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NOTICE:
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs has been temporarily relocated during the tower restoration project. If you need assistance or would like to schedule an in-person appointment, please email
postdoctoralaffairs@utexas.edu
tower and flowers
Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Learn More About Us
Welcome from the Dean and Vice Provost
Welcome to The University of Texas at Austin—one of the top universities in the world and a leader in postdoctoral research, scholarship and education. The more than 700 postdoctoral scholars, fellows and researchers across campus are vital contributors to the mission of the University. As a postdoc at UT Austin, you drive innovation by bringing new techniques, ideas and solutions through your research and by partnering with local communities, government and industry. You also advance the University’s teaching mission by working closely with undergraduate and graduate students and serving as team leaders and mentors.
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs is here to support you during your time on campus. We provide key resources and information on policies and benefits to help you succeed, including career and professional development programming to enhance your research and career goals. We also advocate for the needs of postdocs in campus discussions and work with other offices to ensure you have access to the resources you need.
Additionally, our office seeks to build community among postdocs and with the larger University. We disseminate university-wide communications with postdocs—including information on policies, resources and events—and support the UT Postdoc Association to help build collaboration and community.
We look forward to supporting you during your time at UT Austin and beyond and helping to make the University a top destination for postdoctoral researchers, scholars and fellows.
Sincerely,
Sarah Ades, Ph.D.
Dean of the Graduate School
Senior Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
The University of Texas at Austin
Events for Postdocs
Finding Funding with the Pivot Database
Event Status
Scheduled
Date and time:
Friday April 24, 2026, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Location:
Virtual
NPA SmartSkills: Making the Most of Your Individual Development Plan
Event Status
Scheduled
Date and time:
Tuesday April 28, 2026, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Location:
Virtual
UT Austin Industry and Innovation Night: Conversations on the Future of Work
Event Status
Scheduled
Date and time:
Wednesday April 29, 2026, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Location:
Texas Innovation Center
NPA SmartSkills: Connecting to Career Opportunities Through Strategic Networking
Event Status
Scheduled
Date and time:
Tuesday May 26, 2026, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Location:
Virtual
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What is a postdoctoral scholar? Who do we serve?
A postdoctoral scholar is an individual who has received a doctoral degree (or equivalent) and is engaged in a temporary and defined period of mentored advanced training to enhance the professional skills and research independence needed to pursue their selected career path (NIH/NSF 2007). Although other terms have been used to refer to postdocs (i.e. trainee), this is the preferred definition emerging nationally.
We believe that postdocs are essential members of our university as they contribute to the dynamic and rapid influx of highly skilled talent, trust our positioning as a top university to launch their careers and represent future thought leaders that can empower our society with important societal roles.
Postdocs are supervised by a faculty member (PI) and have the freedom to conduct and publish the results of their research, scholarship or creative endeavors during the period of appointment. Scholars may be internally funded, paid through their PIs grant, or they may be externally funded, paid by a source external to the university (e.g., NSF, NIH, government grants, etc). Regardless of the source of funding, all postdocs at UT Austin will be served by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.
Postdoctoral Scholars Travel Grant
The Graduate School Office of Postdoctoral Affairs offers a limited number of travel grants with a maximum of $750 to UT Austin postdoctoral fellows. These travel awards enable postdoctoral scholars to present their scholarly work at professional conferences and meetings. Applicants must have an employee postdoctoral appointment at The University of Texas at Austin at the time of the application and the time of travel. Postdocs who are externally funded are not eligible to apply for this grant.
Recent News
Postdoctoral Affairs Newsletter for April
April 1, 2026
Using Improv to Improve Your Pitch, Early Career Scholars Program applications open, announcing the first Travel Grant winners, and more.
Postdoc Research: Fossil X-ray Reveals New Species of Baby Dino Named for Iconic Korean Cartoon
March 19, 2026
The baby dinosaur is the first new dinosaur species discovered in Korea in 15 years and the first Korean dinosaur fossil found with portions of its skull.
Linguistics Postdoctoral Fellow, Wesley dos Santos, wins 2026 DELAMAN Award
March 9, 2026
The Digital Endangered Languages and Music Archives Network (DELAMAN) awards exemplary collections of multimedia texts of endangered languages from around the world.
Postdoc Research: Breaking Down the Battery Problem
March 6, 2026
A researcher at the Cockrell School of Engineering is continuing a legacy of battery science that began right here at The University of Texas at Austin.
Postdoctoral Affairs Newsletter for March
Feb. 26, 2026
Viva Travel Grant, Empower Your Pitch registration opens, Texas Symposium on Machine Learning, Responsible AI & Robotics, and more.
Postdoc Research: A Break in a Longstanding Mystery about Origin of Complex Life
Feb. 17, 2026
One of our microbial ancestors was part of a group called the Asgard archaea, which today live primarily in the deep sea and other oxygen-free spaces. But according to the new study, some Asgards use, or at least tolerate oxygen.
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