Post Doctoral Fellows Policy
I. Policy Application
This policy applies to all post doctoral fellows, whether funded by federal sources, such
as the NRSA fellowship program, or from other, non-federal sources.
II. Policy Authority.
As provided by Title 4, Chapter 7, Sections 5 of the Board of Regents’ Handbook, a
postdoctoral fellow appointment is a temporary advanced scholarly appointment of at
least 50%. It is a specialized education and training position in research or scholarship
under the direction of a faculty sponsor established for the Postdoctoral Fellow’s
continuing education and professional growth. Postdoctoral Fellow appointments serve
to advance the competence of a person who has recently completed higher professional
training marked by a doctoral degree.
Full time students, candidates for a degree, visiting scholars who are not at the university
for the purpose of receiving further training are excluded from Postdoctoral Fellow
status.
III. Recruitment and Appointment.
A. Recruitment. Postdoctoral Fellows are not subject to the open and competitive
recruitment policies of the Board of Regents and may be appointed without a public
search. However, if more than one individual is to be considered for a given postdoctoral
fellowship, the principals of equal employment opportunity and competitive selection
shall apply.
B. Employee Appointment. Postdoctoral Fellows may be appointed as employees of the
University in accordance with Title 4, Chapter 7, Section 6 of the Board of Regents’
Handbook if the fellowship entails at least 20 hours of supervised work per week.
Fellows who are appointed as employees of the University will be paid through the
University’s payroll system are entitled to the employment-related benefits established at
Title 4, Chapter 7, Section 7 of the Board of Regents’ Handbook.
C. Non-employee Appointment. Alternatively, Postdoctoral Fellows who are recipients
of non-employment based fellowships (such as the NSRA fellowship program) may be
appointed as Adjunct Postdoctoral Fellows which does not entail an employment
relationship with the University, but is typically supported by a living allowance or
stipend for the duration of the fellowship. Adjunct Postdoctoral Fellows are paid through
Accounts Payable.
Version 1, 05/2008
IV. Fellowship appointment process
When a fellowship has been awarded, the fellow must obtain a faculty mentor. Once a
mentor has been chosen, the mentoring faculty member should make an offer of
appointment to the candidate, which sets out the basic terms of the appointment,
including the period of the appointment, the compensation or stipend level, and a
statement that the candidate’s appointment is subject to all university policies.
If a determination has been made that the fellowship does not create an employeremployee relationship between the fellow and the university, upon acceptance of the
appointment by the fellow, the fellow’s department should prepare an Adjunct
Postdoctoral Scholar form to provide eligibility for workers’ compensation.
V. Duration of fellowship appointment
Post doctoral appointments are ordinarily made for one year and are renewable annually
based on satisfactory performance and availability of funding, not to exceed five years.
VI. Supplemental compensation
As provided at Title 4, Chapter 7, Section 5 of the Board of Regents’ Handbook,
Postdoctoral Fellows are not precluded from applying for any grant, contract, or
postdoctoral training grants or nationally competitive postdoctoral fellowships permitted
under guidelines of the research office of the University and consistent with sponsor rules
governing allowability.
NRSA fellowships, for example, provide a living stipend to recipients, but the fellowship
does not create an employment relationship with the host institution. However, NRSA
fellowships permit part time employment by the fellow at the institution for work
performed which is not related to the fellowship, under certain circumstances. If part time
employment is contemplated, the fellow should discuss arrangements with his/her
department and with the Office of Sponsored Programs. If part time employment is
provided by the university in addition to the fellowship, the fellow will be considered an
employee and all compensation to the fellow, including the fellowship, will be processed
through Payroll and such compensation will be subject to withholding.
VII. University benefits available to post doctoral fellows
A. Postdoctoral Fellows who are employees.
Post doctoral fellows who are considered employees are eligible for those benefits
authorized by the Board of Regents at Title 4, Chapter 7, Section 7 of the Board of
Regents Handbook including annual leave, sick leave, participation in the NSHE group
health insurance plan, participation in a 403(b) retirement program with a 6.2% of salary
matching contribution from the University, workers compensation coverage, Medicare
coverage with a 1.45% matching contribution from the University, issuance of a
Version 1, 05/2008
University ID card, and eligibility for in-state tuition for themselves and dependent
family members.
B. Adjunct Postdoctoral Fellows who are not employees
Post doctoral fellows who are not considered employees are not eligible for employmentbased benefits, with the exception of workers’ compensation and issuance of a University
ID card.
Medical Insurance: Adjunct Postdoctoral Fellows are not eligible to participate in the
NSHE health insurance plan. However, some fellowships permit charging medical
insurance benefits to the fellowship award. In such instances, the amount of the award
allowed for health insurance benefits will be disbursed to the Adjunct Postdoctoral
Fellow through Accounts Payable, together with any other stipends for which the Fellow
is eligible.
Medical insurance premium payments must, then be made by the fellow directly to health
insurance providers. The fellow’s department will initiate paperwork to obtain payment
from the award to the fellow directly for medical insurance coverage. The fellow should
then use these funds to pay insurance premiums directly to the medical insurance
company.
Workers’ Compensation: Adjunct Postdoctoral Fellows, working under the supervision
of a UNLV faculty member and subject to the control of the university, qualify as
university volunteers and are covered by the State of Nevada workers’ compensation
program. Eligibility for workers’ compensation is dependent upon Human Resources
receipt of a completed “Adjunct Postdoctoral Scholar” form, which should be routed
through the fellow’s academic chain of command to the Vice President for Research for
final authorization.
VIII. Obligations of mentors
The responsibilities of mentors include: (1) in consultation with the post doctoral fellow,
developing a mutually satisfactory research project or scholarly program; (2) encouraging
the post doctoral fellow to publish results in a timely fashion; (3) encouraging post
doctoral fellows to acquire and enhance their knowledge and technical skills; (4)
arrangement and oversight of teaching opportunities as appropriate; (5) encouraging the
fellow to apply for training and research support; (6) providing an annual review of
performance; (7) instructing the fellow in university research policies; (8) providing
career counseling and (9) informing the fellow of all ethical and compliance obligations
of the university.
IX. Obligations of post doctoral fellows
Post doctoral fellows have obligations to their mentors, the group in which they work,
their department and college, their sponsor, and the university. These obligations
Version 1, 05/2008
include: (1) the ethical discharge of their research, scholarly, and teaching
responsibilities; (2) compliance with good scholarly practices, including maintenance of
research records and data; (3) observation of university and sponsor requirements related
to human subjects, animal subjects, use of isotopes, chemicals, infectious agents and
radiation; (4) understanding and compliance with all university policies including
intellectual property policies and export control; and (5) collegial conduct towards
coworkers.
X. Resignation or termination of fellowship.
When a post doctoral fellow decides to resign prior to the end of the period indicated in
the Fellowship or Letter of Appointment, it is expected that at least one month’s notice
will be provided. Upon leaving the laboratory, a post doctoral fellow must leave all
original notebooks, data, reagents and any other study components or university property
with the mentor in a state that will allow uninterrupted continuation of the project and
ensure compliance with university policies.
Termination of Postdoctoral Fellows with employee status should be undertaken in
accordance with university employment policies with such notice provided as specified in
employment contracts.
Termination of Adjunct Postdoctoral Scholars who are non-employees will be undertaken
as follows: under normal circumstances, adjunct postdoctoral scholars will be given
thirty days notice if termination of the appointment is prior to the date initially agreed
upon in the Fellowship Letter. Gross violations of obligations or university policies may
be grounds for immediate dismissal.
Version 1, 05/2008