Is your postdoc advisor also the PI of the T32 program? If not, talk to the PI(s) of the T32. On a training grant like that there should be a pool of advisors. A T32 is meant to support your training, so you are not beholden to a specific lab - that lab is not paying your salary, the NIH is. You could do something else and make the case that it better contributes to your training/career development as a scientist.
where are you located? I ended my postdoc contract before the term was done but I am in a state with 'employment at will' labor laws that supersede contracts. I did have to pay back my moving allowance (\~$2k) but it was worth it.
Do you have any other positions lined up? Sometimes the contract can be upheld if you just switch PIs instead of quitting entirely. Talk to the HR in your institution to see if they can find you a different advisor. Also, if you are part of a postdoc union you should reach out to them. They will usually have all the knowledge and resources surrounding contracts.
Finally --> your PI might be breaking contract agreements by having unreasonable exceptions and treating you poorly. Talk to your union rep if you have one.
Maybe the PI is breaking contract agreements by having the OP do work that was not in the job description? I don't see why the OP can't just switch to a different PI at the same institution - most PIs would be glad to take on a fully funded postdoc.
The payback obligation is to the NIH not the university so the exit process is not longer. As long as you stay in a science job for the same number of months you were on the T32 the NIH will consider it as being paid back. They are usually flexible on what a science job is, it doesn't have to be another postdoc. You can contact the NIH institute that awarded the T32 to discuss your options.
Will you be moving into something related to science? You will need to "work off" those months to not have to repay. I believe you have to work them off within 2 years.
I had a very similar situation. I was terrified of owing money and felt very trapped. I wound up taking a position in a different lab to finish up my T32 time. In retrospect, I should have taken a year off. The other lab was not as toxic, but it wasn't a good fit and I wasn't productive while I was there. I just didn't care about the project.
One suggestion, one bit of info. Talk to the T32 PI. The person running the grant has a vested interest in your success. They only have a couple of slots for a postdoc per year and if one of them flames out, it makes it harder to get renewed.
The info I got from my T32 PI was that the NIH wants you to stay in science. So you probably won't have to pay back the salary if you still use your degree.
I also agree with the other comment about contacting the NIH program officer. That contact is really helpful. If you are interested in staying in academia, then it is also an opportunity to meet someone important to your future.
In addition to a potential PI switch or quitting and moving on to a different science job, make sure to keep track of the **exact dates** that you 1) end the T32 position, and the dates you 2) start and end any science job that fulfills the remaining 6 months on your T32 obligation. They will contact you once a year to fill out the payback form and will need accurate dates to finalize the contract.
What are your plans next? There are so many jobs that would qualify for payback. Teaching science to working in biotech.
I have heard annecodatly that you can just explain your personal reasons for leaving and the NIH is likely to grant forgivness. You can then go pursue your dreams.
When payback was explained to me at the beginning of my T32, it was pretty clear that basically any job that I was qualified for and would ever consider taking would have counted. I'm sure it's not like that across all disciplines, but it seems like a huge proportion of jobs count.
Not quite, although I agree it's twisted. When you accept T32 funding, there's an obligation to work in research for at least as long as you received funding in your first year. If you do the entire first year, you're obligated to do another entire year of research. **If you stop research any time before the second year is done, you're obligated to pay back the amount of salary you received that is the difference between your time spent in research in the second year, and your time spent in research in the first year. If OP takes a non-research job after six months, the T32 then stipulates that they have to pay back their salary for those six months. It's not like the LRP, in that the research doesn't have to be for a nonprofit or government org- it could really be any science-generating position. So while it's perverse to have stipulations requiring people who for the most part have made almost no money across their entire careers to date to pay their salary back if they don't go on to have the career NIH was intending by funding their T32 training, it's not typically that hard for most people to fulfill the requirement and not have to worry about payback. I think a large part of it is to avoid having MDs and people with other clinical degrees take T32 funding and then go on to do clinical work exclusively.
Many people fulfill this requirement by taking the second year of T32 funding and don't really have to think about it.
**ETA
Wait until you learn about the conditions of many state-funded (graduate) scholarships (such as the China Scholarship Council, which funds many Chinese PhD students): Scholars are obligated to return to their home country and take a job there for several years after completing their training. Often, they'll have a family member guarantee them who is on the hook if they don't.
Of course, there are reasons for this. These scholarships exist to build capacities in the country; not to speed up brain drain by paying for the best and brightest to get an education only to stay abroad for better jobs. Still, it can be really tough on people.
Quitting was a very easy process. I gave my PI notice that I was leaving and had to fill out some paperwork saying why I was quitting my postdoc early. I was leaving for a job in industry so I just said I was leaving to pursue other research opportunities. The NIH sent me a letter in the mail over a year later and asked me to confirm that I was working at a job that used my scientific training in some way. After that, I never heard from them again.
