You can find policies related to the appointment, roles, benefits, privileges and obligations of Postdoctoral Scholars at USC here.
Minimum Salaries for Postdoctoral Scholars
In keeping with the University’s alignment of the Postdoctoral Scholar minimum stipends or salaries with the California exempt salary basis threshold, the Postdoctoral Scholar stipend or salary will increase to $62,400 annually effective January 1, 2022. This minimum applies to all newly appointed and renewed Postdoctoral Scholars on or after January 1, 2022.
Postdoctoral Scholars currently receiving below $62,400 will require increases up to the new minimum effective January 1, 2022. For those Postdoctoral Scholars on training grants who are not considered salaried employees (Postdoctoral Scholar – Fellowship Trainees), the required increase will take effect on their appointment renewal date.
The recommended annual increases for Postdoctoral Scholars with six or more years of experience can still be referenced using the FY21 NIH/NRSA stipend guideline. And as is currently the case, each school is permitted to set a higher minimum for its Postdoctoral Scholars.
For details, please visit the USC Postdoc Admin Resource website.
For all new and renewed postdoctoral scholar appointments, the category of postdoctoral fellow may only be used if an external sponsor requires an appointment as a student. Evidence must be provided to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs to demonstrate that a student appointment is required. The category of postdoctoral fellow may not be used for newly appointed and renewed scholars paid from unrestricted university funds.
Grievance Resolution Procedure for Postdoctoral Scholars
The Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs is committed to supporting and enhancing the postdoctoral experience at USC. Please feel free to reach out to our office if you encounter any difficulties during your stay here at USC.
The postdoctoral scholar grievance policies and procedures outline procedures for resolving academic and non-academic grievances during the course of your postdoctoral appointment at USC. The postdoctoral scholar grievance procedure is designed to supplement and enhance existing university procedures at policy.usc.edu and the postdoctoral scholars policy page.
The grievance resolution procedure applies to postdoctoral scholars appointed under the following job titles: Postdoctoral Scholar – Research Associate (Job Code 98227), Postdoctoral Scholar – Teaching Fellow (98223), Postdoctoral Scholar – Fellowship Trainee (Job Code 98219), Postdoctoral Scholar –Visiting Fellow (Job code 98229), and Postdoctoral Research Associate (Job Code 98067).