Is it possible to run two postdocs simultaneously if one of them is "independent"? I currently have a postdoc at a university in the US whose contract stipulates only that I &quot;produce research&quot; relevant to my field. I have no supervisor and have not been hired as part of a particular grant requiring regular updates to a funding institution. I have been offered a second year of this postdoc should I choose it (I have not yet).
In the meanwhile, I have accepted an offer for next year in another country funded by a private foundation in which I will be working closely with a supervisor. For a fleeting moment, I have wondered whether or not it would be possible to run both jobs simultaneously, since one (my current appointment) has no tangible requirements beyond the &quot;production of research&quot;. I can't find anything relevant in either of my contracts or in the conflict of interest statements for the respective universities. However, I haven't pursued this option since:

It seems tasteless, and I wouldn't want to jeopardize my relationship with anyone at either institution.

I assume there must be some injunction against accepting two positions, particularly with regard to the intellectual property produced by the researcher.


Point 1 also prevents me from asking anyone at my institutions about this option (for the moment). Are my suspicions correct?
Thanks in advance.
Edit:  Two more relevant points: first, my current position allows me to work remotely at the moment and I strongly suspect this will continue; second, I do have some extremely light obligations in the form of aiding in the organization of departmental events, but, again, this can be done remotely and I would certainly continue this in the event of a dual postdoc.
It is hard to predict what is &quot;possible&quot;. Your contract(s) and policies may stipulate expectations.
But to be safe, I would suggest, only do this with everyone's knowledge and permission. I doubt that it would be given, I guess, but you could suffer if you do it &quot;on the sly&quot;. If you do a good job in both and no one learns of the deception then you might be ok, but that certainly isn't assured. And, working it out in advance will help make expectations clear and avoid any legal issues.
Also, it is good to sleep, occasionally and to have an actual life.