSA for those appointed to training grants and fellowships).
• the appointment involves substantially full-time research or scholarship.
• the appointment is viewed as preparatory for a full-time research career in an academic, governmental, and/or industry sector.
• the appointee works under the supervision of a faculty supervisor, who has appropriate expertise and mentorship experience.
• the appointee is expected to publish the results of their scholarship during the period of the appointment, in consultation with their mentor.
• the agency funding the individual’s compensation (i.e., salary) requires or permits the appointee to be a university employee or University funds are used to support the appointment. Common examples of funding sources for postdocs include an NIH Research Project Grant (e.g., R01) and an NSF research grant to a faculty member.

Best Practices for Hiring Postdocs

The National Postdoctoral Association has compiled a list of hiring, onboarding, and mentorship best practices (NPA Best Practices Guide).

Compensation for Postdocs

Beginning September 1, 2024, current postdoctoral scholars (job code 8806) are expected to be paid a minimum salary of $61,008 and must hold a 100% FTE term appointment. Moving forward, the university's minimum salary for postdocs will be assessed and adjusted annually with guidance from the National Research Service Award Stipend levels updated each Spring by the National Institutes of Health.

Maximum years of training:

Postdoc positions with a 75% – 100% appointment (100% equaling full-time employment) are expected to have an appointment period limited to a maximum of 5 years at Ohio State. Any postdocs who wish to stay beyond five years should be promoted into a higher level position (e.g., assistant professor, research scientist, etc.).

Recommended job boards:

If you are looking for candidates to fill an open postdoc position in your unit, OPA has curated the following list of job boards for posting advertisements.

All Fields of Study:

• Academic Jobs Online
• Chronicles of Higher Education
• Handshake (an employer account is required -- free through Ohio State)
• Higher Education Jobs
• National Postdoctoral Association
• USA Jobs
• Postdoc Opportunities Board (a resource developed by Ohio State's OPA with colleagues across the Big 10 Academic Alliance to feature open postdoc positions across the participating 18 institutions. Postings are free.)
• Another option is to send recruitment emails through professional societies

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences:

• H-NET
• College Arts Association
• MLA

STEM-specific:

• Science Careers (also has the option to send targeted emails to early career scientists in your specific research field)

Faculty mentors of postdocs have access to a wide range of resources to help them with onboarding new postdocs. Below you will find a link to onboarding information for new postdoctoral scholars and a wide selection of programs, resources, and services available at Ohio State to support the research, creative inquiry, and professional development of postdoctoral scholars currently employed across the University. Visit the resources for onboarding new postdocs page for more information

Mentoring Plans and the IDP

The purpose of a mentoring plan is to help mentees formalize their research plan and gain the necessary skills required for a successful career. Ideally, mentoring plans should keep in mind the six core competencies for postdoctoral researchers developed by the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA):

1. Discipline-specific conceptual knowledge
2. Research skill development
3. Communication skills
4. Professionalism
5. Leadership and management skills
6. Responsible conduct of research

We recommend that mentees (your postdoc) generate an individualized development plan (IDP) first. Then both the mentor and mentee work on the mentoring plan together and review and update it annually. This will give them the opportunity to assess how well they have followed the plan and discuss ways to improve and accommodate new or altered goals. A mentoring plan for a postdoctoral scholar should be customized to the research program and needs of the individual.

Access the OPA’s Mentoring Plan Template

Sample Contracts for Mentors and Mentees

Once the expectations of both the mentor and the mentee have been clarified regarding the mentoring relationship, it is important to develop a contract that codifies the expectations. A contract is a tool that can be used to remind the mentor and mentee of their agreed upon expectations and responsibilities.

(Note that we do not necessarily endorse the content of each contract. We are merely providing them to illustrate the types of contracts used). See below for sample contracts:

• Team Mentoring Contract  (University of Pittsburgh)
• Compact Between Postdoc and Mentor (American Association of Medical Colleges)

Looking to end the appointment of a postdoc? The OPA has curated a list of recommended next steps and resources to assist faculty and their postdocs with the offboarding process. Contact us by email for a spreadsheet version of this list.

Below are suggested templates for an exit-interview or a sample termination letter.

• Exit-Interview-Template
• Termination Template