At Washington University, a postdoctoral appointee (‘postdoc’) is an individual holding a doctoral degree who is engaged in a term-limited work appointment of mentored research, scholarly training, and professional development for the purpose of enhancing their academic and research independence as well as the professional skills necessary to pursue a career of their choosing.*
* This is a definition that follows the guidelines of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA).
The main goal of a postdoctoral appointment at Washington University in St. Louis is to continue your training under the mentorship of an experienced researcher, develop your professional and academic skills, and gain independence to decide the direction of your career.
At Washington University, postdoctoral appointments…
- have a 5-year term limit that includes previous experience. Find more info here.
- offer a competitive minimum compensation. Higher compensations can be negotiated with the Principal Investigator depending on experience and performance. Find more info here.
- comprise a recommended 10% of effort dedicated to professional and career development. Read our Postdoc Education Policy here.
- make all postdoctoral appointees eligible for a very comprehensive benefits package. Find more info here.
Learn more about:
Classification of WashU Postdocs
Postdoctoral Research Associates
Postdoctoral Research Associates have employee status and paid by salary (on a faculty grant or individual award that can be paid as salary routed through the university).
Approximately 85% of WashU postdoctoral appointees are Postdoctoral Research Associates, which is the default type of appointment. However, if the funding source prohibits an appointment as a University employee or if the appointee is paid directly from their funder (e.g., from an agency in their home country), then the appointee should be appointed as a Postdoctoral Research Scholar.
Postdoctoral Research Scholars
Postdoctoral Research Scholars have non-employee status. This category is for postdoctoral appointees whose funding source prohibits an appointment as a University employee, who are paid directly from their funder (e.g., from an agency in their home country), or who are on individual fellowships or institutional training grants (e.g., NIH F32 fellowships, T32 training grants).
Postdocs in this category are paid by stipend or directly by an external funding agency. Approximately 15% of WashU postdoctoral appointees are Postdoctoral Research Scholars. Benefits and taxation are different from those of employees.
Postdoctoral Research Scholar Job Description (PDF)