Template: Postdoc Offer and Notice of Appointment Letter
Use letterhead
Revised June 6, 2014
Date
Name
Address
City, Postal Code
Country
Dear _______:
I am pleased to offer you the position of [ insert title: “Postdoctoral Scholar-Employee,” “Postdoctoral
Scholar-Fellow,” or “Postdoctoral Scholar-Paid Direct”] in Title Code [insert: 3252, 3253, or 3254 as
appropriate]. This offer is contingent upon, among other things, evidence of a doctoral degree and
documentation of employment eligibility in compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act
of 1986.
[For international postdocs insert this statement] As a non-immigrant visa holder, your appointment
terms are also governed by the regulations of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,
Department of State, and the Department of Labor, to which you must adhere in order to maintain
your status and employment eligibility in the U.S. For more information, go to the UCSF International
Students and Scholars Office website at: http://isso.ucsf.edu/.]
Your faculty supervisor/mentor’s name, worksite location, contact information and department [or
academic/research unit]) are:
[name]
[worksite location]
[email address and phone #]
[Department or academic/research unit]
Your full-time (100%) appointment will begin on [start date] and will continue through [end date of
first year]. Your Postdoc appointment is annually renewable for up to [appropriate number up to five]
years, but is contingent upon satisfactory work performance and available funding. Please note that it
is within the University’s sole discretion to appoint, reappoint, or not reappoint a Postdoctoral
Scholar. Please be advised that your appointment and all benefits associated with your appointment
will end on [end date] unless you are reappointed as a postdoctoral scholar.
[Use one or both of the following two paragraphs as applicable to describe the compensation level
and source of funding.]
During this appointment year, you will receive an annual [stipend or salary] of [insert
the NIH/NRSA minimum, or a higher amount, for the appropriate experience level]
funded by [source of funding].
In addition to your base [stipend or salary], you will receive a monthly supplement
funded from [funding source – usually either a faculty member’s name or
departmental funds - specific grant or account fund names are not necessary ] at the
annual rate of [insert annual amount].
[Optional for employees only] The University has discretion to modify or change funding sources as
necessary but will notify you of the change if it impacts your title or research project.
In addition to your compensation, funds may be available for [include all or any that apply: approved
travel, conference registration, training related supplies, etc].
[A brief description of the anticipated research project(s) and certification or training requirements
must be included here. Other details on the program, fellowship, research goals, training
opportunities, seminars, and other program or research specific information may be included. For
example: During your first few months in my laboratory, you will be working on ____________ [ insert a
brief description on the science the postdoc will be working on ]. In addition, you will be required to
attend a number of certification and training courses on Animal Care, Use of Radioisotopes, and _____
[insert information from PI that is specific to requirements for lab ]. In addition to the seminars hosted
by ____ lab, you might be interested in some of the course offerings [include appropriate URL if you
want your postdocs to attend any specific courses ]. You are encouraged [required] to attend one of
[fill in as applicable].
University of California postdoctoral scholars are exclusively represented by The International Union,
United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) Local 5810.
You may access the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) (also known as the Postdoc Union
Contract at: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/px/index.html)
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The collective bargaining agreement contains the terms and conditions of your appointment as a
postdoctoral scholar on our campus and also describes your rights and obligations.
As a condition of your appointment, you must agree to pay either fair share fees or, if you elect to
join the Union as a member, dues from your stipend or salary. A deduction authorization form, which
will also allow you to choose whether to be a member of the Union or not, will be provided to you
during the hiring process after you arrive on campus. If you have questions about this, please contact
[name of postdoc administrator] before accepting this offer.
In accordance with Article 9, “Individual Development Plans and Progress Assessments,” in the CBA,
your supervisor/mentor is required to provide you with at least one written evaluation per 12-month
appointment. You may request that the goals and expectations on which you will be assessed be
provided in writing.
Please be advised that details concerning your benefits plan are set forth in Article 3, "Benefits," of
the CBA. Postdoctoral Scholars must have adequate health insurance coverage for the duration of
their appointment. You are eligible to participate in the UC Postdoctoral Scholars Benefits Plan (PSBP),
which includes health insurance, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, and workers’ compensation
(for details go to: http://www.garnett-powers.com/postdoc/ucsf/). The University covers the majority
of health benefits costs for postdocs and their dependents. However, postdocs are required to make
the following contributions to health care benefits:
HMO:
2% of monthly health care premiums for the Postdoctoral Scholar and the
Postdoctoral Scholar/child(ren); and 3% for Postdoctoral Scholar/partner, and/or Postdoctoral
Scholar/family.
PPO: $20 per month for Postdoctoral Scholar; $40 per month for the Postdoctoral
scholar/children or Postdoctoral Scholar/partner; $60 for the Postdoctoral Scholar/Family
To read about the differences between HMO and PPO plans, go to http://www.garnettpowers.com/postdoc/ucsf/medical.htm. If the funding source identifies an amount specifically to cover
benefits for the postdoc and/or dependents (e.g., institutional allowance for NRSA fellows or trainees),
that source may be used by the PI. The UCSF policy on comprehensive benefits for postdoctoral
scholars can be found at: http://tiny.ucsf.edu/postdocbenefitspol
Postdocs are entitled to the normal holidays observed at UCSF and may also take 24 days of paid
personal time off (PTO) per year, and up to 12 days of paid sick leave per year. All 24 days of PTO
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and all 12 days of sick leave are granted upon your date of hire and need not be accrued before you
can use them. PTO does not carry over to subsequent appointments and must be used before the
end of your appointment year or it will be lost; however, unused sick leave does carry over to
subsequent postdoc appointments or to other positions where sick leave is accrued. [For PostdocEmployees insert this statement: The University may require the use of your PTO prior to the end of
your appointment period.] [This is true for postdocs in title code 3252, postdoc employees. Adjust
“time off/vacation” and sick leave information as appropriate if postdoc is on a fellowship (title code
3253) or is a paid-direct (3254) and their fund sources are explicit about “time off/vacation” and sick
leave. If they are silent on “time off/vacation” and sick leave, then fellows and paid-directs should be
treated the same as postdoc employees in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement ].
The University will maintain a personnel file for you, to which you may have access in accordance
with the provisions of Article 18, “Personnel Files” in the CBA.
More information about UCSF postdoc resources is available at: http://postdocs.ucsf.edu
For questions about your appointment, please contact [insert name of Postdoc Administrator] at
(415)______ or [email address].
I look forward to your joining the Department of _____ and my lab.
To accept this offer, please provide your signature below and return the signed copy as a PDF to
________ , or via fax at (415) _______ or by mail to ______________.
Sincerely,
___________, P.I.
cc:
Name of Postdoc Administrator
I accept the postdoctoral appointment as stated in this Offer and Notice of Appointment Letter.
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_______________________________
Signature
_______________________
Date
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