Postdoc Position Descriptions

Administration of Postdoctoral Scholars and Fellows Programs

Employment as a postdoctoral Scholar or Fellow is governed by the Policies and Procedures of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the School of Graduate Studies. Postdocs appointed through the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs are not considered CWRU staff members and therefore the University's Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual does not apply to Postdoctoral Scholars or Fellows.

What is a postdoc? According to the National Postdoc Association (NPA), a postdoc is an individual holding a doctoral degree who is engaged in a temporary period of mentored research and/or scholarly training for the purpose of acquiring professional skills needed to pursue a career path of their choosing. 

Definition of Postdoctoral Scholar

A postdoctoral Scholar is defined as a special class of employee who:

• holds a PhD or equivalent;
• works on scholarly projects funded by grants obtained by others at the university or is funded by department funds;
• is engaged in a mentored training relationship with a member of the University faculty; and
• actively pursues fellowship/grant funding for their own research project in order to develop their future professional career. Once such funding has been obtained, the postdoctoral Scholar becomes a postdoctoral Fellow.
• receives a salary directly from the institution (usually derived from the supervisor's grant or other funds)

The postdoctoral Scholar is eligible to participate in the Postdoctoral Benefits Program but is excluded from participating in all other CWRU benefits including employee retirement and benefit plans.

Definition of Postdoctoral Fellow

A postdoctoral Fellow is defined as a trainee (not an employee) who:

• holds a PhD or equivalent;
• works on scholarly projects funded by training grants, fellowships or grants they have applied for and obtained from outside sources;
• is engaged in a mentored training relationship with a member of the university faculty; and
• actively pursues fellowship/grant funding for their own research project in order to develop their future professional career.
• receives a stipend from independent funding by a fellowship of some type

The postdoctoral Fellow is eligible to participate in the Postdoctoral Benefits Program, but is excluded from participating in all other CWRU benefits including employee retirement and benefit plans.

Criteria for Postdoctoral Scholars and Fellows

• The postdoctoral Scholar/Fellow was recently (normally within five years) awarded a PhD or equivalent degree in an appropriate field.
• The appointment is temporary and postdoctoral Scholars/Fellows are expected to complete their mentored training within five years.
• The time devoted to this appointment as well as the specific scholarly training activities will be decided in collaboration with the mentor and committed in writing in the form of a training plan. All postdoctoral Scholars/Fellows will be encouraged to pursue additional training and other opportunities in the respective areas up to 25 percent of their time.
• The appointee will train under the supervision of a senior scholar (faculty mentor).

Scholars vs. Fellows