Welcome to
The Jackson Laboratory
Postdoctoral Program
Lisa John, M.Ed.
Program Director
Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Programs
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Hallmarks
 Produce outstanding young scientists fully and effectively engaged in diverse
aspects of their professional careers
 Excellence in research training at the forefront of mammalian genetics, enabled by
strong, knowledgeable and supportive scientists and unparalleled scientific
resources
 Excellence in career preparation by virtue of requirements and opportunities such
as grant writing, ethics workshops and “Whole Scientist” courses and embedded
practicums
 Diverse array of academic scientific courses at both predoc and postdoc levels,
opportunities to engage with international group of notable scientists participating
in courses and conferences
 Provision of faculty mentoring teams and oversight by a Training Committee to
ensure scientific career progress and success of all trainees
 Encouragement and facilitation of opportunities for trainees themselves to be
mentors to younger scientists
 Close collaborations on programs and courses with our academic partners, who
are also stakeholders in this program
 Provides to all trainees adequate funding, training and scientific resources to
ensure their success
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The JAX Predoc and Postdoc Committee is the engine from which this program is run.
This committee shall:
 Consult and advise the JAX Scholar Admissions Committee and Predoc
Admissions Committee on the acceptance of trainees at both the predoc- and
postdoc levels.
 Develop effective strategies to recruit trainees.
 Facilitate and ensure that each trainee has an effective mentoring team (research
mentor + faculty liaison for postdocs; PhD committee for predocs).
 Monitor and assure regular progress evaluation of each trainee by the mentoring
teams; develop, in collaboration with the JAX Genomics Education Office, a
system for record keeping and subsequent career tracking.
 Work with the JAX Genomics Education office and the Scientific Director to plan
and execute training grant proposals and other venues for funding.
 Work with the JAX Genomics Education office to assure that courses and
programs are executed.
 Engage in strategic planning for the development of programs and courses.
 Support and facilitate self-organized trainee groups (such as the JAX Graduate
School Organization, which unites predocs across their diverse academic
programs in common goals).
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The Jackson Laboratory Postdoctoral Training Program
Overview
The Postdoctoral Program at the Jackson Laboratory (JAX) is a comprehensive and integrated training
program that provides superb professional development opportunities for fellows in a context of
dedicated research at the forefront of mammalian genetics. The overall aim is to produce outstanding
young scientists fully and effectively engaged in diverse aspects of their professional careers. Excellence
in research training is enabled by strong, knowledgeable and supportive mentors, a rich scientific and
academic environment, and unparalleled scientific resources. Excellence in career preparation is
provided by requirements and opportunities such as grant writing, ethics workshops and “Whole
Scientist™” courses and embedded practicums. Trainees are exposed to a diverse array of academic
scientific courses at both pre- and post-doc levels, as well as opportunities to engage with international
array of leading scientists participating in courses and conferences. Guardianship of developing careers
is the primary focus of the Training Committee. By providing faculty mentoring teams, oversight by a
Training Committee to ensure scientific career progress and educational programs that respond to the
postdoc’s training needs.
The Postdoctoral Program ensures all trainees have access to adequate funding opportunities, training
and scientific resources to carry out their work leading to successful careers. Institutionally, JAX
provides a fully engaged JAX Genomics Education (JGE) Office and administrative support for training
and mentoring committees. Funding for stipends and for programmatic opportunities is provided not only
through mentor grants, but JAX has also historically provided a limited number of postdoctoral
fellowships and stipends. Examples of such funding are T32 training grants and the JAX Scholars
Program, which aim to recruit and retain exceptional young scientists and provide them with
opportunities to interact with the scientific leaders of the Laboratory.
JAX ensures training excellence through both opportunities and a set of defined expectations to be met
by each postdoctoral trainee.
1. Opportunities
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First and foremost is the opportunity to participate in leading research programs at the forefront of
mammalian genetics, and application of genetic knowledge to human health and disease
All trainees have a primary mentor, but also are assigned a faculty liaison and interface annually
with the Training Committee; together these interactions constitute a strong professional
mentoring network that nurtures the individual careers of each trainee. In the course of meeting
with various facets of the mentoring team, each trainee develops an IDP (independent
development plan).
All trainees attend the annual Whole Scientist™ course. This four-day workshop expands the
professional skills that lead to fulfilling science careers, including ethical considerations, science
communication, entrepreneurship, teaching and mentoring skills, and laboratory management
skills.
Trainees participate in scientific interest groups, journal clubs and the stellar JAX seminar series,
as well as have the privilege off attending many of the JAX courses and conferences.
Trainees have the opportunity to mentor research interns through programs such as the Summer
Student program, or to teach in courses such as graduate classes offered through U. Maine and
Tufts, further building their academic credentials and further integrating the education programs
at Jackson.
