CMNS Criteria for Appointment/Promotion to Research Faculty Ranks

It is the responsibility of every CMNS academic unit to bring these Criteria for Appointment/Promotion to Research Faculty Ranks to the attention of every research faculty candidate for appointment and promotion in the unit (or units, for joint appointments).

The following paragraphs provide guidance as to the criteria to be addressed in promotion and appointment dossiers for research faculty. These criteria apply fully to the positions of Assistant, Associate, and Senior Research Scientist, Assistant, Associate, and Senior Research Engineer, Research Assistant Professor, Research Associate Professor and Research Professor. In what follows, “members of the faculty” refers to research faculty holding, or being considered for, any of these nine ranks.

1. Research. All members of the research faculty must demonstrate significant research achievements in their field. Appointment/promotion at the Associate level requires research accomplishments whose originality, depth and impact establish the candidate as an important contributor to knowledge in their field. Appointments/promotions to the Senior Research Scientist, Senior Research Engineer, Research Professor levels require a record of research accomplishments that establish the candidate as an outstanding contributor to knowledge in their field.

The research achievements of all research faculty will be evaluated on the quality of their contributions to knowledge in the context of the research mission of the individual departments and institutes, as evidenced by published work in books, journals and leading conferences, written evaluations by premier people in their specific research field, awards, prizes, inventions, patents, other recognitions, and when appropriate the track record of external research funding. The evaluation of Assistant, Associate, or Senior Research Engineers will emphasize their contributions to original engineering practice, design and development.

2. Teaching and Mentoring. All research faculty are encouraged to contribute to the mentoring of students and, as appropriate, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty, to assist in their academic and professional development. These educational functions should be carried out in a manner to complement and not negatively impact the primary research mission of the research faculty member. Additional qualifications apply to the ranks of Research Assistant Professor, Research Associate Professor and Research Professor (except for professorial faculty who have retired from the University), for which a more substantive contribution to the educational mission is required.

This could include a primary role in advising graduate students and postdocs, teaching a course or seminar, or responsibility for undergraduate students participating in a research project.

Appointment/promotion to these titles will require in addition to the material for any research scientist a letter from the unit head describing the nature of the educational contribution.

3. Service. To the extent permitted by federal regulations research faculty are expected to engage in service to the university and the wider professional community. This may include committee work and other university-related administrative assignments, development activity, organizational or scientific endeavors in professional societies, engagement in articulating our mission to the wider community, and extramural services of a professional nature to schools, industry, local, state, and national agencies, and the public at large.