Postdoctoral Appointment Administration: Roles and Responsibilities

Description

This resource is intended for appointment administrators, including business administrators, faculty affairs staff, HR partners, department administrators, and school-level staff who support postdoctoral trainee appointments.

Appointment administrators help ensure that postdoctoral trainee appointments are processed accurately, documented appropriately, and managed in accordance with University, school, department, funding, and visa requirements. Schools and departments remain responsible for local appointment processing, payroll, onboarding, access, reappointment actions, and related administrative workflows.

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) provides central policy guidance and resources for postdoctoral trainee appointments.

Note for Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs (BPP): BPP supports postdoctoral trainees in the Perelman School of Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, School of Nursing, and School of Dental Medicine, as well as affiliated institutions including Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Wistar Institute, Monell Chemical Senses Center, and Swarthmore College. Appointment administrators supporting BPP postdoctoral trainees should consult the BPP website and applicable BPP systems for current appointment, reappointment, IDP, extension, stipend, and separation procedures.

First Steps for Setting Up a Postdoctoral Trainee

Confirm the Appointment Type

Before beginning the appointment process, confirm the appropriate postdoctoral classification.

Penn postdoctoral trainees are generally appointed as one of the following:

• Postdoctoral Researcher
• Postdoctoral Fellow
• NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow

The appointment type should reflect the trainee’s funding source, appointment structure, and applicable University guidance. Appointment letters and Workday records should accurately reflect the postdoctoral trainee’s appointment type, appointment dates, compensation, and funding source.

For more information, review Postdoctoral Classifications at Penn.

Confirm Recruitment and Appointment Materials

Faculty mentors and appointment administrators should confirm whether the position will be posted through the Interfolio Postdoc Recruitment Platform or managed through another approved school or departmental process. As OPA continues to integrate Interfolio guidance into postdoctoral appointment practices across campus, departments are encouraged to review the BPP guidance on creating and managing posts in Interfolio for Postdoc Recruitment as a reference.

Before the appointment begins, confirm that the required appointment materials are complete, including:

• offer or appointment letter;
• appointment start and end dates;
• funding source and compensation details;
• visa sponsorship documentation, if applicable;
• school or department approvals;
• required Workday documentation.

International postdoctoral trainees may require additional lead time for visa sponsorship review and processing through International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).

Complete Department Onboarding

Postdoctoral onboarding is managed by the school, department, faculty mentor, and departmental administrator. OPA provides central guidance, orientation, and policy resources, but does not complete departmental onboarding, payroll setup, building access, or local appointment processing.

Before the postdoctoral trainee starts, confirm:

• Workday onboarding status;
• PennKey and Penn email setup;
• payroll and direct deposit information;
• benefits information;
• workspace, equipment, and building access;
• laboratory, clinical, animal, or field research access, if applicable;
• required training assignments;
• mentor and department contacts;
• New Postdoc Orientation information;
• department listservs or communication channels.

Departments should also help the postdoctoral trainee understand local expectations, key contacts, reimbursement processes, workspace procedures, and any required school or department-specific trainings.

Track Annual Requirements and Reappointment Timing

Postdoctoral reappointments should be initiated well in advance of the appointment end date.

Before reappointment, appointment administrators should confirm:

• continued funding;
• updated appointment dates;
• Workday updates;
• current stipend or salary level;
• required documentation;
• visa sponsorship timing, if applicable;
• completion of the annual review or Individual Development Plan (IDP) process.

The IDP is intended to support communication between the postdoctoral trainee and faculty mentor, clarify short- and long-term research and career goals, and document progress toward training objectives. Departments and schools may have specific processes for collecting or documenting completed IDPs.

Manage Compensation, Funding, and External Pay Changes

Postdoctoral trainee stipends are typically increased at the start of a new appointment period. If a stipend must be increased during an active appointment, the change is processed through Workday@Penn.

Some Postdoctoral Researchers and Postdoctoral Fellows receive compensation directly from an external funding source. These funds are not managed by Penn but must still be documented in Workday. External funding should be fully accounted for in the appointment letter at the time of appointment.

Appointment administrators should review related OPA resources on Postdoctoral Stipend Levels, Workday@Penn, and Managing Benefits Costs for Postdocs on External Pay when processing compensation or funding changes.

Coordinate Appointment Endings

Postdoctoral trainees are expected to provide at least 20 business days’ notice of resignation to both their faculty mentor and departmental administrator.

If a faculty mentor or department is considering ending a postdoctoral appointment before the current appointment end date, they should contact OPA before taking action.

If a postdoctoral appointment will not be renewed at the end of the current term, written notice should be provided in accordance with University policy and any applicable school, funding, visa, or appointment requirements.

Appointment administrators should complete required Workday updates as close to the time of notification as possible and ensure that Workday records accurately reflect the circumstances of the appointment ending.

Before departure, postdoctoral trainees should complete the OPA Postdoc Exit Survey and ensure that research materials, records, data, and project files are organized and transferred according to laboratory, department, school, sponsor, and University requirements.

Penn Policy and Related Guidance

For University policy guidance, appointment administrators should review the Policy for Postdoctoral Trainees at the University of Pennsylvania and related OPA resources.