Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A researcher 2 years post-PhD on a 3-year postdoc contract at the same institution as their doctoral supervisor
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
A doctoral candidate who has not yet defended is not a postdoc — they remain a doctoral candidate
Editorial commentary
Postdoc positions vary widely in duration (1-6 years), independence, and progression expectations. The role is typically transitional rather than terminal: postdoc terms accumulated count toward early-career-researcher windows. Distinct from research-fellow positions which carry greater independence.
References
- NPA National Postdoctoral Association definition (2007)
- Royal Society Concordat to Support Research Integrity
Also known as
Postdoc · Post-doctoral fellow · Post-doctoral scholar
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
xml
<role vocab="credit"
vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
vocab-term="Post-doctoral researcher"
vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/post-doctoral-researcher" />json
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "DefinedTerm",
"name": "Post-doctoral researcher",
"identifier": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/post-doctoral-researcher",
"description": "A researcher who has been awarded a doctoral degree and is engaged in a temporary, fixed-term position primarily devoted to research, typically under the supervision of a principal investigator, with the intention of further developing as an independent researcher.",
"inDefinedTermSet": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/domain/mentorship-training-and-career-stages/",
"url": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/post-doctoral-researcher",
"sameAs": [
"Postdoc",
"Post-doctoral fellow",
"Post-doctoral scholar"
],
"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}
