Engineering, Humanities & Science, Earth Science, and Education - Changes in the University's Term Limit Policy for Postdoctoral Scholars

To: Faculty and Department Postdoctoral Administrators

We are writing to announce several important policy changes and mentoring guidelines that Provost Etchemendy approved after recommendation from the University’s Advisory Committee on Postdoctoral Affairs. These changes add flexibility in supporting a positive experience of postdocs and in responding circumstances where you may find it necessary to extend a new or current postdoctoral appointment beyond the limits of the existing policy. The following highlights these changes and guidelines:

1. An annual meeting of research progress and goal setting between the faculty mentor(s) and the postdoc is strongly encouraged.

Considering that an annual discussion of progress and goal setting invite conversations about long-term goals that can be often missed, several faculty utilize a formal process with their postdocs. This process reviews accomplishments and maps the next set of short-term objectives along a career path. Faculty and postdocs have found this review to be rewarding and motivational. Towards facilitating this conversation, a template of suggested guidelines and questions was developed (http://postdocs.stanford.edu/faculty_mentors/PDF/Meeting_Template_Form.pdf).

We recognize that individual mentoring styles vary and they are valued; there is no implication that this suggested template is the only format that these discussions should follow, but the conversation should be carried out on an annual basis and notes kept.

2. A set of policies has been developed to regarding the four-year term limit for postdoctoral appointment eligibility:

a. An extension for a fifth year may be granted with the filing of a written plan that has been discussed and agreed upon by the postdoc and faculty mentor(s) with the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.

b. A set of standard exceptions to the limit is now allowed: discounting up to one year of training in the thesis lab; extensions that bridge time to a job that has been offered; and extensions to complete a nationally or internationally competitive fellowship.

c. In rare circumstances, a sixth year is allowed after review by a subcommittee of faculty. To be eligible for consideration, the annual formal goal setting and progress meetings must have occurred from the initial year of appointment at Stanford and notes provided to the subcommittee.

3. The policy adds new provisions that aim to support postdocs who are new parents that include a clarification that paid maternity/paternity leave time is discounted from the term limit, and a provision to allow a reduction in effort when it is necessary for the postdoc to take care of significant family obligations or due to medical reasons.

The full text of the policy and the relevant details are available online at http://rph.stanford.edu/9-4.html. Feel free to contact your department’s postdoctoral administrator if you have questions about these changes, or reach out to Rania Sanford (raniasanford@stanford.edu ; 5-5075) or Tammy Wilson (tjwilson@stanford.edu) at the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs if you have further questions or wish to offer feedback.

Michael Longaker, MD, FACS
Chair, Provost’s Committee on Postdoctoral Affairs
And Professor of Surgery

Rania Sanford, Ed.D.
Assistant Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs
Stanford University