Parental Leave for Postdoctoral Fellows

Postdoctoral Fellows who are paid a salary or stipend by or through Brown University are not considered University employees, and their leave benefits are determined by the policies of their fellowship. Fellows should consult their fellowship’s terms for guidance on available leave. If your fellowship provides paid parental leave, you may take advantage of the leave period authorized by your fellowship.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Guidelines

Because many postdoctoral fellows receive National Research Service Award (NRSA) funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the NIH guidelines are provided below for reference.

According to NIH guidelines:

• Parental Leave: “NRSA trainees and fellows may continue to receive stipends for up to 60 calendar days (8 work weeks) of parental leave per year for the adoption or birth of a child. Either or both parents are eligible for such leave, but the institution and/or the supervisor must be notified in advance according to organizational policies. The use of parental leave requires approval by the fellowship sponsor or the PD/PI of the training grant.”

NRSA Postdoctoral Fellows should coordinate with their principal investigator (PI) and department administrator to request and document their leave period. For more information, including circumstances that may require notifying the NIH, please refer to the NIH guidelines on leave for trainees and fellows.

For additional details, see Article 18: Leaves of Absence and Time Off (pages 37-39) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).