When you plan to employ a current, registered UWindsor student as a member of your research team, the hiring process rests with the Department of Human Resources. However, your research project may require hiring of grant-funded reserch personnel such as post-doctoral fellows, reserch assisants and associates, visiting scholars, or a student who is registered at another university. These research appointments are overseen by the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation. The below guide will help you navigate the research appointment process.
The forms required for a hiring package can be found under Requesting an appointment.
Research assistants
Non-student research assistants are grant funded research personnel who are employed to participate in research activities associated with a specific project under the supervision of the grant holder or delegate. Research Assistants must be directly engaged in research. They cannot be hired to perform duties that are primarily supportive in nature, including work that is technical, clerical, and/or administrative in nature. If you are unsure if the work your appointee will be performing meets the criteria for a research appointment, please contact mehenkas@uwindsor.ca to seek clarification.
To appoint a Research Assistant, complete the Request for Research or Post-Doc Appointment Form and supply the necessary supplementary documentation.
Research associates
Research associates are non-student, grant funded personnel who possess an advanced degree and are employed to participate actively and directly in research with the grant holder, and may be credited in the dissemination of research results. Research Associates must be directly engaged in research. They cannot be hired to perform duties that are primarily supportive in nature, including work that is technical, clerical, and/or administrative in nature. If you are unsure if the work your appointee will be performing meets the criteria for a research appointment, please contact mehenkas@uwindsor.ca to seek clarification.
To appoint a Research Associate, complete the Request for Research Appointment Form and supply the necessary supplementary documentation.
Post-doctoral researchers
A post-doctoral researcher (post-doc) is an individual who has recently completed a doctoral degree or equivalent and who is engaged in post-graduate training under the supervision of a faculty mentor to advance their knowledge, experience, and expertise in a chosen discipline.
As outlined in the University's Policy on Postdoctoral Fellowships, a post-doc appointment must meet the following criteria:
- The candidate was conferred a PhD or equivalent degree within the past five years;
- The appointment is temporary and related directly to the provision of research and scholarship activities;
- The appointment is preparatory for a full-time academic and/or research career;
- The services provided by the postdoc meet the standards set by the supervising faculty member; and
- The PDF is not registered in another training program.
To appoint a post-doc meeting all of the above-noted criteria, please complete the Request for Research Appointment Form and supply the necessary supplementary documentation.
Visiting scholars
A Visiting Scholar is an individual possessing advanced degrees who visits the University on a temporary basis while on leave from their institution for the purpose of performing collaborative research with the grant holder in a field for which they has demonstrated excellence. Visiting Scholars may be self-funded or partially or fully funded from a grant account. Visiting Scholars are not permitted to teach at the University.
Please note that a Visiting Scholar who is a foreign national may be required to apply for a work permit and submit other immigration documentation through Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). Further information on CIC requirements and applying for a work permit can be found on this page under International Research Appointments.
To appoint a Visiting Scholar, complete the Request for Research Appointment Form and supply the necessary supplementary documentation.
Visiting research students
Visiting Research Students are students affiliated with another domestic or international post-secondary institution who have been invited to the University by a faculty member to engage in research in his or her lab. A Visiting Research Student is typically self-funded and has not yet attained a terminal degree. Appointment of a Visiting Research Student must not exceed one year. Visiting Research Students are not permitted to take courses for credit while visiting the University. Appointment of Visiting Research Students is administered by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The Request for Research or Post-Doc Appointment Form can not be used to appoint a Visiting Research Student.
For further information on the appointment of Visiting Research Students, please contact the Faculty of Graduate Studies at adminfgs@uwindsor.ca or at extension 2107.
Visiting professors or instructors
The Faculty Association Collective Agreement defines a Visiting Professor or Instructor as “one enjoying an outstanding reputation by virtue of excellence in research, teaching or creative or professional endeavors who is temporarily visiting the University on leave from her/his own institution and whose contribution to the University is mainly concerned with research and scholarship, and who shall not teach more than one credit course per semester, unless mutually agreed by the parties that exceptional circumstances exist.”
The process for appointing Visiting Professors and Instructors is outlined in Senate Bylaw 20. Requests for appointment of either a Visiting Professor or Instructor can only be submitted electronically by the Department Head or Dean, using Form 1 – Request for Academic Appointment. The Request for Research or Post-Doc Appointment Form cannot be used for these types of appointments.
All appointments of Visiting Professors and Instructors that involve teaching duties are made by the Board of Governors following approval of an AAU Council through an appropriate AAU Appointments Committee. Appointments of Visiting Professors and Instructors that do not involve teaching duties must be made through procedures established by AAUs.
