The standardized postdoctoral initial appointment and reappointment letters were by prepared Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs and approved by the BPP advisory committee. Letter templates contain critical information meant to outline the working relationship and to protect both the mentor and the postdoc. Letters are available online or as an e-mail attachment. When contacting BPP to request letters, please indicate what type of computer and software you have. The types of letters and what they include are outlined below:
Initial Appointment Letters (see Appendix: Letters)
It is critical that Initial Appointment Letters are sent well in advance of the postdoc’s anticipated start date. This allows both the faculty mentor and the postdoc to ask any questions and to clarify the terms of their future appointment. It also allows the department and faculty member to assist the postdoc with completion of any visa paperwork (if needed) as well as provide the postdoc with time to obtain the necessary documentation of his or her terminal degree.
The time prior to the initial appointment is the best time to address additional concerns, such as housing. See Chapter 7 for more resources.
Postdoctoral appointments are renewable. Postdoctoral positions are annual appointments and thus, a postdoc’s reappointment date will always be the same day and month as the initial start date even if the postdoc transfers to another department or lab on a date other than the reappointment date. For example, if a postdoc began on 5/1/06, her reappointment date will always be 5/1 of the respective year.
As with initial appointments, renewals should be one year in length. Departments who wish to have a shorter or longer period of appointment must consult with BPP to discuss the specific situation.
This letter was created specifically for biomedical postdocs who transfer from one department to another during their current appointment period. When a postdoc transfers to another department it does not warrant a new start date, but rather the postdoc will continue out his or her current appointment with the new department/mentor until the postdoc’s time of reappointment.
The standardized initial appointment and renewal letters indicate the full term of the appointment (1 year from begin date) and therefore an additional termination letter is not required if the appointment ends on the pre-established end date. However, faculty members are strongly encouraged to remind the postdoc verbally or in writing as the end date approaches if it is their intent to terminate the appointment.
If a postdoc is being terminated on any other date during the appointment year, he/she MUST be given the appropriate three months written notice. The standardized termination letter should be used in these instances of funding discontinuation or unsatisfactory performance.
We strongly encourage faculty members to assess postdoc performance and funding resources as often as necessary to provide as much advance notice as possible when there is need for termination. In addition, faculty should consult with the department Business Administrator (BA) and BPP before terminating any postdoc during the appointment year.
The existing University Postdoc Policy stipulates that the mentor can only terminate postdoctoral appointments with three months written notice. The purpose of this policy is to protect the postdoc from unfair dismissal. However, rare circumstances may arise where immediate dismissal is appropriate.
From time to time, postdocs may wish to resign their appointment prior to the last day of the appointment year. All Biomedical postdoctoral appointees are expected to follow the guideline below:
When a postdoctoral appointee chooses to resign from his or her position prior to the end of the appointment period as indicated in his or her postdoctoral appointment letter, it is expected that he or she will provide at least one month’s notice. Upon leaving the laboratory, a postdoc has an obligation to leave the original notebooks, data and reagents in a state that will allow continuation of the project and ensures compliance with the Intellectual Property Policy and other relevant policies of the University.”
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