Career-interruption Policy

Postdoctoral fellows may be considered for a one-year extension of their appointment in the Department of Mathematics due to a qualifying career-interruption event. Requests should be submitted in writing to the Associate Head for Postdoctoral Programs before December 1st of the last academic year of the applicant’s initial 3-year contract.

1. Qualifying events

  1. Birth or adoption of a postdoc’s child during any of the three years of their initial contract.
  2. Medical condition: a postdoctoral fellow may submit a one-year contract-extension request based on their own serious health condition or disability.
  3. Other personal reasons: other personal reasons, such as ongoing care responsibilities due to the serious health condition or disability of a postdoc's spouse, domestic partner, parent, or child, may also be considered.

2. Eligibility

In order to be considered for a one-year appointment extension, postdoctoral fellows must have at least met expectations in their last annual performance review.

3. Documentation

Written requests should be accompanied by the following materials.

  1. Adequate documentation of the qualifying event that justifies the request.
  2. Updated research and teaching/outreach plans.
  3. A description of how an additional year in the department will change the applicant’s CV and teaching/outreach portfolios.
  4. The postdoctoral fellow should have submitted job applications to other universities and provide a copy of their application packets.

4. Procedure

The Postdoctoral Committee will review the submitted materials, consult the applicant’s teaching reports, and make a recommendation. The final decision of granting a contract extension will rest with the Head of the Department of Mathematics. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of the review process by January 15 of the last academic year of their initial contract.