Guidelines for the Appointment of Research Faculty

Issued by the Office of the Vice President for Research and the Offices of the Provost (Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses)

The Office of the Vice President for Research and the Office of the Provost on each campus annually review and issue guidelines for the appointment and promotion of research faculty at the ranks of Research Investigator, Assistant Research Scientist, Associate Research Scientist, Research Scientist, Research Assistant Professor, Research Associate Professor, and Research Professor, where applicable. 

New Appointments

Authorization to Extend Offer (AEO)

Prior to Extending an Offer

AEO Submission Guidelines

New Appointments

Resource Commitment

Research faculty appointments are established with the expectation that the research faculty member will participate in and/or develop a sustainable research program. To create a new position, the appointing unit is required to identify funding sources (current and anticipated) that are reasonably expected to support the first three years of the appointment. These resource commitments can vary by unit.

Appointment Structure(s)

Research Investigator appointments are established as:

  1. an annual, renewable appointment with a maximum duration of four years, or
  2. a term-limited appointment with a maximum duration of four years.

Research faculty appointments at the assistant level are established as a three-year, renewable appointment with a maximum duration of six years.

All research faculty appointments at the associate level or higher are established as open-ended appointments.

Special Case: Term-limited appointments are to be used when the period of appointment is aligned with the requirements of a specific project and there is no expectation of developing a research program.

Authorization to Extend Offers (AEO)

Important points to note:

All Research Scientist track senior hires require an Authorization to Extend an Offer (AEO) and must be approved by the vice president for research and innovation prior to an offer being extended to the candidate: 

  • Research Scientist 
  • Associate Research Scientist

All AEOs are reviewed by the vice president for research and innovation (VPRI):

  • Once reviewed by an OVPR external reviewer and approved by the Associate Vice President for Research-Research Faculty Affairs, the AEO proceeds to the VPRI for their review and approval. 
  • Once the AEO is approved by the VPRI, a pdf of the signed approval form is emailed to the submitting unit contact. School/college/research unit/academic units may then proceed with the HR appointment process.

Research Investigator & Research Scientist Track

The authority to appoint individuals to the rank of Research Investigator and Assistant Research Scientist has been delegated to the Deans of the Schools/Colleges by the designated authority. However, the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) requires certain language be included in offer letters for Research Investigators and Assistant Research Scientists.

For individuals who are being put forward for appointments as both a member of the Instructional Faculty and the Research Scientist Track Faculty, you must follow the procedures for BOTH positions; approval must be sought according to the guidelines of both the Vice President for Research and the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The Michigan Institute for Data & AI in Society (MIDAS), Quantum Research Institute (QRI), The Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG), and Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery & Engineering (MICDE) should follow the guidance in their approved bylaws.

Adjunct Research Investigator and Research Scientist track appointments require approval from the Vice President for Research and Innovation. (See Request Form)

Research Professor Track

The authority to appoint individuals to the rank of Research Assistant Professor has been delegated to the Deans of the Schools/Colleges by the designated authority. However, the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs requires certain language be included in offer letters for Research Assistant Professors.

For individuals who are being put forward for appointments as both a member of the Instructional Faculty and the Research Faculty, you must follow the procedures for BOTH positions; approval must be sought according to the guidelines of both the School/College and the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Adjunct Research Professor track appointments follow guidelines set forth in SPG 201.34-2.

Prior to Extending an Offer

Associate Research Scientist / Research Scientist (Research Associate Professor / Research Professor – Provost Office)

The designated authority at the School/College level approves the appointment. A packet is prepared including the following:

1. Research Scientist AEO Request Approval Form

This is the approval sheet that becomes the cover of the final casebook. This should be prepared by the requesting unit and included as the first page of the casebook. 

2. Endorsment letter from Dean/Director

Including a statement describing the source of funding that will be used to cover the costs for the next three years. The endorsement letter should be written from an evaluative, not an advocacy, perspective and should present a balanced summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the case.

More information
  • Effective date of the appointment.
  • Candidate’s current title(s) and whether tenured or not.
  • Description of the candidate’s experience and quality of teaching (RP Track Only)
  • Description of the appointment in the context of the field and the specific needs of the school, college, and/or department. Please also describe the relevance to the vision and mission of your unit and the university.
  • Clear description of the search process and long-term hiring plans (i.e., description of the search).
  • Substantive description of the candidate’s work and significant contributions to the field – this should be more than a listing of titles.
  • Please summarize the evaluative comments of each unit’s executive committee and include the final vote tally without names, such as 4-2-0 (i.e., # of positive votes-# of negative votes-# of abstentions/recusals) of any faculty group (department review and/or executive committee) that voted on the requested potential hire.
    1. For any abstentions, the reason must be given if known (ex: departmental affiliation, lack of knowledge) especially if there is a concern (state concern) or if unknown (ex: anonymous voting – reasons unknown).
    2. When quoting from an external reviewer, identify as Reviewer A, B, or C, etc.
  • If the regular (not adjunct) track appointment is offered in more than one unit, it should be handled simultaneously by all units. The endorsement letter requires the signatures of the deans/directors from all schools/colleges/research units/academic units where the individual will hold the appointments, even if those are “dry” (0% fraction) appointments. Please indicate the fraction of effort for each title.
  • The cover letter should address any concerns raised by reviewers and summarize committee discussion surrounding those issues.

