I) Postdoctoral Fellow –
- The "Postdoctoral Fellow" position is a temporary training position for recent PhD graduates. At UT, you can be appointed as a Postdoctoral Fellow for up to 5 years, and you must have received your PhD within 3 years of your initial postdoc assignment.
- Full-time Postdoctoral Fellows are eligible to receive the same benefits as all UT faculty and staff: insurance (medical, dental, vision, life, disability, long term care, flexible spending account); paid annual, sick, and holiday leave; and participation in a retirement program: https://hr.utexas.edu/prospective/benefits.html
II) Research Affiliate Postdoctoral –
- You become a "Research Affiliate Postdoc" when you (as a postdoc fellow) are awarded a fellowship or traineeship from an external agency or organization. You may be paid directly from the granting agency, or through a University account administered by the Office of Sponsored Projects. Your payments aren't made through the University payroll system (which means that the University is not withholding taxes on these payments).
- As a Research Affiliate Postdoc, you are not considered "benefits eligible", but even so, you can enroll in certain health insurance plans that are part of the University’s group insurance program: https://hr.utexas.edu/current/insurance/plans/rapostdoc_fellow.html . However, you have to pay the insurance premiums yourself. See the "Becoming a Research Affiliate" section for more details.
Note: Postdoctoral assignments have a max of 5 years, and this includes time spent in both Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Affiliate – Postdoc positions, and time spent as a postdoc at other institutions.