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Post-doc appointment process

The following information is for faculty members and department staff appointing a post-doctoral fellow (PDF). Although PDF supervisors are responsible for the appointment process, they may receive assistance from their unit or department staff, who should be kept updated on all PDF appointments.

Before appointing a PDF, please read the Post-Doctoral Fellows Policy and Procedures policy—updated in December 2023.

The policy:

• defines the eligibility requirements for a PDF appointment at the university
• distinguishes between an Internal and Award Recipient PDF
• establishes the responsibilities of the faculty member as the supervisor of a PDF
• establishes the responsibilities of the PDF
• outlines the support provided by the university

PDFs must have completed a PhD prior to commencing their appointment, and the total term length for a PDFs appointment can not normally extend beyond six years part the date of their PhD (see the policy for exceptions). It is the responsibility of the faculty member to obtain documented proof of the PDF having completed their PhD, and that the PhD was completed within the five-year period immediately prior to the start of the appointment.

For Internal PDFs paid from funds held by the faculty member, before extending an offer, the faculty member must ensure that there is sufficient funding to pay the salary, the mandatory employment-related costs (CPP, EI, etc.), and the employer’s portion of the extended health and dental benefits. These costs and benefits may be up to an additional 20% of the PDFs salary.

Once the faculty member has identified a PDF they would like to appoint, ensured they are eligible to be appointed as a postdoc, and ensured there is sufficient funding and space, they can complete the following steps in order to appoint the PDF.

Step 1: Space & facilities form

Before making an offer of employment or appointment to a PDF, the faculty member must complete the Confirmation of Space and Facilities Form in order to demonstrate that the space and facilities required for the PDF’s research will be available. Signatures are required from the faculty member, the relevant academic unit head, and the person responsible for allocating space in the academic unit.

Step 2: Letter of offer

Faculty members must then provide a Letter of Offer using the appropriate template. The Letter of Offer contains the terms and conditions of the PDF’s appointment and serves as the agreement between the faculty member, the university, and the PDF.

Faculty members should include details in the letter of offer template where indicated. Prior to sending the letter to the PDF for signature, the Letter of Offer should be sent for review to the PDF administrator. For international postdocs, the Letter of Offer must additionally be reviewed by the immigration coordinator. Once the Letter of Offer has been approved, it can be sent to the PDF, who will indicate acceptance by returning a signed copy.

Please contact the PDF administrator with any questions about the Letter of Offer.

Domestic post-doctoral fellows

Letter of Offer Template for Domestic PDFs – Internal: A PDF whose salary is paid from funds held by a university Faculty Member or from the university’s financial resources, or a combination of the two. An Internal PDF is supervised by one or more Faculty Members, is an employee of the university, and holds an appointment as a PDF at the university.

Letter of Offer Template for Domestic PDFs – Award Recipients: A PDF who has secured funding from a Funding Agency which is external to the university and who is paid mainly from such funding. An Award Recipient PDF is not a university employee. They are members of the university community who work independently under the mentorship of one or more supervising Faculty Members at UVic.

International post-doctoral fellows

The Letter of Offer templates for international PDFs can be found on the immigration webpage. Contact the immigration coordinator with the completed template before signing the Letter of Offer. For international PDFs, the faculty member must also complete the Due Diligence Form to identify and mitigate potential security risks. This form is to be provided by the immigration coordinator.

Step 3: PDF appointment form

The faculty member can now appoint the PDF by completing the. This online form is used for both Internal and Award Recipient postdocs. Note that the PDF administrator is automatically added as a contact on this form.

The faculty member must send signed copies of the Space and Facilities Form and the Letter of Offer to the PDF administrator. The easiest way to do so is to add copies of both forms as attachments when completing the appointment form.

Contact the payroll office (or at 250-721-7034) for assistance with the appointment form, or the PDF administrator for more complicated appointments.

Step 4: Benefits

Once the PDF is appointed, they should contact the PDF administrator or the benefits office in order to enrol in the Extended Health Plan and the Dental Care Plan, if they are eligible. Internal PDFs are eligible to enrol as long as their appointment is at least 17.5 hours/week and at least one year in duration. The eligibility for Award Recipient PDFs is outlined in the policy.

Eligible PDFs can enrol in the same Extended Health Plan and Dental Care Plan as the Professional Employees Association. Details on these plans and the associated premiums can be found on the benefits website.

Additionally, PDFs are generally eligible for parental leave support. Please see the policy for additional details on the support available, and contact the PDF administrator for assistance with the process.

Relocation assistance procedures

Before offering relocation assistance, faculty members should review the Relocation Assistance Procedures in Policy H6310, Section 10.00. Relocation assistance should be documented in the Letter of Offer. An external research account must be used for these expenses, and they must be eligible under the Relocation Assistance Policy HR6405.

To process relocation assistance, submit a Travel Expense Reimbursement form using the . Attach a copy of the letter of offer documenting the assistance offered and add Micah Brush – Post-doc Administrator as a contact. Do not use the Relocation Assistance Form, which applies for faculty relocation expenses.

Additional Tri-Agency award instructions

The following instructions are for appointing CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC postdoctoral award holders only.

When applying for Tri-Agency awards, the proposed supervisor at UVic should submit a Research Application Summary Form (RASF) before the fellowship application is submitted to the funding agency.

When the PDF receives notice that their application was successful, they should email the PDF administrator with the following information:

1. The Request for First Instalment or Reinstatement of Award Paid by Canadian Institution form or the Confirmation of Commencement form, . This form should be completed and signed by the PDF where applicable, and the PDF administrator will seek the remaining institutional signature.
2. The Notice of Award.
3. The PDF supervisor’s name.

Once the RASF has been completed and the PDF has forwarded the necessary paperwork, the supervisor will receive an Open Account Memo (OAM) with the FAST account associated with the award. The supervisor must then complete the as outlined in Step 3, selecting the Fellowship (Award Recipient) payment type.

Extending or modifying an existing appointment

Faculty members must recognize the modification of the appointment with a letter that includes the new details of the appointment. If the modification is simple, such as an extension or a change in the salary amount, faculty members may use the provided extension template for domestic PDFs. For international PDFs, the immigration coordinator can provide a template. For more complicated modifications, faculty members must complete a new Letter of Offer detailing the change in the appointment.

Once the letter detailing the modifications has been signed by the relevant parties, the faculty member can complete a Position Status Change Request (PSCR) for Other Employee groups and . Please attach the updated letter and add Micah Brush – Post-doc Administrator as a contact. The PSCR should be used for both Internal and Award Recipient PDFs.

Summary of responsibilities and process

 In order to hire a PDF, the faculty member must:

• Obtain documented proof of the PDF's completion of a PhD within the five-year period immediately prior to the start of the appointment;
• For Internal PDFs, ensure there is sufficient funding to pay the salary, the mandatory employment-related costs (CPP, EI, etc.), and the employer’s portion of extended health and dental benefits (costs and benefits may be up to an additional 20% of the PDFs salary);
• Complete the Confirmation of Space and Facilities Form;
• Complete a Letter of Offer using the available templates and send for review to the PDF administrator and, for international PDFs, the immigration coordinator;
• Complete the online , attaching signed copies of the Space and Facilities Form and the Letter of Offer;
• Ensure the PDF obtains a Netlink ID and is provided with an orientation; and
• Complete the additional paperwork as needed for relocation assistance and activation of Tri-Agency awards.