The Graduate College strives to provide support for postdoctoral scholars and their faculty mentors to ensure an excellent environment for postdoctoral training and education.

We want to help our postdocs excel professionally and compete successfully for their desired positions in academia, industry, government, or business. We provide postdocs with answers to frequently asked questions about university resources, area housing, and more in the communities immediately surrounding the University.

Early on, it is important for postdocs to establish a strong working relationship with their postdoctoral mentor and advisor. Active and effective communication is an essential element for success in your postdoctoral experience.

Research training

The research mission of postdocs and their advisors is critical to achieving success on the job market. This includes training in the responsible conduct of research (RCR). Federal and private funding agencies are requiring increased compliance and oversight to ensure that researchers are meeting mandated RCR training.

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) and the Graduate College ensure that all graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty (K awards series only) engaged in research activities funded by NIH/NSF and USDA FIFA grants enroll in an approved Responsible Conduct of Research course and complete the Collaborative Instructional Training Initiative (CITI) web based training.

Policies and benefits

The Graduate College is responsible for administrative matters relating to postdoctoral education at the University of Iowa. Our website has information on postdoctoral job classifications, postdoc salaries, and university benefits. The Graduate College is your primary contact regarding your postdoctoral training experience.

Please feel free to contact our office with additional questions at (319) 335-2136 or by email at postdoc-office@uiowa.edu. We will make every effort to answer your questions or to put you in touch with the right people to provide answers.

Postdoctoral procedures and resources

As an employee at the University of Iowa, postdoctoral scholars and fellows may face a problem that would require them to seek advice about how to handle it. The Graduate College has procedures and resources document that is intended to serve as a guide to UI resources that can be used to address concerns on a variety of issues such as research misconduct, discrimination, mental health, and workplace violence.

Strategies for addressing a problem may take the form of a confidential consultation as well as informal and formal grievance procedures. Here is a flow chart of postdoctoral scholars/fellows procedures and resources.