I would like to hire a postdoc who is working for another institute as part time consultant for my (proposed) federally funded project (in USA). But I don't know if this is even possible for a full time postdoc paid by a private university. Is this a plausible scenario, or should I forget about it?
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2By "working in another institute", do you mean "working for another university", or do you mean working in another department within your university? In the later case you would have to arrange to pay part of the post-doc's salary and reduce his/her effort on the other project.– Brian BorchersCommented Oct 14, 2015 at 14:44
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1My group had a few split post-docs, but there were all at the same university. Funding is always tight, so you should ask the post-doc's supervisor and the post-doc and see if they'll allow it/are interested, then deal with the administrative issues that may come up only if the supervisor and post-doc are willing...in the US there can also be Visa issues if the two jobs are disparate enough...– daaxixCommented Oct 14, 2015 at 23:45
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@BrianBorchers Yes, I meant "working for another university". Thanks for the useful info.– MemmingCommented Oct 15, 2015 at 9:56
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@daaxix no VISA issues. I just wanted to see what was done out there.– MemmingCommented Oct 15, 2015 at 9:57
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It's possible that the post-doc working for another university has an employee handbook or employment contract that limits their ability to "moonlight" for another university. If the post-doc is not a permanent resident in the US, then their visa would typically not allow them to work for another employer.– Brian BorchersCommented Oct 15, 2015 at 15:34
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1 Answer
Having done such an agreement in the past, it's certainly a plausible scenario. A couple things to consider:
- Consulting means they can't access their university's resources. If you need that, it'll likely need to be a subcontract, and there are some institutions that allow postdocs to do that on their own, and some that do not.
- There are almost certainly rules at the postdoc's university regarding consulting - it can be everything from "don't do it" to "don't let it interfere with your job here" and everything in between. They should check to see what the peculiarities of their institution entail.
- While it may or may not be required, the postdoc should almost certainly clear the consulting work with their supervisor.
- Non-U.S. citizens working in the U.S. have a different set of requirements, and again, they should check on the specifics of their situation to make sure they're allowed to do so.
TL;DR: It's perfectly plausible, but the specifics vary widely.
