You are joining a community of…
Mentors committed to supporting your growth as an independent scholar/contributor
World-class researchers advancing UW’s reputation as a global research powerhouse
Getting Up & Running
The information below will help prepare you to settle into your role as a postdoc at the University of Washington. Click on all the tabs that apply to your role at UW.
All new postdocs should:
Review the collective bargaining agreement – Postdocs at UW are represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 4121. The contract includes a wide range of information including as concerns appointment and compensation.
Employees with questions or concerns about their dues deductions should contact their union representative. Preliminary contact information can be found on each contract’s dedicated page. Please take a moment to read the article that applies to dues deduction; you may also want to review your membership agreement.
Understand your postdoctoral classification – UW has two general postdoctoral classifications: postdoctoral scholars and postdoctoral scholar-fellows. Both are term limited and max out at five years of cumulative postdoctoral experience at all institutions. The difference between the two classifications is largely related to the funding source supporting the appointment.
For more information, visit the Office of Academic Personnel & Faculty’s Postdoctoral Scholar Titles webpage.
If your role included research activities, you should:
Complete required training – All UW employees engaged in research activities must complete required training before research begins. Depending on the nature of your research and role, additional training may be required or recommended. Visit https://www.washington.edu/research/required-training/ to identify and complete all required training.
Explore research tools and systems – UW offers a variety of applications and systems that you may use as part of your research activities, either independently or in collaboration with your faculty mentor. To learn about and access research-related tools and systems, visit UW’s Research Administration Tools webpage.
Leverage the Office of Research – The Office of Research resources webpage is a terrific jumping off point for information related to research policy, processes, training, funding opportunities, and forms/templates. They also have a great onboarding page which is primarily geared toward new UW faculty, but may be of interest to postdocs.
Connect with ONRI – The School of Nursing’s Office for Nursing Research & Innovation (ONRI) is here to support you in pursuing a successful research program.
If you will be teaching during your postdoctoral experience, you should:
Review teaching policies – While teaching isn’t typically an expectation for postdocs, it is allowable in some contexts. There are specific criteria and conditions that postdocs must meet in order to participate in teaching activities. Take time to review the policy. Reach out to your faculty mentor and/or the School of Nursing’s HR team at sonhr@uw.edu if you have questions.
Reach out to SoN Learning Technologies – The Learning Technology team within the School of Nursing’s Office of Student and Academic Affairs supports instructional faculty by providing learning-centered services like instructional design, education technology, and media support (UW netID required).
Attend a teaching orientation – Each quarter, SoN academic units host a teaching orientation led by the Vice Chair for Education. Keep an eye out for an invitation from your unit.
Thank you for joining the SoN community!
We look forward to the great things you will do!
To explore additional content your academic unit may have, select your unit below…