Memo: Postdoctoral Compensation Guidelines, April 13, 2023

Every year, the Office of Research reviews the minimum salary and stipend levels for Boston University postdoctoral scholars (postdocs), per our Postdoctoral Scholars Policy. As part of this process, we compare our practices to our peers and national standards to ensure fair and competitive compensation for all the University’s postdocs.

In the past, BU and many of our peer institutions have looked to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award minimum stipend level as a salary for postdoc compensation. The NIH recently raised this minimum from $54,840 to $56,484, a three-percent increase. However, it has become increasingly clear that this nationwide minimum is not attuned to the needs of our postdoc population based on the high cost of living in our region, nor is it in line with the current postdoc salary/stipend benchmarks of our local peers. BU must proactively provide a supportive and competitive training environment for our postdocs. Therefore, we will be increasing the salary and stipend minimum for all current BU postdocs to $65,000, effective as of January 1, 2024.

To reach this salary level as quickly as possible, we are recommending several actions:

1. Starting immediately, all new proposals submitted through Sponsored Programs will require postdoc salaries to be budgeted at the new institutional minimum of $65,000.
2. We encourage postdoc supervisors to raise current postdoc salary or stipend levels prior to January 1, 2024. To that end, any internal prior approval request (IPAR) forms that are submitted for grants that include postdoc salaries will require a justification if postdoc salary increases to $65,000 are not included in the rebudgeting process.
3. All new postdoc appointments as of January 1, 2024, must also reflect the new salary and stipend minimum of $65,000.

We recognize that this is a significant increase that will be challenging to implement. Nevertheless, the success of our mission includes recruiting, retaining, and supporting the most talented postdocs possible, something at risk if we cannot elevate minimum salaries to a level commensurate with living in Boston. We expect existing funding sources to cover salary or stipend increases.

There may be some grants (e.g., individual postdoc fellowships) where rebudgeting may not be possible. In those instances, or if you have questions about the Postdoctoral Scholars Policy or the minimum salary and stipend levels for postdocs, contact Sarah Hokanson, Assistant Vice President and Assistant Provost for Research Development and PhD & Postdoctoral Affairs, at sch1@bu.edu.