Postdoctoral research at Upstate may be funded through an appointment with a salary or an appointment with a stipend or sponsorship award. Appointments for such a research position may be referred to on campus as "Postdoctoral Research Fellow", "Fellow", "Postdoctoral Associate" or simply "Post Doc".

The Upstate title of Postdoctoral Associate applies to those who are paid a salary by Upstate. Postdoctoral Associates may be eligible for employee benefits through Upstate's Human Resources Benefits Office.

The Upstate title of Postdoctoral Fellow applies to researchers who receive funding in the form of a fellowship or stipend from an outside agency, either directly from the agency or distributed through Upstate on behalf of the sponsor. Postdoctoral Fellows are not considered employees, however, they are eligible to enroll for health care coverage.

The classification of postdoctoral researchers as a Postdoctoral Associate (employee) or a Postdoctoral Fellow (non-employee) depends on the source of funding and sponsor guidelines.