Should I get a letter from my postdoc or my PI for research funding application?

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

I am applying for money from my college to fund my off-campus research, and I need a letter of reference from my “off-campus research supervisor.”

My direct supervisor is my postdoctoral fellow, who I work with more closely and frequently. I don’t see my PI that often at all.

My question is, should I get this letter from my postdoc or PI? I know that grad schools prefer letters from the PI, but since I am only applying for a scholarship from my college, I’m not sure if that’s also the case? In any case, even if I ask my PI for a letter, my postdoc will likely either write most of it or give him most of the information for it since my postdoc is the one who I’ve been working with on a regular basis. It’s just a matter of the signature at the bottom.

Thoughts?

2

Even though it’s an internal award, a letter from your PI will be much stronger. Postdocs are transient employees, and one chief question may be whether the postdoc will be around long enough to even supervise you. PIs also control the resources in your lab, and so they can speak more clearly to the level of support and access to resources you will have in your lab for you to carry out the research you will propose to do.

It should definitely come from the PI.

Even better!