Arriving on Campus
Welcome to Boston University! Postdoctoral Affairs is dedicated to supporting you as a new postdoc, setting you up for future career success, and enhancing your quality of life while at BU.
Don’t forget to sign up for one of our virtual orientation sessions before you move on from this page.
Before You Arrive
- Be sure to review the Boston University Postdoctoral Scholar policy
- Find a place to live:
- BU supplies only a small fraction of the housing needed by its staff. Most postdocs live in the housing that is not supplied by the University. If you are moving to the city, you may find the resource on Finding Housing in the City helpful.
- The Boston University Real Estate office rents apartments owned by Boston University to full-time Boston University graduate students, current faculty, and staff only. BU Real Estate leases, manages, and maintains residential apartments, a limited number of parking spaces, and commercial property located on or near the Charles River Campus.
- Check out the BU’s Off-Campus Services page to view a platform which lists rental properties and offers a roommate tool for the BU community. You may register as a guest for 30 days to search the listings, but to use the Roommate Finder and receive full access to the resources, you must have a BU Kerberos login.
Once You're on Campus
- Get to Know BU: BU’s Charles River and Medical Campuses span the Kenmore/Fenway, Allston, and South End neighborhoods of Boston and offer many resources for you to explore and use. Use Boston University’s interactive campus map to navigate your way around the Charles River Campus, the Medical Campus, and their surrounding neighborhoods.
- Attend Postdoc Orientation: Postdoctoral Affairs offers orientation sessions every month for new postdocs. Join us to learn more about our partners across the university, talk about your professional and career development goals, and get your questions answered. Sign up here.
- Figure out transportation around BU:
- Visit the Parking & Transportation Office (CRC) and TranSComm (MED) to find permits and commuter options. Through these offices, you can learn about accessing commuter passes and bike cages and using resources like Zipcar and Bluebikes (check with HR to see if you are eligible for a discount).
- The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) provides subway, bus, commuter rail, and boat transportation services. Employee postdocs may sign up for discounted MBTA passes online using BUworks. Non-employee postdocs should contact postdocs@bu.edu about accessing a discounted MBTA pass.
- Another great resource is the BUS (the BU Shuttle), a free shuttle to get between campuses and many places in between. Evening shuttle services are provided to selected local MBTA stations. View the shuttle schedule to get hours of operation and updated information. The BU Mobile app allows you to track the shuttle in real time.
Before You Start Your Work
- Non-Employee Postdoctoral Scholars: formally known as postdoc fellows, non-employee postdocs are eligible for medical insurance, dental discounts, and a transit subsidy through the Office of the Provost. Learn more about your benefits.
- Employee Postdoctoral Scholars: formally known as postdoc associates, employee postdocs should check in with Human Resources upon arrival on campus. HR is your one stop shop to sign up for employee benefits and learn more about your employment at BU. Human Resources has locations on both campuses, and offers new employee orientation sessions on the Charles River Campus each Monday morning.
- International Postdocs:Check in with the International Students and Scholars Office.If you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident when you start your postdoc, please be sure to check in with the ISSO so that they can insure that you have the proper immigration classification and employment authorization to get started. The ISSO has weekly walk-in/check-in hours and J-1 scholar orientations (required if you are here under BU’s J-1 sponsorship) on both the Charles River and the Medical Campuses. Please be sure to bring the required documentation when you check-in and/or attend your orientation and feel free to contact your Scholar Advisor if you have any questions.