Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Welcome from the Dean and Vice Provost
Welcome to The University of Texas at Austin—one of the top universities in the world and a leader in postdoctoral research, scholarship and education. The more than 700 postdoctoral scholars, fellows and researchers across campus are vital contributors to the mission of the University. As a postdoc at UT Austin, you drive innovation by bringing new techniques, ideas and solutions through your research and by partnering with local communities, government and industry. You also advance the University’s teaching mission by working closely with undergraduate and graduate students and serving as team leaders and mentors.
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs is here to support you during your time on campus. We provide key resources and information on policies and benefits to help you succeed, including career and professional development programming to enhance your research and career goals. We also advocate for the needs of postdocs in campus discussions and work with other offices to ensure you have access to the resources you need.
Additionally, our office seeks to build community among postdocs and with the larger University. We disseminate university-wide communications with postdocs—including information on policies, resources and events—and support the UT Postdoc Association to help build collaboration and community.
We look forward to supporting you during your time at UT Austin and beyond and helping to make the University a top destination for postdoctoral researchers, scholars and fellows.
Sincerely,
Sarah Ades, Ph.D.
Dean of the Graduate School
Senior Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
The University of Texas at Austin
What is a postdoctoral scholar? Who do we serve?
A postdoctoral scholar is an individual who has received a doctoral degree (or equivalent) and is engaged in a temporary and defined period of mentored advanced training to enhance the professional skills and research independence needed to pursue their selected career path (NIH/NSF 2007). Although other terms have been used to refer to postdocs (i.e. trainee), this is the preferred definition emerging nationally.
We believe that postdocs are essential members of our university as they contribute to the dynamic and rapid influx of highly skilled talent, trust our positioning as a top university to launch their careers and represent future thought leaders that can empower our society with important societal roles.
Postdocs are supervised by a faculty member (PI) and have the freedom to conduct and publish the results of their research, scholarship or creative endeavors during the period of appointment. Scholars may be internally funded, paid through their PIs grant, or they may be externally funded, paid by a source external to the university (e.g., NSF, NIH, government grants, etc). Regardless of the source of funding, all postdocs at UT Austin will be served by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.
