The University of Michigan is establishing a new Office of Postdoctoral Affairs that will serve as a hub to support more than 1,400 postdoctoral fellows who work across the university and play a key part in its research enterprise.
The office will support postdocs as they prepare for their future careers and also guide and advise departments and programs about best-practice policies, processes and services related to the employment and well-being of postdoctoral fellows.
The office, which will launch during the winter 2024 term, will have four staff members, one of whom will be a faculty director. It will be supported jointly by the Rackham Graduate School and the Office of the Vice President for Research.
Services offered by OPA will include orientations for new postdocs, professional development and career counseling, policy implementation and oversight, emergency funding and conflict resolution.
OPA also will work with U-M partners, including Rackham for training opportunities and OVPR for a series of skill-building workshops.
“Postdoctoral fellows are both trainees and research staff,” Rackham Dean Mike Solomon said. “Establishing a centralized office to support them will best meet the needs of this large and diverse group.”
“Our global impact and our reputation as a leading public research university is, in part, a direct reflection of the hundreds of postdoctoral fellows whose commitment to excellence and creativity plays a critical role in advancing innovative research and discovery across disciplines,” said Rebecca Cunningham, vice president for research and innovation.
“It is imperative that we continue to provide our postdocs with the services and resources necessary so they can thrive, generating new knowledge technologies for the betterment of society.”
In response to a 2021 report and request from the U-M Postdoctoral Association for a centralized office, Rackham and OVPR partnered to conduct a benchmarking study and needs assessment for a postdoctoral office during the early part of 2022.
This effort included in-depth discussions with units with the highest number of postdoctoral scholars, a meeting with the co-presidents of the UMPDA, a meeting with all research associate deans, a comprehensive benchmarking exercise across 24 peer institutions, and feedback from representatives from multiple schools.
The goal was to identify characteristics needed to create an environment in which postdoctoral scholars can excel, as well as the critical factors necessary to support the success of such an office.
The study identified the preponderance of centralized postdoc offices among U-M’s peer institutions, the varied levels of support currently available to postdocs at U-M, and the value of a central office in the competitive postdoc recruiting environment following the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to the support of Rackham and OVPR, OPA also will work with a steering committee of faculty members and postdoctoral scholar representatives from the schools and colleges that have an interest in postdoctoral training. Similarly, an advisory committee of associate deans from these same schools and colleges will be formed.
These committees will serve as an ongoing resource and also will consult with the OPA director if changes in the structure, staffing or programming of OPA are required.
“A dedicated office supporting our postdoctoral fellows will further elevate rewarding postdoctoral experiences across our schools and colleges,” said Laurie McCauley, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “We are confident this will empower our fellows to thrive and achieve their aspirations.”
