Graduate School

New Postdocs

Ohio State is a large university, and it can take a while for new employees to acclimate. The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs has compiled a list of resources to assist new postdocs and their faculty mentors with the onboarding process.

Onboarding Checklist

Postdocs who are new to the university have a number of tasks they need to complete within specific timeframes as they join Ohio State’s community. The OPA has developed an onboarding guide to keep postdocs on track.

Before You Arrive
Your First Week
  • Review the action items on the Office of Human Resource's New Hire First Week Checklist, https://hr.osu.edu/new-employees/employees/first-week/.
  • Attend the required New Employee Orientation, https://hr.osu.edu/new-employees/employees/orientation/.
  • For international postdocs, you are required to schedule an onboarding meeting with Ohio State’s Office of International Affairs upon arrival to the University. Details here:
    • The U.S. government rules allow a limited time to enter the United States based on the start date of your DS-2019 form. You must report in person to Ohio State's Office of International Affairs after you arrive. You can enter up to 30 days before and no more than 20 days after the start date listed on your DS-2019 form. Notify your host department immediately if there will be a delay in beginning your J-1 program more than 20 days after the start date of your DS-2019 form. Your host department will contact the Office of International Affairs to update your immigration document and SEVIS record. Failure to update your SEVIS record will result in denial of the visa stamp or entry into the United States.
    • To complete the government reporting requirement, you must attend the Office of International Affairs' check-in and orientation. Office of International Affairs scholar advisors review your immigration documents, collect your residential U.S. address and health insurance coverage information and provide orientation. See the full checklist and how to book an orientation check-in on their website.
    • "OIA Scholar Welcome Packet: The Office of International Affairs has developed a new scholar welcome packet that has many useful resources related to working within the United States, immigration regulation, finding daycare and schools, English conversation resources, and many other topics.
    • "Obtain a Social Security Number: This is a number in the format 000-00-0000, and it is used for identification purposes and to track Social Security benefits. Each person in the United States has one unique SSN. You need this number for opening a bank account, buying a car, leasing an apartment, etc. To obtain your SSN, go to the office of US Social Security Administration at 200 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215. Once you apply for your SSN, you will often get it within 2 weeks. Note: some people holding specific visa types cannot get a SSN. For instance, if you are an H1-B visa holder, your dependents hold an H-4 visa, which is not eligible to get a SSN. Visit this page for a list of required documents.
  • Get your university badge. The university has two badge types that are used for building access, employment verification processes, and to pay at several cafeterias and restaurants across the university campus. If you are unsure which badge type applies to you, one way to identify this is which email system you use on campus. If you use name.#@osu.edu, you will likely use a BuckID; if you use firstname.lastname@osumc.edu, you will likely use a medical center badge. Details about both types included below:
    • For individuals who work on “main campus” or at the regional campuses (i.e., not part of the Medical Center/The James), the badge used is the BuckID. For more information about BuckIDs, visit their website.
    • For individuals who work in the medical center or the James Comprehensive Cancer Center, the badge used is the Ohio State Medical Center badge. Read more about this badge type.
  • Complete required trainings:
    • "The university requires all employees to complete sexual misconduct prevention education annually. ""Report = Support!"" is an interactive, easy-to-follow course that takes less than 30 minutes to complete and has been assigned to your BuckeyeLearn transcript., To access this course, log in to the BuckeyeLearn system at buckeyelearn.osu.edu with your Ohio State credentials. Then select the ""My Transcript"" button on the BuckeyeLearn homepage and click the ""Launch"" button. If the course is not listed in your transcript, you can also search for this course. Make sure you are taking the version that is within the current year."
    • Take the Institutional Data Policy Training to ensure continued access to OSU systems, https://it.osu.edu/security/training/idp
    • Take any required research trainings. If you work in the biomedical and clinical sciences, this includes taking CITI training., https://orrp.osu.edu/search/CITI/
    • Note if you will be interacting with minors in your research or lab activities, you are required to take training. These activities must also be registered with the university's Office of Human Resources., https://policies.osu.edu/assets/policies/Policy-Youth-Activities-and-Programs.pdf
  • Set-up your computer workstation and digital workspace. If you experience issues, contact Information Technology., University-side: Office of Technology and Digital Innovation, Medical Center: OSUMC Information Technology.
    • Set-up your digital workspace (Teams, OneDrive, Adobe Creative Cloud, GitHub, etc.).
    • Request access to all pertinent digital assets and resources from your faculty mentor and other collaborators. Note: you will need your OSU and/or OSUMC credentials to set these programs up.
    • Determine any additional software you need. Many statistical, design, other research-related programs can be downloaded for free through the Office of Technology and Digital Innovation's self-service portal. Note: OSU login is required to access this portal.
  • Commuting to campus:
    • Option 1 - Driving: To park on campus, you will need to acquire a parking permit from CampusParc. There are different parking locations and types (surface lots and secured access parking garages) across Ohio State’s campuses. Having garage access is a more costly option. Parking on west campus and taking a shuttle or bus into central campus is generally a cheaper option. Post Doctoral Scholars are eligible for A, WA, and CX Buckeye Lot parking pass options. The monthly expense associated with this pass is deducted pre-tax from your paycheck. Visit the CampusParc website for more details.
    • Option 2 – Public transportation: Purchase a monthly COTA bus pass through Workday as a monthly pre-tax payroll deduction. Visit the Transportation and Traffic Management for more details.
  • Complete required and suggested orientation and onboarding activities:
    • Sign-up for the New Postdoc Orientation offered by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. Register for an upcoming session.
    • Review the Office of Human Resource’s new hire onboarding checklist to make sure you have completed all required actions.
Your First Month
  • Review Human Resource's New Hire First-Month Checklist.
  • Choose a health insurance plan: Choose a health insurance plan for you, your spouse, and your dependents (if applicable) within the first 30 days of employment. This is done in Workday. Learn how to access Workday.
  • Choose a retirement plan:
    • Note: you must choose a retirement plan within the first 120 days of your employment. If you do not make a selection, you will be put in the Ohio Public Employment Retirement System (OPERS) by default. Visit this page for more details.
    • You have 120 days from your hire date to choose a retirement plan. During the 120-day enrollment period, you may elect to participate in the Ohio Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP) or Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) for staff. 
    • The university has resources to help employees navigate these options. Once you have your OSU login credentials, you can participate in a 90-minute webinar led by the Office of Human Resources. During this session, they provide you with the information regarding your retirement plan options as a new hire. The Office of Human Resources also offers retirement choices forums to provide a high-level summary of the plans available to new faculty and staff. During these sessions Benefits Consultants will compare key features of the ARP, and OPERS/STRS, and will address issues you need to consider when making your decision. To access the 90-minute session, once you have your OSU login credentials, go to buckeyelearn.osu.edu, search for "retirement plan", and select one of the sessions that falls within the 120-day period. Once you've selected your preferred plan, you need to finalize this within the HR systems., https://hr.osu.edu/benefits/retirement/
  • Get connected with other postdocs: Sign-up for the Postdoctoral Association's mailing list and start participating in their activities., https://u.osu.edu/postdocs/
  • Develop a roadmap for your training and scholarship while at Ohio State: Develop an Individualized Development Plan (IDP) with your faculty mentor that outlines what you will do during your time at Ohio State., See OPA website for more details, including resources, templates, and examples.
  • Learn who at Ohio State to contact: Figure out what units and services are available across the university to support your professional development, assist with career development, and enable your research., See OPA website's campus resource page for more information.

