The Whitehead Institute at MIT today announced the unveiling of what sounds like an excellent new package for Whitehead postdocs. Working with its postdoc association, the administration devised a plan that offers first-year postdocs a salary of $47,000 with annual adjustments after the first year. (The announcement indicates only that there will be cost-of-living adjustments; there's no indication whether salaries will rise with seniority and experience. I've asked and will report back.*) The plan also includes health and dental business and group term life insurance.
The plans most novel part is a retirement benefit valued at 8% of salary. This benefit will cover all postdocs, including those on fellowship, according to a press release.
* I heard back from Cristin Carr, Media Relations officer with the Whitehead Institute. Cristin sent me a table comparing salaries under the old plan with salaries under the new plan for the first through the 6th years of a Whitehead postdoc. Previously, first-year Whitehead postdocs received just $38,000 -- not a bad postdoc salary, but nothing special -- but they got larger annual raises, topping out at $50,000 in year 6. Under the new plan, first-year Whitehead postdocs receive $47,000, but salaries still top out at $50,000, now in year 4. And all these rates will rise from year to year as the cost of living rises.
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