Postdoctoral Fellows

• Penn PhD Students:  Global Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunities

  • Postdoctoral Fellowships at Institut Pasteur in Paris (for US citizens)

• International Postdoctoral Recruiting Program

  • Guidebook
  • Why Choose Penn
  • Affiliated Institutions
  • Registration
  • Visas
  • Penn's Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs
  • Penn's Policy for Postdoctoral Fellows
    

International Postdoctoral Recruiting Program
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) has initiated a pilot program to recruit international postdoctoral fellows from selected international institutions.  Eligible biomedical graduate students from participating international institutions are invited to explore this exciting opportunity in a leading research university located in the historic city of Philadelphia, Pennyslvania. 

Recruiting Guidebook
We have prepared a guidebook that explains the program.  It has important background information that will help international students determine whether to register for Penn’s recruiting program.  You can view specific sections or the entire guidebook in Adobe Acrobat by clicking on the following links:

• Cover Pages (204 KB)
• Registration (70.6 KB)
• Executive Summary (216 KB)
• Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs Office & Policies for Fellows (618 KB)
• Research (207 KB)
• University of Pennsylvania (1.15 MB)
• Schools of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, and Dental Medicine (399 KB)
• Philadelphia (315 KB)
• Global Health Programs (42.5 KB)
• Complete Guidebook (18.1 MB)

Why Choose Penn

If you wish to register with Penn’s program for recruiting international postdoctoral fellows , please follow the instructions below.  The recruiting program is based on participation agreements with a growing group of international institutions that currently includes:

*Click on asterisked links to send an email for special instructions before submitting your registration form. 

Steps to Registering for the International Postdoctoral Fellow Recruiting Program

This program is limited to students at the institutions listed above.  If you have completed/are completing a doctorate in conjunction with one of these institutions, please do the following:

1. Review Information
   review our recruiting guidebook and decide if you would like to register for this program
2. Search Database
   if you are interested in registering, you will need to identify Penn faculty with whom you would like to work; to do this, search database of Penn faculty (you will have to follow this link and then scroll down to find the search button).
3. Register
   complete a registration form, save it as "your name + postdoc registration," and attach it in an email to globalpd@mail.med.upenn.edu; after you have submitted the registration form, you will get an email confirming that you have registered, and that you have been added to our list of registered students from participating institutions
4. Further Information
   if you have questions about the research life at Penn and practical arrangements for spending time in the US, visit the website of the Biomedical Postdoctoral Council (BPC).  The BPC is is a group of postdoc volunteers who work to improve the postdoctoral training experience at Penn. They have a special Foreign National Committee and very helpful Resources for International Postdoctoral Fellows at Penn.  In addition, they would be happy to try to identify a "buddy trainer," a postdoctoral fellow at Penn (who may be from your home country) with whom you can correspond about any training or living concerns you might have.  To contact the Foreign National Committee and request a buddy trainer, send an email to: pcouncil@mail.med.upenn.edu. 

Once you are on our list of registered students, we will contact the faculty you have identified on your behalf.  You may contact us at any time to check on the status of your registration.  You are also welcome to access a list of postdoctoral positions at Penn that have been posted on the website operated by Penn’s Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs office (please note that there are always additional openings that are not listed here).  If you have questions, please email us at globalpd@mail.med.upenn.edu

Visas

The University of Pennsylvania will assist you in applying for an appropriate visa for your fellowship.  Please note that for J-1 visas you should allow at least three months and for H-1B visas you should allow at least 6 months from date of application to date of approval.   We offer experienced administrative advice and aid in the visa application process, through Penn’s Office of International Programs.   In addition, if you are interested in viewing a MS Word document containing a brief summary of the differences between the J-1 and H-1B, please click here. 

Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs

Penn's office of Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs (BPP) is dedicated to providing the administrative oversight that helps more than 800 life science postdoctoral fellows succeed.  In the United States, BPP is recognized as a pioneer in the training of postdoctoral fellows and has served as a model for programs in many other institutions. 

Policy for Postdoctoral Fellows

Penn has long been a leader committed to protecting the rights and interests of postdoctoral fellows.  In this capacity, Penn was one of the first universities in the United States to develop and approve a Postdoctoral Fellows Policy designed to provide all postdoctoral fellows with a clear statement of the guidelines that govern their recruitment, responsiblities, rights, and educational expectations. 

Last updated:  May 21, 2008