Postdoctoral Fellowship

General Information

Objectives of Postdoctoral Fellowship

Postdoctoral fellowship aims to enable emerging scholars who have been awarded a PhD from another institution to engage in advanced scientific research as part of an existing research group or in an established field of research under the guidance of a senior faculty member. The goal of the postdoctoral fellowship is to train the fellows towards the next stage in their career as researchers in academia or industry.

In exceptional cases, and subject to approval by Postdoctoral Fellows Committee, the fellowship can be also awarded to:

• Individuals who gained their PhD at Tel Aviv University, on condition that the fellowship will be undertaken in a different department and the postdoctoral advisor will have no ties to the research group associated with the fellow's doctoral dissertation;
• Individuals wishing to continue research in the same laboratory in which they conducted their doctoral research, for a period that will not exceed one year.

Postdoctoral Fellows Committee

The Postdoctoral Committee is chaired by Vice Rector and will include the Vice President for Research and Development as well as one representative from each faculty. The Committee will assess the suitability of the candidates for postdoctoral position at TAU.

Amount and Duration of Scholarship

The amount of scholarship is determined by University Authorities and is subject to periodical update.

The minimum amount for an Israeli fellow is a 100% scholarship (68,850 NIS per year / 5,723 NIS per month); and 150% for an international fellow (103,275 NIS per year / 8,585 NIS per month). Minimum duration of a scholarship is one year.

Scholarship may be raised up to 200%. In exceptional cases, and subject to Committee's approval, the scholarship may be raised to 225%.

Employment of Postdoctoral Fellows in Teaching

A fellow shall not engage in other employment during the period of the fellowship (either in the University or otherwise), and shall dedicate all his/her time and efforts to the fellowship for its entire duration.

Notwithstanding the above, the fellow shall be entitled to engage in teaching in TAU, for up to four weekly hours during the academic year. In this case, the fellow will receive remuneration as established by University Authorities.

Certification of Fellowship

Upon completion of postdoctoral training period, the fellow will be eligible for certification attesting to his/her participation in the program and the duration of fellowship.

Handling & Processing

Any questions and inquiries concerning postdoctoral fellowship program may be referred to the Research Students Office at the Academic Secretariat:

Senate Building, room 215

Email: rayalipc@tauex.tau.ac.il

Phone: 03-6408161

Fax: 03-6416226

Registration for Postdoctoral Program

Individuals complying with the following requirements may apply to the program:

• Those who have been awarded a PhD or an MD degree by a recognized institution of higher learning (in Israel or abroad).
• Students who have completed all requirements for PhD and have submitted their dissertation, are required to provide a document attesting to their academic status.
• A candidate must have received their doctoral degree within five years prior to the start of the appointment.
• A faculty member at TAU with the rank of senior researcher or above has agreed to serve as candidate's supervisor.
• There is a source of funding for the postdoctoral fellowship.

Registration dates

Applications may be submitted throughout the year, if the scholarship is funded by the supervisor or by an external party, outside of TAU.

A call for matching scholarships (50% funded by the University, the rest funded by the postdoctoral advisor) will generally be advertised once a year, in January-February, for candidates wishing to begin their studies in October the same year.

Documents required for application:

• Letter from the relevant Department Head confirming the fellowship.
• Letter from a senior researcher at TAU, willing to advise the fellow.
• A Funding Form, confirming the scholarship to be paid, signed by the postdoctoral advisor
• Letters of recommendation, as follows:
  • A letter from PhD advisor/s (all advisors must submit a letter of recommendation).
  • A letter from researcher outside of the University in which the candidate completed their doctoral studies.
  • An additional letter of recommendation, from a researcher affiliated to a recognized academic institution, per candidate's choice.
• Brief description (approximately two pages) of the postdoctoral fellowship program. The program must include the following: background, objectives, research methods, research plan and timetable, resources required, expected results, potential significance.
• A current CV, including list of publications.
• PhD diploma or Certificate of Eligibility, noting the date the degree was awarded, or a letter attesting to a submission of PhD thesis for review.
• A copy of passport.
• Candidates applying for matching scholarship will submit an additional application form, once call for application becomes available (a call will be published separately).

Application Processing

All applications for Postdoctoral Fellowship will be submitted for approval to the Postdoctoral Fellows Committee.

The application must be submitted in full before it can be reviewed by the Committee. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Documents must be submitted by email to the Research Students Office.

The candidates will be informed about the results of their application within three weeks.

Services for Postdoctoral Fellows

Student card

Postdoctoral fellows are eligible to receive a student card which is used as an identification card on campus, including libraries, and as an access card to buildings in which the research takes place. In addition, it can be used to receive various student discounts.

In order to obtain a student card, please fill out a request form and send it to the Research Students Office. Please don't forget to attach a photo of you to the email. Student cards are usually issued within ten working days.

Parking on campus

Postdoctoral fellows are eligible to receive a blue parking permit allowing access to campus through all gates and valid for parking areas B and C.

In order to receive a parking permit, please contact the Safety and Security Unit (03-6405599) to provide vehicle registration details.

Email

A TAU email account will become available after scholarship secretary of your dpartment sets you up in the University's system.

• In order to set up the account, press here and enter your details. (Please note that your initial password consists of the last 4 digits of your student ID, as it appears on your student card).

• In case of a problem, please contact your Faculty's Computer Liaison and/or the Computer Center helpdesk at 03-6408888.

Insurance

Postdoctoral scholarships do not include any type of insurance, including health insurance. Fellows must arrange for insurance coverage independently.

For more information, please contact TAU's Housing and Insurance Coordinator, or TAU's PhD and Postdocs Coordinator.