Postdoctoral Affairs

FAQs

The UGA postdoc policy sets a maximum term for postdocs of five years. What if the postdoc wants to stay?

All postdoctoral researchers are considered to be in training — an extension of their graduate training. As such, there is a five-year maximum to occupy a given postdoc position at UGA. There are three recommended moves after the five years:

  1. Leave UGA
  2. Apply for and be hired into a Senior Research Associate (staff) position
  3. Apply for and be hired into an Assistant Research Scientist (faculty) position

Why can't we just 'promote' the postdoctoral research trainee to an Assistant Research Scientist by creating the position and appointing the person into it?

Assistant Research Scientists are faculty,  and faculty hiring at UGA (and most universities) is the purview of academic units and the Office of Faculty Affairs. This requires creation of a position, advertisement, and a national search (the same procedure as used for a tenure-track faculty position). Those that occupy these positions should demonstrate a level of independence.

Going through advertisement and a national search (for an Assistant Research Scientist or Research Professional position) seems like a purely bureaucratic hurdle when we know who will be taking this position. Are there exemptions from this requirement?

For Assistant Research Scientists or Research Professionals, if the unit can document that a national search was performed when the person was hired originally into the current postdoctoral position, then EOO may allow an exemption. For Research Professionals only, if the postdoctoral position is funded by a sponsored project and the person will be continuing with that funding working on the same project as a Research Professional, then EOO may also exempt this appointment from the requirement to perform a search. Please contact the Equal Opportunity Office to inquire about search exemptions.