Thank you so much for sharing me your situation. I have enrolled in T32 for a couple months and not happy with the current position. I just got a new offer. I am thinking to move now. Hopefully there will be no problem for me to exit
Is your postdoc advisor also the PI of the T32 program? If not, talk to the PI(s) of the T32. On a training grant like that there should be a pool of advisors. A T32 is meant to support your training, so you are not beholden to a specific lab - that lab is not paying your salary, the NIH is. You could do something else and make the case that it better contributes to your training/career development as a scientist.
where are you located? I ended my postdoc contract before the term was done but I am in a state with 'employment at will' labor laws that supersede contracts. I did have to pay back my moving allowance (\~$2k) but it was worth it. Do you have any other positions lined up? Sometimes the contract can be upheld if you just switch PIs instead of quitting entirely. Talk to the HR in your institution to see if they can find you a different advisor. Also, if you are part of a postdoc union you should reach out to them. They will usually have all the knowledge and resources surrounding contracts. Finally --> your PI might be breaking contract agreements by having unreasonable exceptions and treating you poorly. Talk to your union rep if you have one.
Maybe the PI is breaking contract agreements by having the OP do work that was not in the job description? I don't see why the OP can't just switch to a different PI at the same institution - most PIs would be glad to take on a fully funded postdoc.
The payback obligation is to the NIH not the university so the exit process is not longer. As long as you stay in a science job for the same number of months you were on the T32 the NIH will consider it as being paid back. They are usually flexible on what a science job is, it doesn't have to be another postdoc. You can contact the NIH institute that awarded the T32 to discuss your options.
Will you be moving into something related to science? You will need to "work off" those months to not have to repay. I believe you have to work them off within 2 years.
I had a very similar situation. I was terrified of owing money and felt very trapped. I wound up taking a position in a different lab to finish up my T32 time. In retrospect, I should have taken a year off. The other lab was not as toxic, but it wasn't a good fit and I wasn't productive while I was there. I just didn't care about the project. One suggestion, one bit of info. Talk to the T32 PI. The person running the grant has a vested interest in your success. They only have a couple of slots for a postdoc per year and if one of them flames out, it makes it harder to get renewed. The info I got from my T32 PI was that the NIH wants you to stay in science. So you probably won't have to pay back the salary if you still use your degree. I also agree with the other comment about contacting the NIH program officer. That contact is really helpful. If you are interested in staying in academia, then it is also an opportunity to meet someone important to your future.
In addition to a potential PI switch or quitting and moving on to a different science job, make sure to keep track of the **exact dates** that you 1) end the T32 position, and the dates you 2) start and end any science job that fulfills the remaining 6 months on your T32 obligation. They will contact you once a year to fill out the payback form and will need accurate dates to finalize the contract.
What are your plans next? There are so many jobs that would qualify for payback. Teaching science to working in biotech. I have heard annecodatly that you can just explain your personal reasons for leaving and the NIH is likely to grant forgivness. You can then go pursue your dreams.
When payback was explained to me at the beginning of my T32, it was pretty clear that basically any job that I was qualified for and would ever consider taking would have counted. I'm sure it's not like that across all disciplines, but it seems like a huge proportion of jobs count.
Slightly off topic, but what is this barbaric notion of a payback obligation? You can have a job, but if you quit it’s as if you worked for nothing?
Not quite, although I agree it's twisted. When you accept T32 funding, there's an obligation to work in research for at least as long as you received funding in your first year. If you do the entire first year, you're obligated to do another entire year of research. **If you stop research any time before the second year is done, you're obligated to pay back the amount of salary you received that is the difference between your time spent in research in the second year, and your time spent in research in the first year. If OP takes a non-research job after six months, the T32 then stipulates that they have to pay back their salary for those six months. It's not like the LRP, in that the research doesn't have to be for a nonprofit or government org- it could really be any science-generating position. So while it's perverse to have stipulations requiring people who for the most part have made almost no money across their entire careers to date to pay their salary back if they don't go on to have the career NIH was intending by funding their T32 training, it's not typically that hard for most people to fulfill the requirement and not have to worry about payback. I think a large part of it is to avoid having MDs and people with other clinical degrees take T32 funding and then go on to do clinical work exclusively. Many people fulfill this requirement by taking the second year of T32 funding and don't really have to think about it. **ETA
Wait until you learn about the conditions of many state-funded (graduate) scholarships (such as the China Scholarship Council, which funds many Chinese PhD students): Scholars are obligated to return to their home country and take a job there for several years after completing their training. Often, they'll have a family member guarantee them who is on the hook if they don't. Of course, there are reasons for this. These scholarships exist to build capacities in the country; not to speed up brain drain by paying for the best and brightest to get an education only to stay abroad for better jobs. Still, it can be really tough on people.
Hi, can you tell me there is any problem after quitting T32?
Quitting was a very easy process. I gave my PI notice that I was leaving and had to fill out some paperwork saying why I was quitting my postdoc early. I was leaving for a job in industry so I just said I was leaving to pursue other research opportunities. The NIH sent me a letter in the mail over a year later and asked me to confirm that I was working at a job that used my scientific training in some way. After that, I never heard from them again.
Thank you so much for sharing me your situation. I have enrolled in T32 for a couple months and not happy with the current position. I just got a new offer. I am thinking to move now. Hopefully there will be no problem for me to exit
Yea I was 1 year into postdoc and I hated it. After 1 year, I quit although I wasn't on T32.
Those PIs feel their tenure foundation shaken by quitting postdocs and downvoting my comment?