Postdoc Policies
Postdoc Time Limits
The postdoctoral appointment at Stony Brook is intended to be a time-limited period of mentored research training. Research Foundation (RF) postdoc employees may serve up to five years in a Postdoctoral Associate title at Stony Brook University. This includes local RF titles Postdoc Associate and Senior Postdoc Associate. State Postdoctoral Associates may serve up to three years in a postdoctoral appointment on West Campus, and up to four years on East Campus in the School of Medicine. At the end of the time limit as a Postdoctoral Associate, or at any time prior, subject to the appropriate authorization, an employee who is continuing must move into a new appropriate title. Those remaining in research often move into the RF title of Research Scientist at the appropriate salary range for the title.
Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship Training
All postdocs are expected to comply with Stony Brook’s Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship (RCRS) training policy P211. The required training includes an online and in-person component, the details of which are set individually by college or department. Postdocs should consult Office of Research Compliance for their "complementary policy" to determing the frequency and source of training that applies to them.
Principal Investigator (PI) Policy
In order to be the Principal Investigator (PI) on a grant at Stony Brook, an individual must hold a faculty appointment or be authorized by the appropriate chair, dean or other senior leadership. For postdocs, according to the SBU Proposal Submission Guide, “[e]mployees whose primary responsibility is to carry out research but who do not have a faculty appointment (e.g., postdoctoral trainee, research associate, fellow, (senior) research scientist) are eligible to serve as PI with authorization from the Department Chair, Center Director and their Dean (or Dean’s designee) or the appropriate senior leadership of other University units.” This approval is provided during myResearch proposal routing, and postdocs must enter the appropriate PI title within the myResearch interface.
No additional approvals are needed for postdocs to have Co-PI status.
For more information on serving as a principal investigator/project director at SBU, consult the SBU Proposal Submission Guide.
Student Loan Deferment
Postdocs at Stony Brook University are classified as either staff employees or Fellows. Postdocs at SBU are not classified as students and are therefore not likely to be eligible for loan deferment; however, it is ultimately the decision of your lending agency as to whether or not a postdoc is eligible.
Navigating Additional Professional Activities
Postdoctoral scholars should discuss their plans with the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) prior to engaging in additional research or employment activities, such as consulting, outside of their appointment.
We strongly recommend that postdocs share with OPA any existing relationships that may pose a conflict of interest or commitment with their current appointment. An ongoing relationship with a former advisor, for example, would not pose an issue if you are exchanging news about career milestones, but any active, ongoing research collaborations would warrant a discussion with OPA. If you are unsure whether an existing or potential research relationship may present a conflict, please don’t hesitate to reach out to OPA to discuss further.
This process is intended to protect the postdoc from any potential issues arising from additional research involvement outside of the scholar’s primary funding source, as well as to ensure institutional compliance with local and national security and funding regulations.
To discuss these activities with OPA, please submit the form linked at the bottom of the section. Following your form submission, OPA will schedule a meeting to clarify the nature of the activity(ies) and gather any additional information that may be necessary. OPA will advise the postdoc on navigating the outside activity and, with the postdoc’s consent, will facilitate connections to other campus offices that can provide additional guidance (e.g., visa and immigration issues, conflicts of interest, funding, and research security). We will also liaise with the postdoc’s principal investigator (PI), as needed.
Note that reviewer activities would likely not pose a concern, however, we strongly suggest that you speak with your PI and/or OPA about these activities prior to agreeing to serve in a reviewer capacity.
If you have questions, or wish to discuss this process before submitting the form, please email postdocs@stonybrook.edu.