Postdoc Resources

Mentoring and Advising

Documents related to WHOI processes and external resources (still in progress).

Seminar Schedule

A list of department and institutional seminars.

Education Coordinators

Education Coordinators within each department are available to assist postdocs in their departments with questions related to postdoctoral life and career issues.

Stipends and Salaries

Current Stipend and Salary Rates

Benefits

Current WHOI Postdoctoral Benefit Policies and Eligibility

Policies regarding Postdoc Investigators can be found on the Human Resources website. Individual questions should be addressed to your Benefits Specialist. To the extent feasible, Scholar and Fellow benefits emulate employee benefits.

Employee and Student Assistance Program (ESAP)
Scholars and Fellows: Eligible

Dependent Care Flexible Spending
Scholars and Fellows: Not Eligible

Bereavement Leave
Scholars and Fellows: Absences for three to five days for bereavement leave may be arranged through the postdoc’s advisor. Category A (up to 5 days) for:

Spouse
Son/Daughter
Mother/Father
Brother/Sister
Step-Mother/-Father
Step-Child

Category B (up to 3 days) for:

Grandmother/Grandfather
Mother-/Father-in-law
Brother-/Sister-in-law
Daughter-/Son-in-law
Other relatives residing in the employee’s home

Loans – Computer, Employee Education and Education Loans for Children

Scholars and Fellows: Not Eligible

Holidays

Scholars and Fellows: The Institution observes ten annual holidays, which are listed below.

New Years Day
Martin Luther King Day
Presidents Day
Memorial Day
Juneteenth
Independence Day
Labor Day
Veterans Day
Thanksgiving Day
Day After Thanksgiving
Christmas Day

Jury Duty

Scholars and Fellows: If called for jury duty, the postdoc should make their advisor aware of any absences necessitated.

Military Leave

Scholars and Fellows: Handled on a case by case basis

Unpaid Leave of Absence

Scholars and Fellows: Handled on a case by case basis

Vacation

Scholars and fellows: During the normal course of the postdoc’s appointment, scholars and fellows and their advisors will arrange a mutually compatible schedule of vacation. Total vacation time will equal 16 days per year.

Short-term Disability

Scholars:

Up to 6 weeks of disability pay at 100% stipend (or up to 12 weeks at half-time) * Appointment may be extended appropriately at this time
Must provide a physician’s written statement of the period of time needed to be out of work
Any additional leave and/or extensions due to health related issues will be considered by the Academic Program Office in consultation with the WHOI Human Resources Office

Fellows:

Fellows will fall under the guidelines of their fellowship granting agency
Fellows receiving a WHOI supplement to their fellowship will first fall within their granting agency’s guidelines and then any leave or additional supplements will be on a case by case basis

Parental and Adoption Leave

Scholars:

9 weeks at 100% stipend for the primary caregiver (scholarship will be extended by this length of time)
Any additional leave and/or extensions due to health related issues that may arise during and after pregnancy will be considered by the Academic Program Office in consultation with the WHOI Human Resources Office
Any additional, non-health related leave will be considered an unpaid leave of absence and must be approved by the postdoc’s advisor and APO
Appointment may be extended appropriately at this time The postdoc’s wellness benefit is discontinued during unpaid leave
Change to ¾ time or ½ time is allowed
Appointment can be extended to the equivalent of the complete appointment length at full time
Raises will not be considered/issued until the equivalent of 12 months at full time has been completed.
Open ended leave of absence is not allowed
If you are not the primary caregiver, you may receive up to three weeks of stipend continuation. You must take these days within the first six months of the birth or adoption.

Fellows:

Fellows will fall under the guidelines of their fellowship granting agency
Fellows receiving a WHOI supplement to their fellowship will first fall within their granting agency’s guidelines and then any leave or additional supplements will be on a case by case basis

Retirement

Scholars and Fellows: Effective as of January 1, 2011, any individual affiliated with the Institution as a Postdoctoral Scholar or Fellow who is later offered employment as a Postdoctoral Investigator, and who accepts employment with the Institution, will be given credit for the period they were affiliated with the Institution as a Postdoctoral Scholar or Fellow, towards Vesting Service requirements under the Institution’s 403(b) Defined Contribution Retirement Plan (the “Plan”). It is important to note, that during the period in which an individual is affiliated with the Institution as a Postdoctoral Scholar or Fellow, he or she is not considered an Employee and is not eligible to participate in the Plan and is therefore not eligible for any employer contributions.

Child Care Subsidy

Details and forms for the WHOI Child Care Subsidy / Dependent Care Reimbursement Program.

All WHOI postdocs are eligible for the Child Care Subsidy / Dependent Care Reimbursement Program. Postdoctoral Investigators are eligible for the employee benefit plan. The Program for Postdoctoral Scholars and Fellows emulates the employee plan wherever possible. Certain areas where we are restricted by law, or the rules of a particular fellowship may restrict us from providing specific benefits such as flexible spending or tax benefits. If you are eligible for the subsidy, you may receive $6.00 per day care hour per child for child care costs incurred to enable you and your spouse/domestic partner to work. The subsidy will be based on actual time worked (exclusive of overtime) and child care hours; the amount paid will be for the lesser hours. You may receive up to an annual maximum of $6,000 per dependent. The expenses must be for the care of dependent children under age 13. Postdoctoral Investigators: Further details about the Child Care Subsidy / Dependent Care Reimbursement Program can be found under the Health and Welfare section of the Human Resources web page. Postdoctoral Scholars and Fellows: The following forms must be completed and returned to Benefits, in Nobska House, MS #15, prior to receiving any benefit:

Your supervisor should verify your hours, a space has been provided on the bottom of the Child Care Provider form. All paperwork should be submitted to Human Resources, MS 15 by the 1st of the month in order to be processed and paid out in the last pay period of the month. Please note* IRS regulations and the rules of particular appointments prohibit us from providing this benefit on a pre-tax basis. Questions can be directed to Human Resources.

