Minimum postdoc salary/stipend, 2024

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to advise you that the minimum salary/stipend for MIT postdocs in 2024 will be $66,950, reflecting a 3 percent increase over the 2023 minimum of $65,000. On January 1, 2024, all postdocs whose salaries or stipends are below the new minimum should receive an increase.

A year ago, when we established the current minimum salary/stipend for MIT postdocs, we made the change in recognition of their vital contributions to MIT’s excellence in research, and with awareness of the high cost of living in the Greater Boston area. We moved away from our previous system of tiered minimums tied to postdocs’ years of experience, which had tracked those of the National Institutes of Health National Research Service Award (NRSA). As a result, MIT’s minimum increased from $54,840 in 2022 to $65,000 in 2023. During calendar year 2023, the Institute is funding the difference centrally to mitigate the impact on local budgets.

As the initial phase of this approach draws to a close and we enter the second year, responsibility for funding the minimum salary/stipend will now return to the principal investigator (PI) or department, as planned.

Going forward, the minimum salary/stipend for postdocs will be reviewed each fall, taking into account current NRSA levels 4-5 and cost of living indices, and an adjustment will take effect annually on January 1. The annual reappointment of a postdoc will no longer trigger an increase in pay as a matter of policy. Nevertheless, PIs retain discretion to provide a salary or stipend above the Institute-wide minimum and are encouraged to consider the competitive landscape when doing so. If you have any questions about the minimum salary/stipend, please contact postdocservices@mit.edu.

I am deeply grateful to the Faculty Postdoctoral Advisory Committee and the MIT Postdoctoral Association for their input as we worked to implement the new minimum last year, and to develop a balanced approach to future adjustments. 

The postdoctoral appointment is a key training period in the career of a researcher; accordingly, at MIT we strive to provide a robust set of professional development and mentoring resources to support every postdoc. As a PI, the care you bring to your responsibility as an advisor and mentor is at the heart of our success in this effort. Thank you for all that you do.

Across the Institute, by maintaining a minimum salary/stipend that keeps pace with our peers and the local cost of living, we can continue to attract and retain the most talented researchers – as they enter a most rewarding career.

Sincerely,

Maria T. Zuber
Vice President for Research