Postdoc Hiring Procedures

Process Steps

1. Email Beatriz Lemire [beatriz.lemire@wisc.edu] with:
   • Candidate's CV
   • Appointment start and end date
   • Brief project statement - one sentence of research area for the offer letter
   • Funding source for salary/fringe costs
2. Beatriz will draft a letter, get college approval, and send the letter to you for signature.
3. Send a copy of the signed letter to Beatriz.
4. Keep Beatriz informed of the candidate's acceptance.
5. If the candidate requires sponsorship for work authorization, additional information will be needed.

Salary Guidelines

For parity purposes, the department has implemented postdoc salary practices, which were approved by the Executive Committee.

• The standard department postdoc annual salary is $61,624 (2026-2027 rate).
• Department postdocs will receive state pay plan increases, but are not eligible for merit or other salary increases.
• A PI can elect to pay at the higher NIH fellow rate, which includes standard annual salary increases on the NIH scale.
  • If a PI chooses the NIH fellow salary rate, all postdocs in their lab must be paid at that rate.

Additional Information

• UW policy allows five years of total postdoctoral trainee experience.
• UW allows the use of F-1 OPT for the initial 12-month period only. OPT STEM extension time is not valid for UW-Madison employment.