• Check-in with your department administrator or HR representative. They will talk to you about any new hire paperwork that must be completed before you begin work.
  • Check-in with your PI. They can introduce you to people you’ll be working with and help you become familiar with your work area.
  • Download Duo Security – Iowa’s Two-Step Login platform
  • Connect to Eduroam
  • Go pick up your Iowa One Card – this is your official university ID card. There are two office locations; one in the UI Service Center, located at 2700 University Capitol Centre, and one in the UI Health Care Badge Center, located in UIHC in C110 General Hospital (near Elevator B, go east at the compass).
  • Sign up for health and dental insurance benefits
  • Set up direct deposit
  • Contact Parking and Transportation to explore parking options on campus or to obtain an Iowa City or Coralville bus pass.
  • Check out the Postdoctoral Affairs site for more information on resources, benefits, and key contacts to know around campus. The University Benefits and Services page is helpful in connecting you to available university services and how to access them.
  • Connect with the University of Iowa Postdoctoral Association (UIPDA) to meet other postdocs around campus, network, access professional development opportunities, and more.
  • Sign up for the National Postdoc Association affiliate membership – be sure to select Affiliate Membership, as the University of Iowa is an Organizational Member.
  • Check with local HR and your mentor to help you identify needed mandatory trainings. These training requirements depend on grant funding sources and the type of research and work environment. Postdocs can have one or more areas of mandatory trainings, such as anti- harassment, lab safety, animal welfare, human subjects, HIPAA, and the responsible conduct of research.
  • Work on an individual development/training plan within the first month of employment. They can be used for self-management, but ideally consider working with trusted mentor(s) to obtain feedback on the plan and to help ensure that the primary mentor helps to support your needs and to help you plan your time for these activities to occur. Two individual development planning and career exploration websites include MyIDP for postdocs in the sciences and Imagine PhD for postdocs in the humanities and social sciences.