At the Georgetown University Medical Center, there are three main types of Postdoctoral Fellows:
Postdoctoral Associate (“Associate”): A Postdoctoral Fellow who receives financial support in the form of a salary as an employee of GU, paid through GU payroll, which is typically funded by grants, contracts or departmental funds secured by a faculty mentor. In these cases, the source of funding does not restrict direct payment/employment from the University.
Postdoctoral Trainee (“Trainee”): A Postdoctoral Fellow who is not an employee of GU and receives financial support in the form of a fellowship or stipend from an external source, which may be distributed by the University through accounts payable. They may be funded either from training grants (e.g., NRSA, F32, etc.) to the University or from funding awarded to the trainee from an outside source. In many such cases, due to the requirements of the funding source, trainees cannot be considered GU employees, but they are fully associated with the University and the Postdoctoral community.
Visiting Postdoctoral Affiliate: A Postdoctoral Fellow who does not receive financial support from GU and is a visitor (non-employees) to GU for a limited time for mentored training. They do not receive a salary, stipend, or direct financial benefits from GU and are not subject to the appointment framework and grievance process outlined below. They are provided with affiliate status as Sponsored University Associates, which includes GOCARD, email account, and library privileges, consistent with procedures applying to all visiting researchers. They have access to the professional developmental resources available to postdoctoral associates and trainees.
If you are seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow position, they are posted on the Georgetown Careers under Faculty and Academic website.
All of Postdoctoral Fellows on the Medical Center and Main Campus are subject to the the Postdoctoral Fellow Policy. The policy specifies the terms and conditions governing postdoctoral appointments and provides guidance on goal-planning practices for mentors and postdoctoral fellows.
If you are interested in a Postdoctoral Fellow appointment at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC), you can find all available Postdoctoral Fellow appointments posted on the Georgetown University careers website.
During the appointment process, you will work with your designated HR Officer (see Medical Center contacts below) to provide the necessary information to process your hire. In order to complete the hiring process, you will need to provide the HR Officer with:
The Postdoctoral Fellow Policy outlines the following regarding renewals of any Postdoctoral Fellow position:
All Postdoctoral Fellow appointments and renewals must be approved by the relevant campus office.
Subject to the limits set forth in this policy, a Postdoctoral Fellow appointment may be eligible for renewal on or before the end of the appointment term stated in the offer letter.
Renewals are not guaranteed. They are contingent on a variety of factors, including but not limited to: the availability of funding; programmatic and research needs; satisfactory performance by the Postdoctoral Fellow; work authorization; and adherence to all University policies and professional standards of conduct.
From time to time, based on available funding and merit, Postdoctoral Fellows may be eligible for merit-based salary increases in accordance with standard University practice and budgetary terms of the external source of funding.
If your appointment is being renewed, you will be notified and receive an updated offer letter from your designated HR Officer (see Medical Center contacts below). If you have any questions about your renewal, please contact your Faculty Mentor or your designated HR Officer.
A Postdoctoral Fellow is eligible for annual time off with pay that should be scheduled with Faculty Mentor approval. Up to fifteen (15) days of time off with pay may be requested per year, accrued at a rate of 1.25 days per month starting from the first date of appointment. Faculty Mentor approval for time off is based on any relevant funding agency guidelines, impact on programmatic need, and visa regulations for international postdoctoral fellows. Time off with pay may be used for personal reasons, including injury or illness, Winter Closure days that are not designated as University holidays, and other limited absences. Pay in lieu of unused time off is not allowable under this policy, nor can unused time off be carried over to the next calendar year. Unused time off with pay has no cash value and is not paid out in any fashion at the end of the Postdoctoral Fellow’s appointment. Time-off requests should be made to the Faculty Mentor who will be responsible for monitoring and tracking the Post doctoral Fellow’s approved time off. At this time, it is not possible to track a Postdoctoral Fellow’s annual time off in GMS.
The Postdoctoral Fellow Policy provides the following guidance and templates on the goal-planning meetings with your Faculty Mentor:
The Faculty Mentor and Postdoctoral Fellow are expected to meet on a regular basis to discuss the progress on mutually agreed upon professional- and performance-based goals. The best practice is to include the following features:
A mutually agreed upon frequency and format for meetings, either verbally or in writing, by both the Faculty Mentor and the Postdoctoral Fellow.
A written document developed for the Postdoctoral Fellow that includes:
Progress on Goals since last meeting
Action Plan/Next Steps before next meeting
Strengths and Areas of Improvement for the Postdoctoral Fellow
Feedback on Mentoring Relationship
Upcoming Goals
The document should be reviewed during the goal-planning meetings, to collaboratively reflect on progress, challenges, and future plans.
As the nature of post-doctoral work varies widely across disciplines, the format of goal-planning meetings and documents used for tracking goals and outcomes may vary by discipline. Below, some guidance and templates are provided as recommendations only; they are not required. It is expected that the Faculty Mentor and Postdoctoral Fellow agree on the format and documentation used for goal planning.
If either the Postdoctoral Fellow or Faculty Mentor need additional guidance or resources to maximize the quality of the goal-planning meetings, please review the Guidance and Templates resources below or contact the relevant Medical Center contacts (below):
This Grievance Procedure applies to all Postdoctoral Fellows at Georgetown University. For purposes of this Procedure, please see the definitions of Postdoctoral Fellows in the Postdoctoral Fellow Policy.
The Office of Postdoctoral Development & Training Grant Support is committed to enriching the postdoctoral experience through career development and community-building. Please visit Postdoctoral Development to learn about development and training opportunities and resources.
The Georgetown University Postdoctoral Association (GU PDA) strives to enhance the quality of the postdoctoral experience by providing a community for postdoctoral fellows. We offer a platform for the postdoc community to collaborate on and off campus, organize events and communicate relevant information that positively impacts the career and life of postdocs during their time at Georgetown University.
