Postdoctoral Scholar Recruitment

Postdoctoral scholar appointments are exempt from open recruitment due to the training nature of the positions. However, hiring departments are encouraged to announce opportunities in order to identify qualified candidates. 

• UCSF faculty may advertise an opening for a postdoctoral scholar at no cost on the After College career network website through the UCSF Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD). The position announcement will be posted for 30 days.
  • If you have questions about this process, please contact OCPD at [email protected] or 415-476-4986.
• All postings must include the following language:
  • “UC San Francisco seeks candidates whose experience, teaching, research, or community service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status.”
• Work with the Office for Postdoctoral Scholars to identify additional search resources for postdoctoral scholars.
  • The Graduate Division together with the Postdoc Office normally have a booth at least two major conferences each fall, the annual SACNAS and ABRCMS meetings. OPS will bring a binder with current postdoc openings at UCSF; contact Office for Postdoctoral Scholars with questions.
  • OPS can also send your position description to the AGEP listserv. AGEP is the NSF Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate, which is a national program dedicated to increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in the professoriate in STEM fields.
• Review candidates and identify the candidate of choice for appointment.
  • The best practice is to conduct reference checks before determining your final candidate.
  • When a final candidate has been determined, initiate the appointment process with Postdoc HR Shared Services.
• Follow your department’s internal process to communicate your selection to the Trainee HR Shared Services Unit and to begin the appointment process. Refer to the "Postdoctoral Scholar Appointment" article for more information on how to successfully submit a new hire request.

• Advertising tips:
  • Advertise in relevant scientific journals.
  • Science magazine is a good place to advertise openings if you want to reach a broader group of potential postdocs.
  • Consider advertising on MinorityPostdoc.org.
  • Look at advertising in the programs of conferences relevant to the field.
• Send an email about the opening to the graduate division or graduate program offices at the other UC campuses and/or other universities with strong research programs. Most of them will have a mechanism for getting the word out to their graduate students.
• Departments must retain recruitment records for five years in a central location. The materials can be stored in either a hard copy or electronic format.