For further information on appointing a Visiting Professor or Instructor, please contact the Faculty Recruitment Coordinator in the Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic at extension 1432.
Office, clerical, and administrative appointments
Effective September 14, 2013, Unifor 2458 Full-Time Office & Clerical Unit and the Unifor 2458 Part-Time Office & Clerical Unit Collective Agreements included a Letter of Understanding with respect to Grant Funded Positions mandating the "inclusion of grant funded positions performing office, clerical and/or administrative duties", which are "deemed to be represented by Unifor 2458 bargaining unit as per Ontario Labour Relations Board arbitration dated July 12, 2012."
Accordingly, all appointments determined to be office, clerical or administrative in nature must be posted internally and made available to existing Unifor 2458 Full-Time and Part-Time bargaining unit members before external candidates can be considered.
Therefore, while appointment of individuals who will be employed to perform work that is office, clerical and administrative in nature using grant funds may still be processed using the Request for Research Appointment Form, it is critical that you contact Human Resources to determine whether or not your appointment must be posted internally BEFORE you consider candidates for the position. Do not complete the Request for Research and Post-Doc Appointment Form before you have discussed your appointment with Human Resources.
For further information on appointing personnel who will perform work that is clerical or administrative in nature using your grant account, or if you are unsure if the work that will be performed can be considered clerical or administrative, please contact Mark Learn in the Department of Human Resources at extension 2052.
Students
The Request for Research Form can not be used to hire registered students who are enrolled in courses. The process for hiring a registered student who is enrolled in courses is outlined on the Department of Human Resources website under Student Appointments.
Appointments funded by an Operating Account
The Request for Research Appointment Form can not be used to appoint individuals who will be paid using an operating account. Requests for appointments using an operating account can only be submitted electronically by the Department Head or Dean, using ARAC Form S1 – Staff Addition Replacement.
Appointments funded by a Trust Account
The Request for Research Appointment Form can not be used to appoint individuals who will be paid using a trust account. Trust funds are restricted and the use of trust funds depends on the purpose of the trust. If you are planning to pay research personnel using a trust fund, please contact the Department of Human Resources.
Assembling your appointment request package
Once you have identified the right type of appointment to suit your needs, you can begin the process of requesting an appointment.
In order to appoint or reappoint grant-funded research personnel, you must submit a complete request for appointment package to your Department Head, Dean, and Research Finance for approval. This package must include all of the following forms and documents:
- Request for a Research Appointment form
- Research or Post-Doc Appointment Position Summary form
- Research or Post-Doc Appointee Confidentiality Agreement
- Copy of the Appointee's CV
If the appointee is related to you, you must also include:
If the appointment is funded through the MITACS Accelerate or Elevate programs and the appointment will extend beyond the duration of each funding instalment, you must also include:
If the appointee is a foreign national who has already been issued a work permit, a copy must be appended to the request for appointment package.
Please note that request for appointment packages, including those requesting a reappointment, that do not include all of the above-noted forms and documents will not be considered until complete.
Form completion guides
Not sure how to complete one of the forms above? Use the detailed guides below to navigate your hiring package.
- Guide to completing a Request for Research Appointment form
- Guide to completing a Position Summary
- Guide to completing a Confidentiality Agreement
- Guide to completing a COI Form
- Guide to completing a Mitacs Form
If you are hiring international research personnel, an additional document and fee are required. See the next section for details.
Completing an Offer of Employment
Effective February 21, 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) mandated that employers hiring foreign research personnel who are Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) exempt will be required to pay an Employer Compliance Fee of $230 and submit an Offer of Employment to a Foreign National Exempt from Labour Market Impact Assessment (Offer of Employment) using the CIC Employer Portal.
This directive impacts foreign academic and research personnel including, but not limited to, Post-Doctoral Fellows, Visiting Professors and Instructors, Visiting Scholars, Visiting Research Students, and Guest Lecturers. Although this directive references “employers” and “employees”, it also applies to any foreign research personnel who are unpaid and/or have no employment status at the University and to reappointment of current foreign research personnel.
As a supervisor hiring a Research Assistant, Research Associate, or Postdoctoral Fellow or hosting a Visiting Scholar who is a foreign national, you are responsible for the cost of the $230 Employer Compliance Fee and for supplying and attesting to the accuracy of the information required to submit an Offer of Employment.