Resources to Assist with the Onboarding Process

New Postdoc Orientation and Individualized Development Plan Workshop

 All recently hired postdoctoral scholars are invited to this orientation program. You can enroll in an upcoming session. During this session, which occurs every other month, you will:

  • Learn how the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the Postdoc Association support postdocs at Ohio State.
  • Be introduced to important things you’ll need to know as you pursue your postdoctoral training.
  • Meet other new postdocs and learn about the broader postdoc community at Ohio State.
  • Have the opportunity to ask questions about your position, the university, Columbus, and/or any other topic for which you need guidance.
  • Receive guidance on how to develop an Individualized Development Plan (IDP) and learn how this tool can improve your training experience at Ohio State and help you to prepare for next steps in your career.

Here are some other helpful onboarding resources

  • The New Postdoc Guide
  • An Onboarding Guide for Postdocs prepared by Dave Edyburn, a senior research scientist and professor emeritus. The materials Dr. Edyburn included in this guide were things he said he wished he had been told when he first started his postdoc training years ago.

Getting around campus and finding people’s contact information

  • OSU Maps. This is an interactive tool that includes the names and locations of buildings and parking lots/garages across campus as well as the locations of bus pick-ups (both campus buses and those operated by Columbus’ public transit authority, COTA).
  • Find people. Ohio State has embedded the find people functionality into the university’s main website. To use this feature, go to the Ohio State landing page and click the magnifying glass in the top righthand corner. Search for an individual with last name, first and last name, or using their name.#. This search feature will show you their location on campus, their full name and job title, and their home department affiliation.
  • The Ohio State app. Ohio State has developed an app that is very useful for new employees. Although it’s geared towards undergrads, the campus map, personnel and building directory, real-time bus routes, and status of parking garage capacity are extremely useful resources. It’s free to download and use. This is a great way to help you acclimate to the university’s large campus. The app also includes the locations of accessible building entrances, and the locations of lactation and wellness rooms and sanctuary spaces across campus. Download instructions.
Creating an Individualized Development Plan (IDP)

As mentioned earlier, an IDP is a tool to help support, plan, and track your career development and learning opportunities. In this half of the orientation, you will learn how to build and use an IDP based on your greatest strengths, address areas for growth, and confidently discuss your IDP with your supervisor.

Why Should You Draft an IDP?

Mentees are strongly encouraged to generate an IDP before completing the mentoring plan with their mentor. For tips on how to get started, check out this article. Other tools for generating IDPs can be found at:

The IDP will identify the areas of development for the mentee and annual goals to achieve progress. Participation in programs or structured mentoring activities in areas of professional development will contribute to the postdoctoral scholar’s progress towards their goals.

Examples of mentoring activities include:

  • Career counseling
  • Training in preparation of grant proposals, publications, and presentations
  • Guidance on ways to improve teaching and mentoring skills.
  • Guidance on how to effectively collaborate with researchers from diverse backgrounds and disciplinary areas. 
  • Training in responsible professional practices

Individual Development Plan Examples, Tools, and Templates

 The following is a template that postdocs and their mentors can use to create an individual development plan.