It is recognized that research contracts or grants may be awarded on short notice, precluding lengthy searches for postdoctoral positions, particularly when the duration of the contract may be for only one or two years.
Departments or research units which may require personnel for such postdoctoral positions may create a pool of qualified candidates for these anticipated positions. A department or research unit wishing to establish such a pool must receive written approval from the Dean. The request/approval must be renewed annually for the postdoc pool position number. At least once each year, the department or research unit must advertise that from time to time postdoctoral positions become available under a variety of research grants and projects. A college may choose to utilize one posting for all departments and research units within the college. The specializations for which postdoctoral positions are anticipated must be included in the advertisement.
Both online and printed media may be utilized to advertise anticipated positions. These may include the college’s web site as well as web sites for professional journals and/or organizations. To address the University’s commitment to affirmative action and equal employment opportunity, it is suggested that notices be mailed to those universities graduating high numbers of minorities and to historically black college and universities, with notices to both being limited to those institutions with departments similar to the departments at Auburn which anticipate postdoctoral positions. The information should also be included in the block ad for faculty positions at Auburn University placed once each year by the Provost in minority publications.
The above process applies only to postdoctoral positions funded with contract or grant money and only in those cases where there is sufficient time to conduct a normal search process and complete the research in the time allotted by the contract or grant. In all other cases, the standard faculty recruitment process must be followed.
If a postdoc approaches a department with his/her own funding, no advertisement is required. The Department Head/Chair must submit a memorandum through the Dean to the Provost, indicating the research to be conducted and the AU faculty with whom the postdoc will work. The source of the funding must be identified as well as the duration of the requested appointment. The postdoc’s vita and graduate transcripts must be attached to the memorandum.
Last Updated: October 17, 2016
