Terms of Appointments

       The University Statutes specify that officers of research are appointed for a term of no more than 12 months at a time, except for senior research scientists and scholars and the Lamont research professors and Lamont associate research professors, who may be appointed for up to five years (terms which are also renewable), as long as the department, school, institute, or center guarantees their salary for the entire term. Five-year appointments cannot be modified; however, appointment paperwork must be submitted each year to allow the processing of annual salary increases.

       Officers of research appointed in other ranks may be given commitments of reappointment for terms of multiple years (consistent with their titles and ranks). Such a commitment carries with it a promise to provide the officer’s full salary for the entire period. Once made, no revision of the period of such an appointment is permitted, and the officer of research cannot be placed on a leave for lapse of funding during the period of the appointment without the prior approval of the Provost. Officers of research with multi-year commitments are still appointed one year at a time during their extended periods of commitment.

       Officers of research in general should be appointed for terms of one year. Shorter-term appointments are strongly discouraged, unless the grant or contract from which they are being paid is ending.

       Visiting appointments may be made for full- or part-time service for periods of up to one year and are renewable with the prior permission of the Provost or their representative for a second year, for a total of two consecutive years (or four semesters). Extensions beyond two years require the prior permission of the Provost and are approved under very rare circumstances.

       Postdoctoral officers of research, except for postdoctoral residency fellows, may remain at the University in this capacity for a limited duration. Postdoctoral officers of research may be reappointed for a maximum of five years, including all periods as either a full-time or part-time postdoctoral officer of research at the University or elsewhere. A previous appointment as a staff associate at the University also counts toward the five years. The maximum length of appointment as a postdoctoral residency fellow is determined by the residency program in which the officer is training.

       Part-time officers of research must not work more than 18 hours per week during the term of their appointments. Officers of research with greater responsibilities must be appointed as full-time officers of research following normal search procedures that comply with the University’s Affirmative Action Plan.

Updated October 28, 2022