Before an Offer of Employment can be submitted through the CIC Employer Portal, you must provide the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation with the following:
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A grant account number to which the $230 Employer Compliance Fee can be charged
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A completed Offer of Employment Request Form
Employer Compliance Fee
In order for the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation to submit an Offer of Employment for your appointee, you must provide a grant account number to which the $230 Employer Compliance Fee required by CIC can be charged.
On April 8, 2015, the Tri-Council issued a communique with respect to the eligibility status of the $230 Employer Compliance Fee indicating that:
If the foreign national is recruited to work exclusively on research for which Tri-Agency grant funds are provided, the full cost of the employer fee of $230 will be eligible for reimbursement from the grant holder's grant funds as an eligible recruitment cost per the Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide.
If the foreign national is recruited for a variety of purposes, one of which includes working on research for which Tri-Agency grant funds are provided, the administering institution may apportion the cost of the employer fee to the grant holder's grant funds based on the anticipated percentage of time the foreign national will spend working on the funded research of the grant holder.
If the foreign national is recruited for purposes unrelated to Tri-Agency funded research, the employer fee is not eligible for reimbursement from the grant holder's grant funds.
If your appointee will not be working on research connected to a Tri-Agency grant, you may be able to charge the $230 Employer Compliance Fee to an internal or other grant account. If you are unsure if the $230 Employer Compliance Fee is an eligible expense under the non-Tri-Agency grant that you wish to charge it to, contact Eric Gee at extension 2129; Paul Scobie at extension 2121; or Dami Adeleke at extention 2123 in Research Finance who will be able to provide direction.
Once we have received your completed Offer of Employment Request Form and a grant account number to charge for the $230 Employer Compliance fee, an Offer of Employment will be submitted through the CUC Employer Portal. CIC will send the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation an email notification containing a unique Offer of Employment Number. The employment number will be provided to the appointee so that they can complete their work permit application.
Please note that foreign nationals are not permitted to work at the University of Windsor until they have obtained and provided a valid work permit and Social Insurance Number to the University of Windsor Department of Human Resources.
Getting a work permit
In most cases, foreign nationals who have been hired as a Research Assistant, Research Associate, Post-Doctoral Fellow or Visiting Scholar and will participate directly in research activities do not require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
For a complete list of LMIA exemptions, visit the Government of Canada web page – Find out if you are exempt from a Labour Market Impact Assessment.
However, if you have hired or are hosting a foreign national as a Research Assistant, Research Associate, Post-Doctoral Fellow or Visiting Scholar, he or she will likely require a work permit.
Before your appointee can apply for a work permit, he or she will need an Offer of Employment Number. In order to obtain this number, you must request that the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation submit an Offer of Employment to a Foreign National Exempt from a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) by completing Form IMM5802 and paying the $230 Employer Compliance Fee charged by CIC. For more information on completing Form IMM5802 and paying the $230 Employer Compliance Fee, see the Guide to Offers of Employment to Foreign Nationals Exempt from Labour Market Impact Assessment.
Once the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation has submitted an Offer of Employment for your appointee, CIC will send an email notification containing an official Offer of Employment Number that you will need to provide to your appointee so that they can complete their work permit application.
Your appointee can apply for a work permit through CIC online at:
- Applications to Work in Canada - Work Permits,
- By visiting Canada Visa Office outside of Canada,
- Or at a Canadian Port of Entry
Work permit processing times can vary dramatically. In order to ensure that your appointee is not delayed in beginning his or her appointment, ensure that you have submitted all required forms and documentation well in advance of the appointee's anticipated start date. For current work permit processing times, visit check application processing times.
Please note that the University of Windsor does not provide immigration advice or assistance in applying for work permits.
Getting a social insurance number (SIN)
If you have hired a foreign national as a Research Assistant, Research Associate, Post-Doctoral Fellow or Visiting Scholar, he or she must obtain and provide proof of a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN) to the Department of Human Resources before begining work at the University of Windsor.
For more information on obtaining a SIN, please visit Social Insurance Number - Overview.
Mandatory health insurance for international appointees
As outlined in the Department of Human Resources UHIP - Green Shield Canada OHIP Replacement Insurance memo, any employee who is not eligible for coverage under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) must, as a condition of their appointment, enroll in the Green Shield Canada health insurance program.
Know your rights while working in Canada
In Canada, the rights of all workers, including temporary foreign workers, are protected by law. If you are a temporary foreign worker, you have the same rights and workplace protections as Canadians and permanent residents.
The following documents contain important information about your rights as a temporary foreign worker in Canada under the International Mobility Program:
Get to know your rights while working in Canada | Apprenez quels sont vos droits en tant que travailleur
For more information visit Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada.