Trainees become members of a close-knit community of pre- and post-doctoral fellows,
participating in monthly science forums and social gatherings. The forum is the venue for many
JAX training workshops.
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2. Requirements
JAX postdoctoral fellows are strongly encouraged to meet the following goals:
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Submit applications for independent external fellowship funding. This is done in close
collaboration with the postdoc’s mentor. Support and guidance are provided by the Office of
Sponsored Programs and Scientific Program Development as well as science forum workshops.
Attend six hours of responsible conduct of research discussions and/or presentations per year,
which is required for postdocs who are funded on an NIH Training (T32) or Fellowship grant( F32)
and recommended for all trainees. This can be accomplished by attendance at the Whole
Scientist™ course (see above), lectures presented at JAX by leaders in the field of ethics or
participation with CITI- Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative online modules. Postdocs are
responsible for maintaining their training participation and including it in their annual performance
review document.
Continually evolve an independent career development plan (IDP) in collaboration with mentoring
team. The IDP will be initiated at the “Whole Scientist™” short course or with the Program
Director for Pre and Postdocs. Meeting with a mentoring team will provide guided dialogue on
career development.
Present a talk or poster at least once a year at an international, national or JAX meeting and
report this in the annual review form.
Publish the results of research on a regular basis.
To ensure that each postdoctoral trainee is “on track” in his/her career and meets the performance
expectations, each trainee has a network of annual review supports. The training committee review will
be based on documents providing a brief research report of progress and plans for the coming year, a
short evaluation of the training experience by the trainee, brief evaluative statement by the mentor and
progress toward an independent career, publications and fellowship proposals. An electronic form will be
sent to the trainee yearly just before the annual anniversary of the start date; this is to be completed and
submitted to the JAX Genomics Education Office. Additional reviews will be done annually via Human
Resources performance review and by informal meetings with the Training committee designed to
provide supported guidance. These are all intended to support postdocs and to ensure each postdoc is
provided the best training and guidance during their JAX tenure.
JAX faculty mentors must meet certain requirements and expectations:
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Provide sufficient funding, space and resources to support the postdoc (salary, benefits) and
execute the project.
Provide mentoring with the trainees’ research and career development in mind and taken into
consideration, especially with decisions on funding, publication, etc.
Allow time for the postdoctoral trainee to attend required functions such as the Whole Scientist™
course, JAX seminars and national/international meetings.
Be available regularly for their postdoc via meetings and email. In cases of prolonged or frequent
mentor absences, a co-mentorship will be arranged that is agreed upon by the postdoc, primary
mentor and the Training Committee.
Opportunity to provide JGE with a brief narrative for the postdoc’s annual career development
review packet, following reminder from JGE office 30 days prior to the review. This narrative can
include progress, kudos and concerns.
JAX liaisons also must meet certain requirements:
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Meet at least annually with postdoc trainee to provide guidance
Attend all JAX presentations by the postdoc and provide the postdoc with feedback
Opportunity to provide JGE with a brief narrative for the postdoc’s annual review packet, following
reminder from JGE 30 days prior to the review. This narrative can include progress, kudos and
concerns.
Alert JGE or Training Committee co-Chairs of potential problems or concerns on behalf of the
postdoc
3. Program Facilitation and Direction
 Training Committee co-Chairs and JGE act as a confidential sounding board for postdocs,
mentors and liaisons. The information gathered by any one of these members is shared amongst
the other members confidentially unless there is a conflict of interest
 The Postdoctoral program is jointly administered by JGE and the Pre and Postdoc Training
Committee. Any participant (trainee or mentor) may bring any questions or concerns and may
seek guidance from these entities.
JAX Genomics Education Office:
The Pre and Postdoc Program Director provides oversight, management and development of current and
new training programs that ensure all postdocs have the opportunity to meet the expectations of the JAX
training program
Current programs offered are:
 Science Forum: monthly meetings to provide training workshops, discuss and identify new
training needs, build a community of pre and postdocs.
 Delivery of the annual Whole Scientist™ course
 Management of academic year embedded module practicums by developing “problem sets” the
group would work on that are relevant and usable by JAX. For example, science communication
would be comprised of 4-5 interested pre and postdocs and guided by a JAX Mice and Service
leader to produce the scientific content for an identified webinar.
 Meeting 1:1 with postdocs to discuss career decisions and assist in identifying relevant training
opportunities
 Disseminating all funding opportunities to pre and postdocs
 Continuous review and up-dates on training opportunities based on postdoc’s needs
 Administrative support for committee
Pre and Postdoc Training Committee will provide:
 Review of Career Development packets submitted by postdocs and provides feedback to
postdoc, mentor and liaison following the review.
 Development and discussion of suggested training programs with Pre and Postdoc Program
Director. Program Director will be responsible to implement these.
