1. Appointment Letter
STEP 1: The department must first complete and sign the Approval Request Form for Hire to document that funding for support of the new hire is in place. Once completed and signed, the form should be uploaded with the appointment letter request.
STEP 2: The departmental administrator or faculty mentor will submit an appointment letter request. A letter will then be generated through OPE and sent to the mentor and postdoctoral scholar for signature. The appointment letter will specify the following:
- postdoc's name, degree, and mailing address
- department or division to which the postdoc is assigned
- effective date of appointment and if renewable for up to three years
- duration of appointment and possibility of reappointment
- mentor's name, degree, and title
- annual award/stipend amount
- a description of research activities and expectations in which the postdoc will be involved
Mentors may agree but are not required to provide relocation support to postdoctoral scholars as a part of a recruitment package. If mentors decide to support postdoctoral scholars by providing additional resources, the following must be stated explicitly in the position offer letter.
Postdoctoral 21 (employee)
- "As a part of your start up package, you will receive an incentive of $ . This incentive is subject to tax withholdings and will be included through your next direct deposit."
Postdoctoral 20 (trainee)
- "As a part of your start up package, you will receive an additional award of $ . This additional award is subject to federal tax reporting and will be included through your next direct deposit."
Once the postdoctoral scholar is hired, an ACT document will need to be created with the document reason of Nonrecurring Element. The element is "Trainee 1T" for Postdoctoral Trainees (Status 20) and "Start-Up 1T" for Postdoctoral Employee (Status 21).
International Candidates: If the prospective scholar will need assistance in entering the U.S., the department will contact UAB's International Scholar and Student Services opens a new website (ISSS).
2. Official Transcript
To verify a postdoctoral scholar's receipt of terminal degree, OPE requires an official transcript be sent to our office. The scholar can fulfill this requirement by
- requesting the institution awarding the terminal degree send an official transcript (in English) to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . - requesting a a transcript evaluation from any NACES accredited evaluation company be sent to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . A list of approved current members can be found at https://www.naces.org/members.- UAB recommends using World Education Services or The Evaluation Company.
- bringing an original (in English) transcript/marksheets bearing an official stamp to OPE so that it can physically scanned. Previously copied, faxed, or scanned transcripts are considered unofficial.
If the terminal degree has not yet been awarded at the time of appointment but all requirements have been met for degree, a letter of completed degree from the scholar's graduate school can be submitted directly to OPE. Once the terminal degree has been awarded, an official transcript will still need to be sent to OPE.
Please note that the appointment will not be finalized until proof of degree is received by OPE.
3. Copy of Curriculum Vitae
An up-to-date copy of the curriculum vitae is required at the time of appointment.
4. Departmental Personnel Officer
The postdoc should also contact their departmental personnel officer as soon as possible after their arrival. The personnel officer will also need additional documents completed in order to process the postdoc's appointment into the UAB system.