On the Berkeley campus, common terms are frequently used with little to no explanation when hiring new employees, etc. Below is a list of some terms compiled by the BEST HR team to help departments understand exactly what the terms mean related to hiring a Postdoc and what is required.
More Information and Glossary of Terms
Postdoctoral Appointments - Postdoctoral scholar (postdoc) appointments at UC Berkeley are rigorous research experiences that offer recent Ph.D. recipients a chance to pursue their research agendas, build on their degrees, hone their skills and abilities, prepare to launch their professional careers, and take the next step in their professions.
Postdoctoral Scholar – Fellow (Title Code 3253) - Fellow appointments are reserved for postdocs who have been awarded a fellowship or traineeship by an external agency for postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley. The fellowship must be paid through a UC Berkeley account.
Postdoctoral Scholar – Paid Direct (Title Code 3254) - Paid Direct appointments are for postdocs who have been awarded a fellowship or traineeship by an external agency and are paid directly by the fellowship, rather than by UC Berkeley. These appointments are classified as “without-salary”. Paid Direct Appointments are eligible for Postdoc Benefits through Gallagher but will be billed and pay benefits costs directly to GBS.
Postdoctoral Scholar – Employee NEX (Title Code 3255) - Employee NEX appointments are postdocs who are considered non-exempt employees and earn less than the Department of Labor minimum of $684 per week or $35,568 annually for a full-year worker)
Interim Postdoctoral Scholar – Employee (Title Code 3256) - Interim Employee appointments are designated for UC Berkeley doctoral graduates who are finishing up a project and will continue to provide research within a UC campus for less than a year.
Postdoctoral Scholar - LBL/DOE (Title Code CWR002) - LBL/DOE appointments are made when the postdoc is employed both by the Lawrence Berkeley Lab and a UC Berkeley faculty sponsor. This appointment is required if the LBL postdoc needs a UC Berkeley affiliation in the UCPath system.
Postdoctoral Scholar - UC Employee-Different BU (Title Code CWR017) - The Contingent Worker Title UC Employee-Different BU - CWR017 designation is used when the Postdoctoral Scholar is affiliated with another UC campus during the appointment.
Other Terms:
Composite Benefit Rates (CBR) - All Postdoc Appointments are charged a CBR except for Postdoc Paid Direct Appointments. Composite benefit rates are developed in order to cover the costs of fringe benefits offered by the university. The rate is determined by creating a pool of benefit costs and dividing by a salary base. The rates are negotiated by UCOP with the federal government one fiscal year at a time. This rate represents the percentage that will be assessed against the employee’s salary, and this amount will be posted to the same department and fund to which the individual employee's salary posts.
Gallagher Benefits Services (GBS) - Gallagher Benefit Services offers the UC Postdoctoral Scholar Benefit Plan. New postdocs appointed in any of the postdoc title codes of 3252, 3253, 3254, 3255 or 3256 have 31 days from their date of appointment to enroll themselves and eligible dependents. More information can be found here