To streamline hiring, the Department of Physics has developed a new information intake process.

By category:

Staff hiring & reclassifications: contact our Director of Business and Finance, Melekte Truneh at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or x55955.  

Professional Track Faculty (PTK): Post-Docs, faculty assistants and lecturers may be hired via departmental mechanisms. All other PTK appointments (e.g., Assistant Research Scientist, Faculty Specialist) require advance approval from the dean’s office; contact Anne Suplee at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or x55944.

Visiting researchers/non-paid appointments: UMD now requires agreements for visiting researchers that address intellectual property and secure the consent of the visitor’s home institution.  

 After an individual is selected for employment:

*Visa approval may take up to 6 months, so start the process as early as possible! See step 5.

**Please provide at least 2 weeks’ notice before any employee is intended to start. If an employment visa is involved, 4-6 additional months will be needed.

***All offer letters and contracts must be generated by the Physics payroll team and signed by the Physics Chair. No other offers are valid.

 Hiring Process:

1. Fill out the appropriate new hire request form:
   1. Professional Track Faculty, Post-Docs, and Research Staff
   2. Research Graduate Assistants
   3. Hourly Employees (can include undergraduate, graduate, staff, or faculty)
   4. Non-paid appointments
      
      

2. Once the request is submitted, the Physics payroll team will contact you within 3 business days. 

3.  The Physics payroll team will prepare the offer letter, contract or other needed documents, work with you on any needed revisions, and send the final documents to you to send to the employee. 

4. The Physics payroll team will then send the required paperwork to the new employee:  
   1. All new employees (including students) must submit tax documents and complete the I-9 work authorization verification process.
   2. UMD now requires a criminal background check, which can add up to an additional week to the hiring process.  UMD students and current employees are exempt.
   3. Employees must comply with UMD COVID-19 regulations.
      1. The payroll team will request a copy of the vaccination verification prior to entering their appointment.
      2. The employee must upload their vaccination information into the UHC portal (https://www.myuhc.umd.edu/). This cannot be done by the payroll team.
          

5. IMPORTANT: The UMD International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) requires 4-6 months lead time on most visas, owing to the number of documents/steps involved, delays in USCIS processing, and delays in obtaining Embassy appointments throughout the world. Please pay extra attention to visa needs and new hire timelines when recruiting for positions often are filled by visa holders:
   1. Post-Docs
   2. Research Faculty
   3. Non-paid visitors
      
      

      Most commonly used visa types are the J1 and H1B. Detailed information about the process for each type can be found on the UMD International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) website using the following links: 

      • J1 - https://globalmaryland.umd.edu/offices/international-students-scholar-services/j-1-scholarfaculty-overview  
      • H1B - https://globalmaryland.umd.edu/offices/international-students-scholar-services/h-1b-faculty-overview   

6. Once approvals are complete, the Physics payroll team will notify you and the new employee.
   1. Resources:
      1. Keys & Building Swipe Card Access - Rob McIntire, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
      2. Physics Website Listing and Listservs - Anne Suplee, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
      3. UMD Online Directory - identity.umd.edu
      4. Parking - Brittany Antrum, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
      5. Supplies - LaVita Williams, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
      6. Tech support - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
      7. Payroll - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.