What does NIH mean by “postdoctoral role?”
Institutions may have their own definition of an individual who is serving in a postdoctoral role. Generally one in a postdoctoral role is being mentored and not yet in a permanent position. In 2007, NIH and the NSF agreed upon the following definition of postdoctoral scholar: 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 his or her chosen career path (http://grants.nih.gov/training/Reed_Letter.pdf). Grantees may utilize this definition or one of their own.