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General Guidelines
JAX Genomics Education offers the following support:
Relocation:
JAX: JGE pays up to a max of $2000 per postdoc hire for reimbursable relocation expenses. Receipts
are required, and all charges must be in the postdoc's name.
The Postdoc must complete and sign a Relocation Expense Report form. This form is located at:
http://myjax.jax.org/fiscal_services/forms.html
The postdoc completes the relocation expense form with all receipts in his/her name and submits to HR
office.
Travel to scientific meetings:
Each postdoc receives $750 toward travel expenses from the JGE Office per year to attend a scientific
meeting or workshop.
The Postdoc obtains a Travel Request Form (TRA Form, PDF) that can be found at:
http://myjax.jax.org/travel/forms.html
The completed form is given to the designated official in the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), who
annotates the specific account numbers on their form and signs off. The postdoc’s mentor pays for any
expenses, over and above the $750.
Human Resources:
The most complete listing and detailed description of the salary, benefits, vacation accrual, sick leave
and other valuable benefit and Humane Resources compliance information available to postdoctoral
fellows is located on the website:
Human Resources http://myjax.jax.org/hr/index.html
This resides on an internal page and can only be accessed when you have an active JAX email. You will
have this email following your first day of orientation.
It is the responsibility of all JAX employees to review and be compliant with all Laboratory policies.
Research fellows receive appointments that are of limited duration. These appointments are provided to
individuals who have received a terminal degree (e.g., Ph.D., M.D., D.V.M.), and who are receiving
advanced research training while participating in research at JAX. Postdoctoral fellows are defined as
mentored trainees that are no more than five years beyond the receipt of a terminal degree. Time taken
off for other training or employment does not count toward this five-year limit. The duration of your
appointment is at the discretion of your faculty mentor and is based on your scientific progress and
available funding.
Postdoctoral Trainee Pay:
Individuals are paid a stipend, regardless of the funding source, and effort is devoted to research training
activity. Such stipends may be charged to institutional or individual training grants, external fellowships or
other JAX funds. It is important to work with your faculty mentor to determine the funding sources that
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are available to apply for, as this is an essential component of your training.
Postdoctoral Vacation
Individuals in postdoctoral positions may accrue up to 15 days of vacation time per year, with a maximum
accrual of 30 days. Vacation time accrues at the rate of 4.62 hours per bi-weekly pay period. There is
no salary in lieu of time-off granted. Postdocs may not use vacation time before the time has accrued. At
the conclusion of a postdoc’s training, unused vacation time is paid out if you leave JAX after your
postdoc. If a postdoc remains at JAX and accepts another position within the Laboratory, any accrued
vacation time moves to the new position. It is the postdoc’s responsibility to accurately report to your
timekeeper, on a weekly basis, any vacation time used.
Postdoctoral Sick Time
Postdocs may accrue up to 10 days of sick time per year, with a maximum accrual of 65 days (520
hours). Sick time accrues at the rate of 3.08 hours per bi-weekly pay period. Sick days are not paid out.
Postdocs may not use sick time before the time has accrued. If a postdoc accepts another position at
JAX following the postdoctoral position, the accrued number of days under the postdoctoral position will
carry over to the new position. It is the postdoc’s responsibility to accurately report to your timekeeper, on
a weekly basis, any sick time used.
Health Insurance and Dental Insurance
All post-docs may choose a health plan and a dental plan in which to enroll themselves and their
dependents, as outlined on the HR link. The cost of the coverage will vary based on level of coverage
selected. Benefits will be reviewed in detail during orientation. Please note that eligibility for benefits
does not occur until one to two months after you commence your post-doc, depending on your start date,
so you should arrange for interim coverage through COBRA or other options.
403(b)
The Laboratory provides an excellent retirement savings benefit through its 403(b) plan. The Laboratory
will match up to 5% of your salary and provides an additional 5% discretionary contribution, which means
you can save up to 15% of your salary, if you contribute 5%. All employees are eligible to join the plan
for purposes of making salary deferral contributions as of your date of hire, and you will be eligible for
Laboratory contributions six months after you become eligible for benefits.
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Resources
JAX maintains the MyJAX webpage that provides employees with current information,
forms, and scientific shared services. Please go to http://myjax.jax.org.
Resources:
Human Resources: Go to http://myjax.jax.org/hr/index.html
Information Technology: http://myjax.jax.org/it/index.html or call the helpdesk at ext.:
1414
Scientific Shared Services: http://myjax.jax.org/sci_services/index.html
Office of Sponsored Programs: http://myjax.jax.org/osp/index.html
Scientific Development Program: http://myjax.jax.org/sci_prog_dev/index.html
Postdoctoral Training: web page
lisa.john@jax.org
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