4.2 Research Appointments
4.2.1 The RSAC (Research Staff Appointment Committee)
The RSAC, which consists of the DFA (chair), the Provost, the Chair of the Faculty Assembly, and member(s) appointed by the DFA, reviews the appointments of non-faculty research staff. This includes appointment changes to Staff Scientist and Senior Staff Scientist positions.
The RSAC also reviews the requests for appointment change from fixed term to continuing term (non-fixed term) through Continuing Appointment Review (CAR). The RSAC additionally conducts performance reviews of continuing appointment staff in conjunction with the research unit review schedule.
These requests are expected to originate from the Faculty supervisors of applicants. Details about review procedures, dossier submission, and evaluation factors are described in the RSAC handbook. [Link to RSAC Handbook and RSAC Terms of Reference]
The RSAC is consulted, when requested by the DFA, regarding the appointment of Postdoctoral Scholars, Science and Technology Associates (STA), and the transfer of research staff to the Dean’s Research Group.
Faculty appointments are described in Chapter 3 “Faculty Handbook.”
4.2.3 Senior Staff Scientists (*Note: This is to replace Group Leader and Research Specialist)
Senior Staff Scientists belong to a Research Unit and manage and/or supervise a research team under the overall guidance of the Faculty. These positions are for research scientists who have significant research management or supervisory experience. Senior Staff Scientists do not receive independent resources; however, they are expected to perform independent research, to take responsibility for projects, and to achieve leadership recognition internally and externally for their original research and service in the field.
The fundamental definition of a Senior Staff Scientist at the University is as follows:
a. Typically, the appointee has more than 10 years of post-Ph.D. research experience and at least 2 years of research management or supervisory experience.
b. The appointment is fixed term and requires the approval of the Dean of Faculty Affairs. Initial appointment shall not exceed 3 years.
c. Under extraordinary circumstances, a 4th or 5th year renewal is allowed for a Senior Staff Scientist hired from outside OIST. The renewal is to be initiated by the Faculty member and the Senior Staff Scientist and must be approved by the Dean of Faculty Affairs. Total appointment period cannot exceed 5 years.
d. Extension of appointment beyond 5 years is only possible under extraordinary circumstances and requires approval by the Dean of Faculty Affairs.
e. The appointment involves full-time research and scholarship.
f. The appointee works under the guidance of a faculty member.
g. The appointee is expected to publish the results of their research.
h. The appointee may be involved with the pre-thesis and thesis work of students and mentoring of Postdoctoral Scholars and Staff Scientists working in the Research Unit of their Faculty supervisor.
4.2.3.1 Notice of contract termination
Faculty supervisors and their Senor Staff Scientists should discuss contract renewal or termination 6 months prior to the contract end date. Usually contract renewal or termination must be finalized 3 months prior to the contract end date.
4.2.3.2 Total period of fixed-term appointment
When there was an appointment change from Staff Scientist to Senior Staff Scientist, under no circumstances should the total period of fixed-term employment exceed 10 years unless they have passed a Continuing Appointment Review. Ten years are counted from the first fixed term (non-continuing) contract start date on or after April 1, 2013, or a contract extension executed on or after April 1, 2013.
4.2.3.3 Contract change from fixed term to continuing appointment (non-fixed term)
Continuing appointments have non-fixed term contracts ending at retirement, apart from the termination clause in the contract. As a rule, research staff should not be awarded a fixed-term contract that brings them past the 10-year employment mark or a continuing (non-fixed term) contract unless they have passed a Continuing Appointment Review.
Staff Scientists belong to a Research Unit. Staff Scientists do not receive independent resources, although they are expected to be capable of working independently and to have sophisticated skills and knowledge essential to the research. Staff Scientists should be capable of designing experiments independently but do not have the responsibility of initiating new research programs.
