All postdoctoral research fellows are required to complete an Individual Development Plan (IDP) with their mentors. After the annual IDP discussion, both mentor and fellow will sign the IDP Completion Form and email to PostDocAffairs@jhmi.edu prior to the fellow's annual reappointment. Note: Starting this fall (2022), JHMI postdocs will begin using a new IDP tracking tool to submit verification that they have met at least once a year with their primary PI/mentor to discuss their IDP in compliance with new JHU requirements that ALL postdocs provide IDP verification on an annual basis.
An IDP provides a communication process for both the postdoc and the PI to work together to:
- Identify short- and long-term career goals and discussion of time frame for fellowship completion
- Define milestones for expected scholarly contribution, including authorship of publications, grant writing, presentations, etc.
- Determine the postdoctoral fellow's progress in development of relevant skills
- Identify professional development resources that may be beneficial for the fellow
Key Resources
Though the postdoc and PI are free to customize their own IDP formats, we strongly recommend using the following resources:
IDP Completion and Submission of Signature Form
The postdoctoral fellow should begin creating their IDP approximately four to six months after their initial start date and schedule a meeting with their PI to discuss and finalize the IDP. The mentor and fellow should schedule follow-up meetings at least annually until the end of the fellowship.
Both the mentor and postdoc sign the IDP Completion Form electronically prior to the fellow's annual reappointment. The IDP completion form can be submitted by email to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at PostDocAffairs@jhmi.edu until the new IDP tracking system is released this fall (2022). Please do not include the actual IDP content as this is primarily intended as a career planning and training development process between the postdoc and mentor.