Where applicable, these procedures should be read in conjunction with the University of Saskatchewan Postdoctoral Fellows Policy and the Collective Agreement between the University of Saskatchewan and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), Local 40004 (Post Doctoral Fellows).

1. Recruitment and Selection

1.1 Faculty members are responsible for the recruitment and selection of PDFs, must ensure that selected individuals are eligible to hold a PDF appointment at the university and must adhere to the appointment requirements under the applicable collective agreement.
1.2 PDF candidates may be required to submit documentation to potential supervisors. Possible documentation may include, but is not limited to: a CV, letters of reference, official transcripts (forwarded directly from the granting institutions), research papers (in press or submitted), and a brief research proposal.

2. Remuneration

2.1 In-scope PDFs must receive a minimum salary as outlined in the USask/PSAC Local 40004 (Post Doctoral Fellows) Collective Agreement and are subject to any negotiated annual increases.
2.2 All external PDFs must receive a minimum stipend in line with the current minimum salary of in-scope PDFs.
2.3 In cases where external funding does not meet the minimum requirement, the funding must be topped up by the supervisor or other internal sources to meet or exceed the minimum requirement. An internal top up will change the appointment category for the PDF; please refer to the appointment categories as outlined in the Postdoctoral Fellows Policy.

3. Benefits

3.1 In-scope PDFs are eligible for benefits as outlined in the USask/PSAC Collective Agreement (Post Doctoral Fellows).
3.2 External PDFs are not eligible for the University of Saskatchewan’s employment benefits as defined in the PSAC Collective Agreement, as they are not employees of the University.

4. Notice

4.1 Written notice of one (1) month is expected for the resignation of an external PDF.
4.2 Written notice of six (6) weeks is expected for the termination of an external PDF.
4.3 Notice requirements for in-scope PDFs are outlined in the USask/PSAC Collective Agreement (Post Doctoral Fellows).

5. Intellectual Property

Please note that the Office of the Vice President, Research is currently conducting a university-wide review of Intellectual Property policies that might result in a modification to the following language. 

5.1 Intellectual property is the term used to describe the creative results of research and scholarly activity which may have immediate realizable value or value upon further development and commercial use or production. It may take various forms, such as patentable discoveries and inventions, copyrightable works (books, paintings, photographs, computing software, graphics, etc.) non-patentable technical know-how and trade secrets. Ownership of intellectual property rests in the creator but is assignable. University faculty and administrative personnel assign certain intellectual property ownership rights to the university on appointment.
5.2 The supervisor will inform a PDF of any prior intellectual property agreements covering any research work that they are to undertake. The commitments made in the agreements, and any benefits or the lack thereof, must be communicated in writing to the PDF. A copy of this intellectual property agreement must accompany the registration, along with an acknowledgement by the PDF that the conditions are understood.
5.3 The supervisor will involve PDFs in any intellectual property agreements for any research work that the PDF will be involved in that may yield patentable or commercial benefits.
5.4 In-scope PDFs should refer to the article on Intellectual Property as outlined in the USask/PSAC Collective Agreement (Post Doctoral Fellows).

6. PDF Research Allowances

6.1 Many agencies which provide funding to PDFs from competitions (e.g., Tri-Agency, SHRF, Mitacs, etc.) also provide small research allowances. These research allowances when administered by the University of Saskatchewan may be held by the PDF or by a faculty member (or equivalent), who agrees to manage the funds on behalf of the PDF as per university and funding agency policies.
6.2 Different agencies have specific rules concerning these allowances which are outlined in the terms and conditions of the award. Most granting agencies that provide these funds do so for the benefit of the PDF, not the benefit of the supervisor. These funds are intended to provide support for eligible expenses as outlined in the conditions of the award related to the PDF’s research activities (e.g., travel for meetings and conferences, journal subscriptions, computer and software, and possibly moving expenses, etc.) that might not be normally available to PDFs from the supervisor’s research funding. In the absence of regulations from the granting agency, all items purchased with these funds remain the property of the University of Saskatchewan.
6.3 Research allowances administered by the University of Saskatchewan, including those provided by the supervisor’s research grants, are not considered employment income.

7. Teaching

7.1 PDFs may be eligible to participate in a limited amount of teaching activity. Normally, teaching will be limited to a maximum of three credit units per annum.
7.2 While the primary purpose of a PDF is to conduct research, the University of Saskatchewan embraces the teacher-scholar model. PDFs are encouraged to build a teaching portfolio; a PDF who intends to teach should discuss the arrangements with the supervisor and establish whether or not the terms of the grant or fellowship allow teaching. The supervisor must be satisfied that the research obligations and responsibilities of the PDF will not be negatively affected by any teaching duties and responsibilities.

8. Conflict Resolution

8.1 The academic home for PDFs is the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (CGPS).
8.2 A PDF and supervisor are encouraged to resolve any issues informally through discussion. Should this be unsuccessful, the PDF and/or supervisor may bring unresolved issues to the attention of an appropriate authority (Department Head, Director of an academic unit or centre, or Dean of a College).
8.3 If the higher authority is not able to resolve an issue, the authority, supervisor or PDF may bring the issue to the attention of the Associate Dean, CGPS. If necessary, the Associate Dean will work with the Office of the Vice President, Research to facilitate any subsequent actions.
8.4 Should the steps outlined in 8.2 and 8.3 be unsuitable, a PDF or supervisor may bypass these steps to bring the issue directly to the attention of the Associate Dean, CGPS.
8.5 An alternative reporting option is the safe disclosure reporting mechanism, provided by ConfidenceLine (available 24/7, online or by phone at 1-844-966-3250).
8.6 Additional conflict resolution and formal grievance procedures for In-Scope PDFs are outlined in the USask/PSAC Collective Agreement (Post Doctoral Fellows).
8.7 Additional resources include the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy, the Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Policy, the Sexual Assault Prevention Policy and the Violence Prevention Policy (https://policies.usask.ca)