Chapter 13D

This appointment is made to enable the individual to pursue their own research under the sponsorship and mentoring of a Harvard faculty member(s). Postdoctoral fellows engage in mentored training to enable them to become independent researchers. Designated sponsors will ordinarily hold the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, Senior Lecturer, Senior Research Fellow, Senior Research Scientist, Rowland Institute Research Fellow, John Harvard Distinguished Science Fellow, or NSF-Simons Fellow. Due to the importance of in-person mentoring with their faculty sponsor and having the opportunity to interact with colleagues and researchers within their department, it is expected that postdoctoral fellows pursue their research on campus.

To hold an appointment at this rank, the candidate must have received a doctoral degree at the time of appointment. Ordinarily, the candidate will have recently earned a doctorate. The appointment (which is contingent on funding) is ordinarily full-time and is made for a minimum of three months and not to exceed 12 months. (If a part-time appointment is requested, justification must be given to and approved by the associate dean.) Reappointment at this rank may be possible, subject to review by the principal investigator, and individuals may ordinarily serve in this category, whether full- or part-time, for up to five years. 

Feedback on performance will be provided on an annual basis. An annual reappointment letter must be submitted for reappointment to this rank. The reappointment letter (stipendee reappointment letter, external reappointment letter) should include the dates of the reappointment, confirm new salary and/or pay source information, and outline any changes to the appointment since the original appointment offer letter.

Postdoctoral fellows may not be designated as “principal investigator,” “project director,” or “co-PI” without the explicit approval of the divisional/SEAS dean or their designee. (Please see the “Application for the Exceptional Granting of FAS or SEAS Principal Investigator Rights” form, available on the “Forms” page of the FAS website for faculty and researchers.) Please see the FAS Office of Postdoctoral Affairs for additional information about postdoctoral fellow appointments.

Notes: 

   a. Members of the FAS and University community are expected to familiarize themselves with, and conform to, Harvard policies on teaching, research, and service, as appropriate to their position. Please see Chapter 2, “FAS and University Policies,” for more information.

   b. In keeping with Harvard University’s Intellectual Property policies and other research policies, faculty and researchers are expected to sign electronically the Harvard University Participation Agreement by the start of their appointment.

   c. If pursuing research in one of Harvard’s laboratories, and if not receiving any form of payment from Harvard, faculty and researchers should also submit an electronic PDF of a signed hard copy of the Acknowledgement of Risk and Release for Non-Harvard Personnel Using Harvard Research and Instructional Laboratory Facilities form by the start of their appointment.

Stipendee Postdoctoral Fellows: Paid (i.e., Internal or External)

A paid stipendee postdoctoral fellow is compensated either through: 

1. an internal, Harvard-funded stipend, or
2. external funding that runs through Harvard. 

Paid appointments for stipendiary postdoctoral fellows occur when a fellowship is awarded to a postdoctoral fellow and is managed by Harvard University, with the fellow paid through Harvard. Effective August 1, 2024, the minimum salary for all paid postdocs is $67,600. These postdocs are appointed to the 000949 job code and are eligible for Harvard benefits. 

Stipendee Postdoctoral Fellows: Unpaid (i.e., External) 

An external, unpaid stipendee postdoctoral fellow is a postdoc who receives funding (a stipend) from a source outside of Harvard. Positions unpaid through Harvard include those on fellowships that are paid directly to the fellow. In this instance, the candidate must have external funding that meets the NIH minimum base salary requirement for postdocs with no prior experience or the appropriate step on the NIH scale. Personal funds may not be used (in full or in part) to meet this requirement, but faculty PIs, centers, or departments are permitted to provide funding to meet the minimum requirements. 

Postdoctoral fellows in this category are not employees of Harvard, and conduct their own research while receiving mentorship from a faculty member.

Any postdoc who believes that they are paid less than the FAS salary minimum should contact Stephen Kargère, Director of the FAS Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. If a postdoc has any questions about their appointment, they may also reach out to their divisional/SEAS associate dean or Zoe Fonseca-Kelly, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs.

For further guidance on stipendees, please see the “Research Appointments Matrix,” available on the "Appointment and Promotion” page of the FAS website for faculty and researchers.

No search is required for:

1. Appointments to be paid through external postdoctoral research fellowships or grants awarded directly to the fellow (“unpaid,” i.e. “external” stipendee postdocs).

   1. Before any appointment can be made, the department, center, or principal investigator must request from the finalist, and review, the finalist’s research proposal (prior to its submission to funding agencies), in order to vet the proposed project and assess the caliber of the candidate. The department, center, or principal investigator must also contact the finalist’s current advisor(s), to gain a fuller sense of the candidate’s qualifications and caliber.

2. Appointments of individuals who are continuing work begun while graduate students at Harvard.

3. Appointments of individuals who move to Harvard as part of an ongoing research team under the supervision of a newly appointed tenure-track or tenured faculty member, as detailed in the faculty member’s offer letter.

4. Appointments involving transfer from “unpaid through Harvard” to “paid through Harvard” status when there is a temporary need to prevent the interruption of research due to lapses in outside funding.

A search is required for all other appointments. Posting advertisements in ARIeS is mandatory beginning in AY 2024-2025. Departments, centers, or principal investigators may also place an advertisement in an appropriate professional journal, indicating the availability of positions in their areas. Other suggested recruitment methods include posting open positions on the department or center’s webpage and making direct inquiries. Advertising copy must indicate that Harvard is “an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, protected veteran status, disability, genetic information, military service, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or other protected status.” Care should be taken to avoid language that could be construed as discriminatory with regard to age.

For stipendiary postdocs on Harvard funds (start up, grants or other internal Harvard funds), departments, centers, or principal investigators must obtain two to three letters of recommendation for the finalist before any offer can be made. They may wish to indicate in the advertisement that candidates should submit with their application either contact information for two to three references or else two to three reference letters. All recommendation letters should be from experts at the ladder faculty ranks; it may be appropriate to include highly accomplished senior researchers from corporations or research institutes, or well-established museum professionals or practicing artists.

Please note that print advertisements are not required for research appointments; online ads are sufficient.

The department must submit items A-G below to the Appointments Office in the Office for Faculty Affairs via Aurora:

A. If a search is required, 1 electronic PDF copy of two to three recommendation letters for the finalist (per Section 3 above, “Appointment/Search Procedures”).

B. 1 electronic PDF copy of the candidate’s curriculum vitae.

C. 1 electronic PDF copy of the candidate's research proposal (only for candidates in category 3(1) above in “Appointment/Search Procedures”).

D. 1 electronic PDF copy of doctoral degree verification (required for candidates who have received their degree within one year of the effective start date). Acceptable verification is either a certificate of completion from the degree-granting institution or a letter from the institution’s Registrar. Such documentation should state that all requirements for the degree have been successfully completed and should verify the date the degree has been or will be conferred. If the candidate received his/her/their degree from Harvard, written verification from the chair or director of graduate studies, on department letterhead, may suffice.

E. If a search is required, copies of all advertisements.

F. 1 electronic PDF copy of a postdoctoral offer letter, following the stipendee or external postdoctoral offer letter template, as applicable. The offer letter must outline the appointment dates and stipend amount, and if the position is unpaid through Harvard, must mention the source and amount of outside funding.

G. 1 electronic PDF of a signed hard copy of the Acknowledgement of Risk and Release for Non-Harvard Personnel Using Harvard Research and Instructional Laboratory Facilities form (if working in one of Harvard’s laboratories and if not receiving any form of payment from Harvard)

Note: Departments should retain documents according to practices recommended by Harvard Archives.