Payroll
Research personnel who are paid by stipend are enrolled in the University of Windsor's Semi-Monthly payroll system and will be paid twice monthly on the 15th and 30th/31st day of each month.
Payroll is processed 4-5 days prior to the end of each pay period.
Payroll will not be processed until an appointee has returned a signed letter of appointment, provided all required documentation, and has been issued a University of Windsor employee number.
Provided that an appointee has signed and returned their letter of appointment, provided all required documentation, and has been issued an employee number 4-5 days before the end of the pay period, they can expect their first pay to be direct deposited into their bank account on the next 15th or 30th/31st payday.
If the appointee has not signed and returned their letter of appointment, provided all required documentation, and been issued an employee number 4-5 days prior to the end of the pay period, they can expect to receive pay for the missed pay period and the current one on the next payday.
Manual cheques will NOT be issued for employees who have missed their first payday.
In order to ensure that your appointee does not miss a payday, it is recommended that you submit a complete, signed Request for Research or Post-Doc Appointment package to the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation at least one month in advance of the appointment or reappointment start date.
Time Cards
If you have elected to pay your appointee using time cards, your appointee will be paid twice monthly on the 15th and 30th/31st day of each month.
You will be required to advise the Payroll Department of the number of hours your appointee has worked by submitting a completed and signed time card on their behalf for each pay period. Completed and signed time cards must be submitted 4-5 days prior to the end of the pay period.
In order to help ensure that your appointee does not miss a pay day, it is recommended that time cards are submitted weekly.
Manual cheques will NOT be issued for employees who have missed a payday.
Holidays
The University of Windsor recognizes the following statutory holidays:
- New Year's Day
- Good Friday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- Labour Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day
The University also provides the following additional days as paid holidays:
- Family Day
- Civic Holiday
- Christmas Eve
- New Year's Eve
- Friday of February Reading Week
For an up-to-date University of Windsor holiday schedule, visit the University Observed Holidays page on the Human Resources website.
Vacation
An appointee's vacation entitlement is stipulated in his or her letter of appointment.
If an appointee has been provided with paid vacation, the number of weeks and/or days will be stipulated. For the purposes of vacation entitlement, the term "week" refers to five working days. Therefore, if an appointee has been provided with two weeks paid vacation, he or she is entitled to take ten working days off at his or her regular rate of pay.
If an appointee has been provided with 4% vacation pay, he or she is not entitled to additional paid vacation days. Any days taken off as vacation will be without pay.
All appointees must schedule their vacation in advance and in consultation with their supervisor.
Onboarding your research personnel is crucial to their success. New personnel need to understand both their work within your lab, and how to navigate University of Windsor systems and processes.
Read our full Guide to New Appointee Orientation.
Research appointments terminate automatically at the end of the period specified in the letter of appointment. However, employment can be terminated at any time provided it is in compliance with the Employment Standards Act. Below you will find information on ending appointments due to resignation by the appointee and termination for cause.
Resignation by Appointee
If your appointee indicates that he or she wishes to leave their position prior to the appointment end date specified in the letter of appointment, request that they do so in writing.
Once you have obtained notice of resignation in writing from the appointee, forward it to Sandy Mehenka in the Office of the Vice-President, Research at mehenkas@uwindsor.ca who will inform all the relevant parties that the appointment has ended early. This will ensure that payroll ends and that all commitments are released from your grant account.
As a supervisor, it is your responsibility to inform your former appointee that they must return all access keys and other University of Windsor-owned items to you.
You may also wish to inform your former appointee that they have signed a Confidentiality Agreement stipulating that:
"The faculty member and the University of Windsor have ownership of intellectual property resulting from your employment work subject to University policies, and obligations to the research funding agencies, institutions, and/or companies. You (the individual) are expected to maintain confidentiality of information, programmes and data that may be developed in your work or which you may have access to during the course of your appointment."
Once you have provided the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation with notice of resignation and informed your former appointee of their obligation to return University-owned items and access key and of their obligations under the Confidentiality Agreement that they signed, no further action is required on your part.
Termination for Cause
While undesirable, occasionally it is necessary to end an appointment "for cause" due to the quality of performance, lack of performance, lack of attendance, or behaviour of an appointee.
While possible, termination for cause can be tricky and every case is different. If you are considering terminating an appointment for cause, please contact Amy Taylor in the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation at Amy.Taylor@uwindsor.ca or at extension 3925 immediately, preferably prior to taking any action with the appointee in question.
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Individual departments and research centres may maintain their own list of postings. Please visit our directory of research centres to explore opportunities.