Getting Started

UVM Postdoctoral Scholar Orientation

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs offers two complementary orientations for incoming and new postdocs:

• Online Orientation (Brightspace): All new postdocs are automatically enrolled in an online orientation through UVM’s Brightspace platform. Postdocs maintain access to this site throughout their time at UVM and can consult it at any point to find resources, policies, and key contacts.

• In-Person Orientation Breakfast: At the start of each academic term, postdocs who joined in the preceding months are invited to an in-person breakfast with key campus offices and representatives from the UVM Postdoctoral Association. This is a chance to meet other postdocs, learn about resources across campus, and ask any questions you may have.

Together, these orientations are designed to:

• Welcome and integrate postdocs into the UVM community.

• Provide an overview of policies, resources, and personnel that support postdoc success and wellbeing.

• Strengthen foundations in mentorship, professional development, and compliance.

• Highlight UVM’s core values of Our Common Ground and foster a sense of community.

Getting Connected

Engage with the UVM Postdoctoral Association (PDA), a peer-led organization that fosters a vibrant, connected, and collaborative postdoctoral community. The PDA supports the professional and personal development of UVM’s postdocs through advocacy and community-building initiatives. All UVM postdocs are automatically members of the PDA and are invited to PDA meetings (final Thursday of each month, 3:30-4:30pm, Waterman 427A). 

Join the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA). UVM postdocs can join the NPA for free via UVM’s institutional membership to access: 

• webinars and workshops (including the NPA SmartSkills series) 

• career planning tools, e.g., SciPhD’s Flamingo™ 

• a national network of postdocs and mentors 

• advocacy resources 

To register via the NPA website, select “Affiliate Individual Member” and use your UVM email address. Once approved (within ~5 business days), you’ll receive full access. 

Access Beyond the Professoriate, a career design platform for PhDs exploring jobs within and beyond academia. You’ll find: 

• on-demand webinars and career panels 

• job search strategies 

• career exploration tools 

• a searchable video library with 200+ lessons 

To log in to Beyond the Professoriate, select UVM as your institution and use your UVM NetID and password for full access. 

Key Guidance for UVM Postdoctoral Scholars

• Postdoctoral Employee Guidelines & Benefits Handbook (PDF) 
  Covers terms of employment, compensation, benefits, teaching, grievance procedures, and more.  

• Principal Investigator (PI) Eligibility 
  With appropriate approvals, postdocs may serve as PIs on certain grants. 

Contact: spa@uvm.edu  

• Research Compliance & IRB Sponsorship 
  As trainees, Postdocs must have a faculty mentor for IRB purposes. 
  UVM Research Protections Office 
  Contact: irb@uvm.edu  

• Lab Safety Training 
  Trainings offered through UVM include CHAMPS (General Lab Safety), Waste Management, biosafety, radiation, and more. 
  UVM Environmental Health & Safety Training 
  Contact: safety@uvm.edu  

• Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) 
  Required for NIH, NSF, and NIFA-funded scholars. 
  Contact: Brian.Prindle@uvm.edu  

• Tuition Remission 
  Postdocs are eligible for 15 credit hours per academic year. 
  Contact: registrar@uvm.edu