University Resources
- RA68 – Postdoctoral Appointments See: https://policy.psu.edu/policies/ra68
- Penn State Office of Postdoctoral Affairs See: https://postdoc.psu.edu/
Summary
These guidelines cover the following processes for EMS postdoctoral scholars:
- Recruitment
- Appointments
- Minimum Salaries
- Individual Mentoring Plans and Performance Reviews
- Annual Salary Increases
- Conflict Resolution
Goal
To standardize guidelines for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) to provide consistent application of appointment processes, minimum salaries, annual evaluations, and annual salary increases for postdoctoral scholars and fellows (postdocs) across EMS.
Guidelines
Recruitment
Sub-unit heads must request permission from the Dean to recruit postdocs supported on general funds. Once approval has been granted the sub-unit head should contact EMS HR who will work with the sub-unit and supervising faculty member to develop and initiate the recruitment process including advertising and if necessary, including special considerations for international postdocs.
Appointments
Postdoc appointments are typically for a maximum of five years. Between the fourth year and fifth year, a determination must be made about any potential appointment that would extend a postdoc beyond five years. Discussions of continued employment beyond the fifth year should be held as soon as possible with EMS HR.
Minimum Salaries
Compensation for postdocs at the time of hiring must meet or exceed the minimum stipend specified in the Table of Stipends for Postdoctoral Appointments. This is the NIH/Kirschstein-NRSA scale which sets the minimum compensation (0 years of experience) that the University requires for new and reappointed postdocs and fellows regardless of funding source. This figure is updated annually by the NIH.
Any offer made in advance of the updated NIH minimum, that is below the NIH minimum, will be adjusted accordingly at the time the postdoc starts their position. Per NIH policy, once the appropriate stipend level has been determined, the scholar must be paid at that level for the entire grant year. The stipend for each additional year of support is at the next level in the stipend structure and does not change mid-year.
Faculty members are encouraged to factor in annual compensation increases and years of experience when planning for multi-year postdoc appointments.
Individual Mentoring Plans and Performance Reviews
All postdocs must have an individual mentoring or development plan. Most grants supporting postdocs already require a written mentoring plan. EMS does not provide a specific mentoring plan format and encourages faculty supervisors to tailor their plans for their individual postdocs. The plan should be established at the beginning of the postdoctoral appointment and shared with the mentee. For sample postdoc mentoring and development plans see For sample postdoc mentoring and development plans see IDPs and NSF 101: The Mentoring Plan.
All postdocs must have yearly performance review meetings with their supervisor(s). This process should be documented using the Annual Postdoc Evaluation Form (see Appendix B) considering the goals established in the individual mentoring plan. Mentoring plans can be updated at any time. Completed Annual Postdoc Evaluation Forms are due to the sub-unit Head and the office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research at research@ems.psu.edu by March 1 (February 1 for MatSE). This review is waived for postdocs in their position for less than 6 months.
Annual Salary Increases
Postdoctoral appointments are not included in the standard University Annual Salary Increase (ASI) process for faculty and staff. Salaries for postdocs are reviewed at Annual Salary Increase (ASI) time by ADGER and EMS HR to ensure that postdocs are being paid in accordance with the NIH-NRSA minimums as defined on the Table of Stipends for Postdoctoral Appointments.
If a supervising faculty member wishes to hire a postdoc at a rate higher than the NIH Grade Level corresponding with years of experience post PhD, they should consult with their sub-unit Head and EMS HR to determine the appropriate rate based upon our EMS comparable postdoc salaries. EMS HR will work with each sub-unit to compile and submit one Compensation Change Spreadsheet to HR Shared Services for processing with the effective date that the University uses for the ASI each year. The compensation change will be processed in Workday and the postdoc will be able to see their salary reflected along with any associated retroactive pay.
Penn State Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows are partially funded by the University and salaries are in alignment with other participating institutions (see more information at https://www.ppfp.psu.edu/)
EMS Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellows are funded under the Dean’s Fund for Postdoc Facilitated Innovation Through Collaboration program and therefore any salary increase will be closely coordinated by EMS HR and the Dean’s Office before implementation.
Conflict Resolution
The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences makes it a priority to establish fair and effective processes to resolve postdocs’ grievances. If a problem were to arise between a postdoctoral scholar and a faculty member, colleague, or other institutional personnel, we encourage postdocs to first seek to resolve the problem with their supervisor. If needed, postdocs may seek recourse through the department or institute head, Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and guidance from Human Resources and/or the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. Postdocs are also encouraged to contact the EMS Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Ombuds Program for assistance with navigating potential conflicts.
Adopted: EMS Executive Council, October 15, 2024.