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Guidelines for the Hiring of Postdoctoral Associates

The term “postdoc” at Virginia Tech can refer to two different employment situations:

  1. Those employees in the official university rank of “Postdoctoral Associate.” Eligibility for this rank requires an earned doctorate or equivalent terminal degree in an appropriate academic field awarded in the previous five years. Appointment to this rank is a traineeship under the supervision of a more senior faculty scholar in preparation for a career in academia or research. The appointment is temporary in nature and is limited to a minimum of one year and a maximum total of 5 years from the date of terminal degree conferral.
    OR
  2. Those employees who have earned a Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree in the previous five years who are in an official university rank other than “Postdoctoral Associate." These positions are not considered traineeships and may fall under a number of official ranks such as “Research Associate,” “Research Scientist,” or “Research Assistant professor,” among others.

Guidance for the Hiring of Official University Rank of “Postdoctoral Associate” in Salaried Positions

The intention of the Postdoctoral Associate rank is to provide a continued opportunity for training in a specialty area for a limited amount of time. The minimum initial salaried appointment period is one year and the maximum allowable time for an individual to be in the rank of Postdoctoral Associate is five years from the date of terminal degree conferral. In order for employment to be continuous beyond the maximum of five years it would be necessary for the Postdoctoral Associate to be considered for a promotion to a higher rank, such as Research Scientist or Research Assistant Professor. 

For detailed information about the available research faculty ranks please see the Office of Research and Innovation Human Resources website.

Characteristics of the Rank of Postdoctoral Associate

  • Continuation of training in specialty area under the supervision of a more senior faculty mentor
  • Duties are substantially research or scholarship but may include limited teaching responsibilities
  • Expectation to submit for publication the results of his/her research findings
  • Appointment is temporary in nature, limited to 4 years at Virginia Tech within the 5 years following the awarding of the Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree
  • Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree must be awarded no more than four years prior to the effective date of appointment with a minimum of one year eligibility remaining.
  • Limited supervision of personnel. May include opportunities to write and submit grant proposals; may serve as co-principal investigator or principal investigator by approved exception
  • Appointment is “restricted” due to temporary nature – i.e., employment depends on availability of funding, the need for services, and satisfactory performance

Expected Compensation 

Virginia Tech is committed to paying competitively to recruit, reward, and retain high-performing employees.  

In order to offer competitive salaries, the university has increased the minimum pay for exempt full-time salary faculty and staff (excluding postdoctoral associates) to $40,000 and full-time salary postdoctoral associates to $48,000 effective July 1, 2022 for new hires.  All postdoctoral associates must meet the minimum by June 30, 2023..  

Principal Investigators applying to National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded programs should review the NIH Postdoctoral Stipend table for FY 2022 for budgeting information.

Departments should be aware that candidates on H-1B visas are subject to prevailing wage determination which may be higher than your anticipated salary range. For more information, please contact Global Strategic Services.

For information pertaining to benefits available to special research faculty employees, including Postdoctoral Associates, please visit the Benefits website. 

Research faculty compensation inquiries may be directed to the Office of Research and Innovation Human Resources at ovpr-hr@vt.edu.

Hiring Procedures and Timing of Degree Award

Postdoctoral Associates may be hired through the competitive search process or via an approved search exemption. Departments may request approval of a search exemption to hire a Postdoctoral Associate prior to the anticipated award of the candidate’s Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree. Actual employment is contingent upon presentation of satisfactory documentation of credentials prior to the effective date of the appointment.  

To initiate the search exemption process, departments should initiate a position description, attach a letter of justification and the candidate’s CV to the applicant tracking system. If you have questions or need assistance please email ovpr-hr@vt.edu. Information about the competitive search process is available on the Office of Research and Innovation Human Resources website. 

The university recognizes the occasional need for departments to extend a Terms of Faculty Offer to a candidate for the rank of Postdoctoral Associate whose degree has not yet been awarded but is expected by the time of appointment. In these cases the department should contact the Office of Research and Innovation Human Resources for guidance prior to submitting the Terms of Faculty Offer for approval by the Office of Research and Innovation.