If an incoming international scholar is part of the “The International Postdoctoral Exchange Fellowship Program,” must we hire (and pay) them as a postdoctoral fellow or can they be a visiting scholar fully supported by their program?

Suppose a position’s requirements match those of a postdoctoral fellow, the duties and responsibilities of a postdoctoral fellow, and a reporting structure comparable to that of a postdoctoral fellow. In that case, the position is de facto a postdoctoral fellow, and the hiring unit must follow the policies and procedures that apply to postdoctoral fellows. This would include paying the postdoc following the NIH pay scale. All or part of the funding for the Postdoc position can come from an outside source as long as all conflict-of-interest rules are followed. For additional information regarding postdoctoral fellows, please visit the Postdoctoral Office website. 

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