The fundamental definition of a Staff Scientist at the University is as follows:
a. Typically, the appointee should have more than 5 years of post-Ph.D. research experience and is expected to demonstrate capability to conduct independent research.
b. The appointment is fixed term and requires the approval of the Dean of Faculty Affairs. Initial appointment shall not exceed 3 years.
c. Under extraordinary circumstances, 4th or 5th year renewal is allowed for a Staff Scientist hired outside OIST. The renewal is to be initiated by the Faculty member and the Staff Scientist and must be approved by the Dean of Faculty Affairs. Total appointment period cannot exceed 5 years.
d. Extension of appointment beyond 5 years is only possible under extraordinary circumstances and requires approval by the Dean of Faculty Affairs.
e. The appointment involves full-time research and scholarship.
f. The appointee works under the supervision of a faculty member.
g. The appointee is expected to publish the results of their research.
h. The appointee may be involved with the pre-thesis and thesis work of students and mentoring of Postdoctoral Scholars working in the Research Unit of their Faculty supervisor.
4.2.4.1 Notice of contract termination
Faculty supervisors and their Staff Scientists should discuss contract renewal or termination 6 months prior to the contract end date. Usually contract renewal or termination must be finalized 3 months prior to the contract end date.
4.2.4.2 Total period of fixed-term appointment
When there was an appointment change from Postdoctoral Scholar to Staff Scientist, under no circumstances should the total period of fixed-term employment exceed 10 years unless they have passed a Continuing Appointment Review. Ten years are counted from the first fixed term (non-continuing) contract start date on or after April 1, 2013, or a contract extension executed on or after April 1, 2013.
4.2.4.3 Appointment change to a Senior Staff Scientist
In exceptional cases, Staff Scientists with fixed-term and continuing contracts may be recommended for a Senior Staff Scientist position. This appointment change is expected to be rare, and the majority of Staff Scientists are expected to leave OIST for positions elsewhere.
4.2.4.4 Contract change from fixed term to continuing appointment (non-fixed term)
Continuing appointments have non-fixed term contracts ending at retirement age apart from the termination clause in the contract. As a rule, research staff should not be awarded a fixed-term contract that brings them past the 10-year employment mark or a non-fixed term contract unless they have passed a Continuing Appointment Review.
A Postdoctoral Scholar is an individual who belongs to a Research Unit, recently graduated with a doctoral degree, and is engaged in a temporary period of mentored research and scholarly training for the purpose of acquiring the professional skills needed to pursue an independent research career of their own choosing.
The fundamental definition of a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University is as follows:
a. Typically, the appointee has been awarded a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate (e.g., D.Sc., M.D.) in an appropriate field within the past 5 years.
b. Appointment to a postdoctoral position at OIST is not permitted for OIST Ph.D. students within 2 years of the last day of their studentship at OIST. (PRP 5.5.2.6)
c. The appointment is fixed term and requires approval of the Dean of Faculty Affairs. Initial appointment shall not exceed 3 years. However, a 4th or 5th year renewal is to be initiated by the faculty member and the Postdoctoral Scholar and must be approved by the Dean of Faculty Affairs. Total appointment period cannot exceed 5 years; however, with the approval of the Dean of Faculty Affairs, an extension of up to one year may be granted as an exception if any of the following reasons apply.
i. Termination of the appointment may affect the results of OIST research.
ii. The appointee has domestic reasons such as child delivery, illness of the appointee, or his/her family members.
iii. The appointee has other reasons which the Dean of Faculty Affairs deems necessary.
d. The appointment involves full-time research and scholarship.
e. The appointee works under the supervision of a faculty member.
f. The appointee is expected to publish the results of their research.
g. The appointee may be involved with the pre-thesis and thesis work of students working in the Research Unit of their Faculty supervisor.
h. The appointment is viewed as preparatory for an independent, full-time career.
4.2.5.1 Postdoc development
Postdoctoral Scholars are responsible for their professional and career development and therefore are allowed 12 hours per year to pursue activities that prepare them for a career of their own choosing. In addition, the creation of an Individual Development Plan (IDP) is highly recommended to establish clear career goals and to monitor training progress. The IDP form is to be reviewed by the faculty supervisor and/or postdoctoral mentor(s) at least annually and cannot be used to evaluate postdoctoral performance.
