A postdoctoral appointment by an academic department or an organized research unit (ORU) is designed to give individuals who have recently received a doctoral degree an opportunity to conduct research under the guidance of a faculty mentor.
Issues regarding postdoctoral appointments are often complex, especially if the appointee is coming from another country. All questions regarding postdoctoral appointments should be directed to theappropriate HR partnerin theCampus Shared Services Unit.
There are several types of postdoctoral appointments at UC Berkeley. Postdoctoral scholar appointments are covered by a UC system-wide collective bargaining agreement. This agreement, also referred to as the PX Contract, may be foundhere. This contract covers all the terms and conditions of a postdoctoral scholar's appointment at UC.
Deans have the delegated authority to approve postdoctoral scholar appointments. All appointment letters must contain information listed in Article 2 of the PX contract. There is a five year maximum length of time for appointments, including previous experience at other institutions. There are also minimum compensation amounts, based on years of postdoctoral experience. Please consult with your HR partner for details.
Exceptions to the contract should be requested through the cognizant dean and forwarded to the Academic Personnel Office (APO) for academic units or to the Vice Chancellor for Research Office (VCRO) for ORUs.