3. Chair’s letter (if applicable)

Please provide any letters or reports from department or division chairs to the dean/director recommending the candidate’s appointment. This letter should be similar to the deans/directors cover letter in scope and include substantive description of the hiring process within the department as well as any departmental votes. Please elaborate on any nuances of the specific case.

4. Curriculum vitae

Check the accuracy and completeness of the information in the curriculum vitae (i.e., current title and academic standing), or any recent changes since the original CV was submitted as part of the application.

5. Evidence of experience and quality of teaching (RP Track Only – Provost Office)

6. Research Statement

7. Service Statement

8. Sample of letter sent to reviewers to solicit recommendations

More information
  • Provide a copy of the letter template (Solicitation Letter) to the reviewers asking for their evaluations. See templates provided.
  • Schools and colleges may add text to the language of the template; however, for legal reasons, they cannot delete any existing language.
    • It is the responsibility of the dean/director to ensure that department chairs, or the appropriate equivalent, follow the templates provided.
    • Also include, as an attachment with each solicitation letter, a description of the particular track(s) on which the faculty member is being hired.

    9. Brief description of the credentials of each reviewer and their relationship to the candidate

    More Information

    Research Professor Track – Provost Office

    Research Scientist Track:

    In this section of the AEO, include a cover sheet that includes the following:

    • A list of reviewers who provided letters.
    • (RS track only – At least five letters must be included, with a minimum of two from external reviewers. None of these letters need to be arm’s-length. While arm’s-length reviewers are not required, their inclusion would strengthen the case.)
    • A list of reviewers who were asked to write a letter but declined and the reason for declining.
    • Please list external reviewers alphabetically by last name, grouped by arm’s length (if applicable), non-arm’s length, and no response/declined.
    • Identify all reviewers (external if applicable) in sequence as Reviewer A, Reviewer B, or C, etc. (including reviewers who did not respond). Note: List separately any internal (University of Michigan) reviewers.
    • Include a brief bio on each reviewer (confirm rank):
      • An abridged version (one short paragraph) on each reviewer should indicate the reviewer’s position, fields of expertise, important contributions and standing in the discipline, appropriateness of the reviewer to provide input, as well as any close professional associations with the candidate. Additionally, please insert the short paragraph of the reviewer’s biography in front of each external (if applicable) review letter, including designation of “arm’s length” or “non arm’s length” and whether the reviewer was suggested by the candidate or by the department.
      • Designate each reviewer in the bio paragraph as “arm’s length” or “non arm’s length”.
      • Indicate whether the reviewer was suggested by the candidate or by the department. 

    10. Letters of recommendation from reviewers

    Research Professor Track – Provost Office

    Research Scientist Track:

    • All of the review letters received by the appointing unit must be included. These should be from reviewers at or above the rank of the candidate being considered. If the circumstances necessitate letters from out-of-rank reviewers, those should be explained.
    • RS track only – A minimum of five letters must be included, with at least two of those being from external reviewers. Of the five letters, up to three may be from internal reviewers. None of these letters need to be arm’s-length. While arm’s-length reviewers are not required, their inclusion would strengthen the case.

    11. MOUs for research faculty are strongly recommended

    12. Copy of the draft offer letter

    13. AAU Waiver, (Research Professor Track Only, if needed)

    14. Waiver of posting from Academic HR

    • A waiver from Human Resource Records and Information Services (HRRIS). To request a waiver contact: [email protected].

    Note:  The package cannot be processed without all of the above items

    Submission Guidelines

    Research Scientist track AEO submission instructions:

    Upload a bookmarked pdf packet including the following for each AEO to the OVPR RS Appointments and Promotions Dropbox folder for your unit. Once uploaded to Dropbox, email our office at [email protected] with the following information:

        1. Candidate’s name and degree suffix (M.D., Ph.D., etc.)
        2. Department/Program
        3. Any Administrative appointment (ex: Director, named professorship)
        4. Requested Title
        5. Effective Date

    It is helpful to let us know if there are additional or extenuating circumstances (timeliness). Please communicate such concerns directly to our office as soon as possible. Metadata documents are  not  required  for these requests.  Feel free to contact the OVPR Research Faculty Affairs Office with any questions about the process at [email protected]. 

    OVPR will notify the school/college/unit when the VPR evaluation is complete.

    A copy of the approval notice with the VPRI’ s signature will be sent to the school/college/unit.

    The school/college/research unit prepares Associate Research Scientist or Research Scientist appointment materials and forwards them to Human Resources Records and Information Services

    Research Professor track AEO submission instructions:

      • For more information, please follow this link.
      • Contact the Academic and Faculty Affairs Office with any questions about the Research Professor track process at [email protected]