4.2.5.2 Notice of contract termination
Faculty supervisors and their Postdoctoral Scholars should discuss contract renewal or termination 6 months prior to the contract end date. Usually contract renewal or termination must be finalized 3 months prior to the contract end date.
4.2.5.3 Appointment change to a Staff Scientist
Exceptional Postdoctoral Scholars may be appointed to a Staff Scientist position if they have been employed by OIST for at least 1 year as a Postdoctoral Scholar and normally have at least 5 years of experience since graduating with a Ph.D.
4.2.5.4 Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars Fellowship
An Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholar is engaged in a period of mentored interdisciplinary research and scholarly training to acquire the professional skills needed to pursue an independent research career of their choosing. These individuals are selected by a committee to receive this distinction and are expected to be especially successful in research and have very high academic potential. This category of postdoc has been created to enable OIST to attract the very highest quality of young interdisciplinary researchers. Interdisciplinary postdocs will receive, in addition to their title, a special allowance and a discretionary research budget. The use of this budget must comply with OIST regulations that dictate allowable expenses. Interdisciplinary postdocs can select two units to research in. These positions are part of the OIST postdoc PEREX pool. The fundamental definition of an Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholar at OIST is as follows:
a. The Fellow has been awarded a Ph.D. in an appropriate field within the past 5 years.
b. The Fellowship is a fixed-term contract. The initial contract is 2 years and it may be extended for an additional year upon approval by the DFA.
c. The Fellowship involves full-time research and scholarship at units of the Fellow’s choosing.
d. The Fellow works under the supervision of faculty members.
e. The Fellow is expected to publish (or at least submit for publication) the results of their research during the Fellowship period.
Details of the selection committee, process, program administration and other fellowship particulars can be found in the associated Handbook. (Link).
4.2.6 Research Unit Technicians
A Research Unit Technician is an individual who belongs to a Research Unit and provides technical assistance for the research programs of the Research Unit, under direct instructions from the Unit head or from appropriate researchers of the Unit as designated by the Unit head.
The fundamental definition of a Research Unit Technician at the University is as follows:
a. Definitions for Research Unit Technicians are described in “Guidelines for Title and Job Class” [To be developed].
b. Appointment to a Research Unit Technician position at OIST is not permitted for OIST Ph.D. students within 2 years of the last day of their studentship at OIST. (PRP 5.5.2.6)
c. The appointment is fixed term and requires approval of the Dean of Faculty Affairs. Initial appointment shall not exceed 3 years.
d. These positions are for individuals with the technical or engineering expertise required to conduct research programs in the Research Unit.
e. The appointee works under the supervision of a faculty member.
4.2.6.1 Notice of contract termination
Faculty supervisors and their Research Unit Technicians should discuss contract renewal or termination 6 months prior to the contract end date. Usually contract renewal or termination must be finalized 3 months prior to the contract end date.
4.2.6.2 Total period of fixed-term appointment
Under no circumstances should the total period of fixed-term employment exceed 10 years unless they have passed a Continuing Appointment Review. Ten years are counted from the first fixed term (non-continuing) contract start date on or after April 1, 2013, or a contract extension executed on or after April 1, 2013.
4.2.6.3 Contract change from fixed term to continuing appointment (non-fixed term)
Continuing appointments have non-fixed term contracts ending at retirement age apart from the termination clause in the contract.
4.2.6.4 Annual performance evaluations
Annual performance evaluations of the Research Unit Technicians will be done by their supervising Faculty.
The Dean’s Research Group carries out research under the guidance of the Dean of Faculty Affairs, and is used in exceptional circumstances when, for example, there are research staff whose supervisor is no longer capable of supervising them (e.g. is on extended leave) and where there is no alternative unit or support service which can accommodate them.
Appointment is by the Dean of Faculty Affairs upon recommendation of the RSAC.