Appointing Postdoctoral Scholars

Information for Departments Appointing Postdoctoral Scholars

The hiring titles designated for postdoctoral positions are Postdoctoral Associate and Postdoctoral Fellow. Collectively, individuals holding these titles are referred to as postdoctoral scholars.

A postdoctoral fellow holds a fellowship or traineeship. The fellow may receive payment through the Research Foundation (RF) or directly to the individual from the funding organization (i.e., Postdoctoral Fellow Direct Pay). This will be determined by the established guidelines and regulations of the assigned entity under which the fellowship is governed.

Postdoctoral associate is the usual designation for all other postdoctoral scholars that do not fall under the fellow titles. A postdoctoral associate may receive payment through the Research Foundation (RF), the UB Foundation (UBF), or State funds.

Postdoctoral Fellow Minimum Salary Requirements

The minimum full-time annual stipends for postdoctoral fellows are typically set by—and subject to—the sponsor agency guidelines. A postdoctoral fellow is not considered an employee of the institution.

Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment Process

A Postdoctoral Fellow must be appointed through RF Sponsored Funding and processed on the Academic Fellowship Appointment for Research Foundation (RF) page. Dates, funding levels and other terms and conditions related to the Fellowship are determined by the Sponsor funding the Fellowship. Questions regarding those terms and conditions may be directed to your Award Analyst, on the Contact a Grant Expert page.

Postdoctoral Associate Minimum Salary Requirements

Compensation for postdoctoral associates is typically guided by the minimum salary thresholds established by New York State and applicable provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), when not predetermined by the sponsored agency. The Office of Postdoctoral Scholars (OPS) will monitor such thresholds to indicate the minimum salary limit for a postdoctoral scholar.

Salary Minimum

The current postdoctoral scholar salary minimum is no less than $47,500 annually.

For the purpose of payment, the postdoctoral associate is considered an employee of the institution and receives a paycheck every two weeks through payroll, payroll taxes are withheld, and may be eligible for certain benefits consistent with the fiscal agent appointment type.

Postdoctoral Associate Hiring Process

Step 1: Human Resources Approval of Postdoc Position

All postdoctoral associate positions are required to be posted on UBJobs. Exceptions will be granted only for postdoctoral scholars who transfer to UB when a faculty member of another institution is hired by UB, or for postdoctoral scholars named in a Research Foundation (RF) administered grant. Please refer to the Recruitment Exceptions Policy for more information.

The Research Foundation at UB hosts a pooled posting for postdoctoral associates. “Pooled postings” are utilized for frequently recruited positions and require an easily accessible “pool” of candidates. Pooled postings are continuous recruitment efforts and are reposted annually.
Departments are required to submit a position description unique to their position through UBJobs before they can utilize the pooled posting. The step–by–step process for submitting positions can be found on the Create or Update Staff Positions page of the Administrative Services Gateway. Include your intent to use the pooled posting in the notes section.
When the position description is approved, you will be added as a hiring manager on the pooled posting, where you can review the pool or invite candidates to apply by using the quick link for posting.
Departments will complete their recruitment per the instructions described on the For Hiring Managers page of the Administrative Services Gateway.

Your process ends here if the preferred candidate is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. If you plan to hire an international candidate, please proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Office of Postdoctoral Scholars Provisional Approval for International Candidates

Departments wishing to hire an international candidate as a postdoctoral scholar must demonstrate that the position and proposed candidate meet the UB policy requirements to obtain a letter of provisional approval from the Office of Postdoctoral Scholars.

To request approval, departments must submit a Postdoctoral Scholar Approval Request form. To complete the form, you must upload the following documentation:

Offer letter to candidate specifying salary rate and start date.
Candidate CV.
HR-approved position description.
Documentation confirming support from Sponsored Projects Services is required if the position will be supported by Research Foundation funds and the candidate will be a J-1 Scholar. Please contact Mary Kraft, Director Post Award at mary.kraft@buffalo.edu or 716-645-4420.

The Office of Postdoctoral Scholars will review and, if appropriate, issue a provisional approval letter to the department.

Upon receipt of a provisional approval letter from the Office of Postdoctoral Scholars, please proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: J-1 Scholar Invitation for International Candidates

Pursuant to SUNY Board of Trustees Policy 8500, the Office of International Education has named UB Immigration Services as the only unit within the university authorized to handle immigration matters for international scholars.

The Information for Departments Inviting J-1 Scholars page of the Immigration Services website provides detailed instructions for departments hiring an international candidate for an approved postdoctoral scholar position.