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CHAPTER 7 - PERSONNEL - GENERAL
Sec. 7.23. Research Titles (Code 1000)
- The five full-time research professional titles (Code 1000) in use at The University of Texas at Austin are Research Associate, Research Scientist, Research Engineer, Senior Research Scientist, and Senior Research Engineer. Research titles used to designate temporary/visiting research appointments include Senior Research Fellow, Research Fellow, and Postdoctoral Fellow. Senior Research Fellow and Research Fellow also may be used for "adjunct" research appointments. To hold an "Engineer" title, the individual must be a registered professional engineer in the State of Texas.
- The qualifications for each title are summarized below (graduate students are not eligible for any of these research professional titles):
- Senior Research Scientist/Engineer
- Nominees for Research Scientist/Engineer should have research accomplishments and professional experience equivalent to that of a full professor, including supervision of research programs/projects as a principal investigator.
- Research Scientist/Engineer
- Nominees for Research Scientist/Engineer should have professional qualifications comparable to those of an established assistant professor or a new associate professor. The individual must have an established record as a mature, independent research scientist/engineer.
- The above titles qualify the individual to serve as Principal Investigator on research grants and to submit research proposals to outside funding agencies. Appointment to the position of Research Scientist, Research Engineer, Senior Research Scientist, or Senior Research Engineer requires the approval of the Executive Vice President and Provost. Nominations must have the approval of the chairman/director of the department or comparable unit and of the dean of the college/school or the equivalent administrator. Full documentation of the nominee's professional credentials and accomplishments should accompany the nomination. Three letters from appropriate professional references are required, two of which must be from outside The University of Texas at Austin. As provided in Regents' Rules and Regulations, Part One, Chapter III, Section 1.85, appointments to research position titles that are not under the classified personnel system require further specific approval by the institutional head.
- All appointments as Research Scientist/Engineer and Senior Research Scientist/Engineer are reviewed annually by the Executive Vice President and Provost. Each Research Scientist/Engineer and Senior Research Scientist/Engineer is required to submit an annual summary of activity at the close of each University fiscal year. The annual summary of activity will be submitted through the researcher's director/chairperson and dean to the Executive Vice President and Provost. It should include a report on research accomplishments, grants/contracts submitted and received, papers published and/or submitted, papers presented or lectures given, awards of fellowships received, and such additional information as may be relevant to the evaluation of the individual's professional service. The director/chairperson/supervisor should review the annual summaries and forward them to the Executive Vice President and Provost.
- Research Associate
- Research Associate is an entry-level research professional position. An individual recommended for appointment to this position must have the professional qualifications to conduct independent research and the potential to become an established researcher. Individuals holding this title must be approved by the Executive Vice President and Provost on a case-by-case basis to be a co-Principal Investigator on a research proposal. Appointments to this title must be accompanied by documentation of the nominee's professional credentials and accomplishments.
- Senior Research Fellow and Research Fellow
- These titles are normally used for visiting scientists/engineers who are permanently based at another institution and plan to return to it after a limited stay at UT Austin. They may also be used to establish an "adjunct" research appointment at zero percent time with an established individual from another institution or from industry. The specific title used reflects the home institution position. Upon approval by the Executive Vice President and Provost, individuals appointed to these titles may submit research proposals as a Principal Investigator.
- Postdoctoral Fellow
- This title is used for the traditional postdoctoral appointment. Postdoctoral Fellow appointments are normally for periods of one year, but may be renewed on an annual basis up to a total of three years.