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Postdoctoral Scholar appointments provide a full-time program of advanced academic and research training. Postdoctoral appointments are temporary and have fixed end dates. The total duration of an individual’s postdoctoral service may not exceed five years, including previous postdoctoral experience outside of Berkeley Lab.
Per the UAW Postdoc Contract, under unusual circumstances, an exception to this limit may be requested, and not exceed a sixth year. Additionally, if a Postdoctoral Fellow is on an approved paid or unpaid leave of absence for one month or longer, an exception request can be made to extend their appointment by the length of the leave up to one additional year beyond the five-year maximum.
Recently, the unusual circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have had an impact or delayed the training programs of many of our postdoctoral scholars.
To assist Divisions to request an exception to the five-year limit, the Career Pathways Office has created a request template for supervisors and Divisions requesting an extension of the postdoctoral appointment.
Questions can be referred to: Meg Rodriguez, Career Pathways Program Manager.
Reasons for Extension
Extension requests will be considered for one of the following four reasons. Required documentation for each request is described below:
1. COVID-19-related delays in research training
The original training and research expectations of scholar before the pandemic
For the additional requested time, the revised training and research expectations for the scholar, including how the postdoctoral supervisor will provide feedback to the scholar on their progress and help the scholar prioritize research activities to prepare them for their next career step
Include transition plans for the Postdoc after the appointment extension (e.g. are they searching for positions external to the Lab, will they be applying to any internal opportunities, etc.)
2. Approved paid or unpaid leave of absence for one month or longer
For the additional requested time, the revised training and research expectations for the scholar, including how the postdoctoral supervisor will provide feedback to the scholar on their progress and help the scholar prioritize research activities to prepare them for their next career step
Include transition plans for the Postdoc after the appointment extension (e.g. are they searching for positions external to the Lab, will they be applying to any internal opportunities, etc.)
3. Recent change in research training: field and/or focus
The original research focus, and how it changed
When the change occurred
For the additional requested time, the training and research expectations for the scholar, including how the postdoctoral supervisor will provide feedback to the scholar on their progress and help the scholar prioritize research activities to prepare them for their next career step.
Include transition plans for the Postdoc after the appointment extension (e.g. are they searching for positions external to the Lab, will they be applying to any internal opportunities, etc.)
4. Fellowship award for postdoctoral training period
The postdoctoral supervisor or department will provide a letter detailing:
The terms of the fellowship award, including the effective dates of the award, and;
The postdoctoral appointment criteria for the award.
Include transition plans for the Postdoc after the appointment extension (e.g. are they searching for positions external to the Lab, will they be applying to any internal opportunities, etc.)
5. Other
The reason(s) and justification(s) for the request
For the additional requested time, the training and research expectations for the scholar, including how the postdoctoral supervisor will provide feedback to the scholar on their progress and help the scholar prioritize research activities to prepare them for their next career step
If appropriate, the postdoctoral supervisor or department is encouraged to provide additional documentation supporting the request
Include transition plans for the Postdoc after the appointment extension (e.g. are they searching for positions external to the Lab, will they be applying to any internal opportunities, etc.)
The postdoctoral supervisor or Division is encouraged to provide any other additional documentation supporting the request as appropriate.
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