Travel Insurance

Coverage for trips outside the US

Mental Health and Well-Being Resources

IMMEDIATE SUPPORT If you are in crisis, don’t wait, reach out for help from:

Emergency Services (call 911)

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call 988)

Cape Cod Hospital’s Psychiatric Emergency Service (call 800-513-4728)

National Mental Health Hotline (call 866-903-3787)

Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741)

Your healthcare provider Call or visit BCBS WellConnection at 1-800-262-BLUE (2583) to access care from anywhere via video or phone. NAMI HelpLine connects to local services and support in your community. Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line: Call or Text 833-773-2445

Internal Resources:

Internal webpage Mental Health News (under Resources) HR

Mental Health Support webpage, full of resources for mental health challenges and day-to-day wellness.

Mental Health Employee Resource Group: a source of community support and educational resources (not a mental health support group).

A PDF of quick links to mental health resources and support A PDF of the presentation: Intro to Mental Health Response, Looking after Our Wellbeing and of Others

WHOI Ombudsperson: Provides confidential, neutral, impartial, and independent conflict resolution assistance for WHOI related conflicts between two or more parties. The Ombudsperson discusses different options for conflict management, reduction, or resolution. More Information.

Sessions with Marney Rathbun, an interfaith chaplain. Drawing on a heart-centered approach, Marney provides inclusive spiritual care and support in areas such as trauma, grief, substance abuse, and more. Guided by mindfulness and compassion, Marney is available to the WHOI community for 1:1 sessions in Clark 236A, and by appointment. Marney also leads a meditation group on Wednesdays at noon and a grief support group on Wednesdays at 4pm, both in the Carriage House. Contact: Marney Rathbun

Advisor/Supervisor – Advisors have broad responsibilities for a postdoc’s overall career and research progress.

Education Coordinator – Each discipline has an Education Coordinator (J. Seward Johnson Chair) at WHOI. The Education Coordinator can serve as a source of information, or act as an intermediary for postdocs to help resolve research or personal problems. A description of the appointment and current coordinators can be found here.

Mentoring Committee – Your Department's Mentoring Committee serves as resource for career related issues and concerns. If you do not know who to contact, your Dept. Administrator will be able to direct you to the correct person.

Academic Programs Office – the Dean, Associate Dean, Assistant Dean, Postdoctoral Coordinator or anyone else with whom you feel comfortable are available for consultation. Our office has an “open door” policy and will hold issues discussed in confidence at the postdoc’s request. (If we believe it is important to share the information discussed, we will ask and encourage it. The exception to this would be if we believe there is a danger to anyone or if it may be a case of harassment or discrimination where we are required by law to report.)

Outside Resources: The WHOI Employee and Student Assistance Program, managed by KGA, Inc, helps postdocs cope with work-related or personal stress among other things. The Program is confidential, and available at no charge to the postdoc. (ESAP is also available for family members.) Specific to mental health, this service allows you to speak with qualified and certified clinicians. There is no cost to you for using these services, they do not require insurance, and are 100% confidential. Other benefits include legal consultations, financial consultations, help with making a budget, a transition program for new parents, programs promoting healthier lifestyles and much more. Contact the ESAP 24/7 for confidential support, by calling 1-800-648-9557 or visiting www.kgreer.com and entering company code: WHOI. An Introduction to ESAP Handout is located here.

Ethics Point Help Line: The WHOI Ethics Hotline is available to you through EthicsPoint. Offering integrated telephone and web-based anonymous hotline reporting services, EthicsPoint provides individuals with the tools and information necessary to report, receive, investigate, and analyze all identified issues that may be inconsistent with our policies. Contact using: 1-866-868-0920.

Responsible Conduct in Research

Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) web site

A new federal mandate requires that all students and postdocs who may receive financial support from an NSF or NIH grant must complete some formal and verifiable training in the responsible conduct of research (RCR). The Institution now has to certify that it is in compliance with this mandate in every NSF and NIH proposal. To meet this requirement, we are asking that all graduate students and postdocs complete the online RCR training program available on the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) web site using the link to the right. Once on the site, look for the link to RCR Course at the top of the home page. This is a well-designed, comprehensive course that includes specialized modules for physical scientists and for life scientists (your choice). It will take about four hours to read the text and complete the brief tests at the end of each module. After you complete the CITI course you will have an opportunity to print out a certificate that verifies that you have taken and passed the course. Please submit a printed certificate to your advisor and to Janet Fields. Keep a copy for your own records. This training will be considered valid for four years. Thank you for your cooperation.

See Also

CITI Web Site The Lab: Avoiding Research Misconduct An ethics scenarios module from the Office of Research Integrity of the US Dept. of Health and Human Services.

Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research A publication by the NIH/ORI (a downloadable pdf)

Online Ethics Center For Engineering and Science A clearinghouse of on-line RCR resources.

On Being A Scientist - A Guide To Responsible Conduct In Research Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine of The National Academies

Current Postdocs

A directory of all current WHOI postdocs.

Useful Links

Links to WHOI's policies and procedures, career development information, and miscellaneous resources.

WHOI Policies and Procedures

WHOI Proposal Guidelines Questions related to internal or external proposal should be directed to your Dept. Administrator or the Director of Research's Office.
WHOI Principal Investigator Policy
Postdoc Appointment & Promotion Procedures (internal only)
WHOI Policies and Procedures

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