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The Graduate School is responsible for campus administration of the Office of Postdoctoral Education at the University of Missouri.

Prospective Postdocs

Prestigious Postdoctoral Programs
Responsibilities of Departments & Programs
Responsibilities of Postdoctoral Scholars
FAQ

Prestigious Postdoctoral Programs

The PFF Postdoctoral Program provides teaching and/or research and professional development opportunities for postdoctoral scholars. The program allows postdoctoral scholars opportunities to participate in mentored training to more fully prepare them for their careers. Read about the programs below:

The PFF Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity is designed to promote and develop scholars for tenure-track faculty positions at the University of Missouri or elsewhere, in any discipline. Applicants should demonstrate how they can contribute to faculty diversity, such as through membership in a group that is historically underrepresented in a particular discipline or through other training or experience. The fellowships are for 2 years, during which time the scholars focus on scholarship and participate in professional development activities that integrate and expose them to the faculty experience. Click here for more information.

Email Dr. Valli Sarveswaran at postdoc@missouri.edu if you have any questions about the PFFFD postdoctoral program.

The MU Research Excellence Program (REP) enhances the university’s research mission by providing funding to high-performing faculty to hire postdoctoral scholars to further research productivity and advance postdoctoral scholar careers.

MU Faculty are competitively selected to be REP Faculty Scholars and participate in a call to hire REP Postdocs. The REP Faculty Scholar serves as the REP Postdoc’s research sponsor and mentor. REP Postdocs are provided with a competitive salary and professional development funds. Click here for more information.

Email Dr. Valli Sarveswaran at postdoc@missouri.edu if you have any questions about the REP program.

The SEC Emerging Scholars Program is designed to provide professional development and networking opportunities for doctoral students and postdocs who are considering faculty careers. University of Missouri SEC Emerging Scholars receive a 9-month doctoral or 12-month postdoctoral fellowship and will participate in a career preparation workshop designed to encourage top scholars – with attention provided to those from historically underrepresented groups – to seek out employment and mentorship within SEC member universities. To be eligible to apply, you must be a current MU doctoral student who will graduate (i.e., have degree conferred) in Spring or Summer of the year of the application due date. The program is open to any person regardless of race, national origin, ethnicity, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, political affiliation, veteran status, parental status, socio‐economic status, or first language. MU SEC Emerging Scholar postdoctoral fellowships consist of a 12-month postdoctoral position with $50,000 salary plus benefits. Click here for more information. Applications are due in May each year.

Role of Departments & Programs

Issues pertaining to specific terms of appointment, position requirements or limitations not specifically covered in this policy statement are the responsibility of the faculty mentor and appointing department. Departments can, and are encouraged to, develop their own policies and programs for postdoctoral trainees that may be more comprehensive than those described within campus policies.

Responsibilities of Postdoctoral Scholars

Appointment as a postdoctoral scholar imposes responsibilities on the trainee to the mentor, laboratory colleagues, the department with which they are affiliated, the university, and the agency that supports them.

These responsibilities include:

  • Conscientious discharge of research responsibilities.
  • Conformance to ethical standards in research.
  • Compliance with good laboratory practices.
  • Maintenance of laboratory notebooks and/or other records of research activity.
  • Adherence to university and departmental standards and policies regarding the use of isotopes, chemicals, infectious agents, research animals, human subjects as well as other policies regarding workplace safety.
  • Initiation of open and timely discussions with the mentor regarding all facets of research.
  • Prompt disclosure of information to the mentor regarding the possession of and/or intent to distribute materials, reagents, software, copyright-able and potentially patent-able discoveries derived from the research.
  • Collegiate conduct toward members of the research laboratory and others.
  • Compliance with all applicable university policies and the terms of the sponsoring agency’s grant, contract or fellowship stipulations.

Teaching postdoctoral scholars may or may not have some research responsibilities. If so, their research responsibilities should be consistent with those listed above.

In addition, teaching postdoctoral scholars will be responsible for teaching credit-generating courses and other responsibilities may also include:

  • Student Advising
  • Student Mentoring
  • Course Development

Frequently Asked Questions

Currently, our office is administering the following two postdoc opportunities. Click on the link where you will submit your applications. I do not collect application materials. Preparing Future Faculty – Faculty Diversity Postdoctoral Program – Currently, it is closed for the 2023 selection. Please visit us again in August 2023 for the 2024 selection. University of Missouri’s Research Excellence Program (REP) – Keep visiting this site to see who is accepting postdoc applications.

There are other postdoc opportunities that our office does not administer. You can look for them in two ways. First, you can search for postdoctoral positions on the University jobs website. You can search for the term “postdoctoral” and look through the results to see what might be a match for you. Second, you can identify the relevant college/school here to explore academic programs or faculty members and directly email faculty whose research is a good match with your own research program. Some faculty members may have funding for postdoctoral fellows but haven’t posted a job yet, thus it is good to directly contact the faculty member you are interested in working with and not just rely on our job database.

    US$47,476 

    Yes, often postdocs negotiate salaries before they accept the position. 

    Yes. It is the supervising faculty member’s or the unit’s decision whether or not to include moving allowances. 

    1. Postdoctoral scholars who are hired as benefit-eligible employees at the University of Missouri can purchase health, dental, & vision insurance. 
    1. Benefit Eligible employees work over 30 hours per week in non-student positions for which the university pays the salary. 
    1. See more here.  

    Yes – if their dependents move to the United States for the foreseeable future (i.e. they are not just visiting for a few months). 

    Yes, you have the option to contribute.

    Yes, the university matches up to 8% of your contribution. 

    Yes. An individual can be hired as a postdoctoral scholar for up to 5 years. This does not account for any previous experience as a postdoctoral scholar. 

    Yes, at least 70% of the postdoctoral scholars are international scholars. 

    Most of the international postdoctoral scholars are on either F-1 OPT or J-1. The university also sponsors H-1b visas. If you are eligible for other visa categories (e.g., TN visa), let the hiring faculty member or the unit know. 

    Whenever an international candidate is hired, the dependents are eligible to apply for the derivative dependents status. But usually, the financial burden is on the candidate, and not the hiring department.  

    The university does not have any properties to rent for postdoctoral scholars. However, there are plenty of affordable options available from the city of Columbia.