August 2006
Research Faculty Appointment
In the interest of maintaining and developing excellent research programs, it is important to develop a mechanism for the School of Science and Engineering to attract and support highly qualified researchers in appropriate focus areas such as advanced materials, bioengineering,.....
Because national support for such focus areas can change rapidly, it may not be in the best interest of the Tulane SSE to commit only tenure track faculty positions to such activities. With this in mind, we propose to establish a non-tenure research faculty track to attract and retain individuals of high research skill and visibility.
We anticipate that Research Assistant Professors, Research Associate Professors and Research Professors will contribute to the SSE research and graduate education efforts by securing funding, (co)directing graduate thesis/dissertation projects and, possibly, by limited teaching activities. As such, these research faculty will improve the fiscal resources and academic balance of the SSE by providing advanced research opportunities for our faculty and students.
Term of Appointment
Renewable research faculty appointments will be made for durations of up to three years (36 months). An appointment in an academic department must be approved by the faculty of that department. A request can originate in a center but the appointment must then be approved by the Executive Committee of the School. Such appointments do not carry tenure. Appointment renewals are contingent upon satisfactory performance as determined by the department or center in which the appointment is made. The availability of external funds to support the research is required. A three-month notice will be given in case the need to terminate an appointment should occur.
Duties
Research is the foremost duty of a research faculty member. The research activities are to be related to the activities of the department or center in which the research faculty member is functioning. Research faculty may co-direct theses and dissertations.
Teaching, limited to at most one graduate course at the 600 or 700 level, over a twelve month period in the area of the research faculty member’s expertise would be allowed. A temporary appointment as Lecturer may be made in addition to the research faculty appointment; however, in these cases University funding for such teaching duties will be arranged on a case-by-case basis.
Compensation
Compensation must come from external research funding.
Administrative Procedures
Initial appointment recommendations can be at any rank and originate in a department or center. A national search is strongly recommended to identify the most excellent candidates. Availability of space and support facilities must be addressed prior to appointment. Such appointments are to be approved by the Dean and the Provost.
Promotion from one rank to another will be based on an intensive examination of the candidate’s intellectual achievement. Recommendations for promotion must be accompanied by a dossier to be considered by the supervisor, the relevant department chair, the relevant center director (when applicable) and by the Dean or his/her designee. Teaching and University service are not required for promotion. To achieve promotion, the candidate must demonstrate continued scholarly activity as evidenced by the following:
Promotion to Research Professor occurs only for outstanding, internationally recognized experts.