Early Termination
During the postdoctoral term of appointment, the appointment is contingent upon programmatic need, satisfactory performance and the existence of funding. At the end of the term and subject to the limits set forth in university policy, the appointment may be subject to early termination or non-renewal. Although international postdocs may be eligible for up to five full years in duration under the J-1 visa program, there is no guarantee of appointment renewal up to five years.
In some occasions, ending the appointment of a postdoctoral scholar prior to the agreed-upon appointment end date may be necessary as a result of funding shortfall, change in programmatic need or lack of sufficient research progress or inadequate performance. Early termination may also be made following a determination that gross misconduct by the scholar has occurred. In all cases of possible early termination, the faculty mentor must contact the department’s postdoctoral administrator, who may also recommend discussion of the case with the Assistant Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs.
Faculty mentors should give the postdoc an early termination notice at least 30-60 days before the early termination date occurs with a copy to the Assistant Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs. The notice must follow the University’s template. If the postdoc is on a visa, the faculty mentor must also provide a written/e-mail notice of the early termination date to the Bechtel International Center.
Note in the case of H1B holders: If the postdoc is on an H1B visa, the postdoc is not eligible for a terminal 90 day unpaid leave noted in the early termination notice template. The postdoc status and legal status in the United States will end on the appointment end date. Omit the third paragraph below in this case from the letter before giving to the postdoc.
Any terminations due to inadequate academic or research progress must follow a process by which progress discussions and written evaluation by the faculty mentor are made. This process must note the specific steps to be taken in order to remedy any deficiencies, and the possibility of early termination if those deficiencies remain by a specific date. Such process takes place several weeks/months in advance of taking this early termination action.
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