Postdoctoral Officer Extensions

A postdoc is an individual holding a doctoral degree who is engaged in a temporary period of mentored research and/or scholarly training for the purpose of acquiring the professional skills needed to pursue a career path of his or her choosing.

Other postdoctoral officers – postdoctoral research scientist, postdoctoral research fellow, and postdoctoral clinical fellow – are normally appointed for one year at a time up to a maximum of five years of service. The Provost may authorize extensions when these postdoctoral officers need additional time in order to complete the projects on which they are working. Requests for extension require the review and approval of the appropriate department chair, dean, director, and vice president before they are submitted to the Provost.  Postdoctoral research officers who require additional periods of appointment beyond the fifth year are promoted to the rank of associate research scientist.

Note that while the source of funding for a postdoctoral research officer may change during the course of their training and, in some instances, may result in their being transferred between appointments as a postdoctoral research scientist and either a postdoctoral research fellow or postdoctoral clinical fellow, the limits on the length of their appointments as a postdoctoral officer apply to the time spent in any of these three ranks. Similarly, they apply to total service as a postdoctoral officer at the University rather than to time spent in an individual department.