Research Professorial Faculty
Research professorial faculty primarily focus on advancing knowledge through the design, execution, and dissemination of original research. They are responsible for securing external funding, leading or contributing to sponsored research projects, and publishing scholarly work in their field. These roles frequently involve collaboration with interdisciplinary teams, mentoring research staff or students, and contributing specialized expertise to institutional research initiatives.
Inquiries may be made with the Research and Innovation Human Resources team at ovpr-hr@vt.edu.
Below you will find more information regarding each rank.
General
Qualifications
Doctorate or terminal degree appropriate to the field. Credentials consistent for appointment to rank of assistant professor.
Approval requirements
Standard departmental procedures, usually recommendation from departmental committee, and approval by the Office of the Research and Innovation.
General expectations
The "research professor" series is designed for research faculty members who will have extended appointments at Virginia Tech and who are expected to interact with graduate students — serving on committees or supervising their research, for example. It is not appropriate for those with shorter-term or limited appointments since this would disadvantage the students they might work with. Faculty in this series may teach one course per year or two courses in a two-year period. They may teach more if funding is appropriately charged to the instructional budget. This series is parallel to research scientist and senior research scientist, not necessarily above it.
Typical Job Responsibilities
- Eligible or expected to be principal investigator?
May serve as principal investigator.
Supervisory: assigning tasks, monitoring activity, performing evaluations, recommending personnel actions, personnel management
May serve as principal investigator.
- Design and initiation of research: conceiving the research project, interacting with stakeholders/committees, developing funding source(s), communicating results to stakeholders, defining unit goals, allocating resources
Contributes significantly to project design, execution, and interpretation.
- Project management: setting priorities, acquiring resources, monitoring budgets, measuring progress, preparing reports, problem-solving
Contributes significantly to project management.
- Supervisory: assigning tasks, monitoring activity, performing evaluations, recommending personnel actions, personnel management
May have full or partial supervisory responsibility for project personnel.
- Conducting research: collecting data, applying standard methods, writing reports, communicating results, developing new methods
Carries out independent research in field of specialization under general supervision.
General
Qualifications
Doctorate or terminal degree appropriate to the field. Credentials consistent for appointment to rank of associate professor.
Approval requirements
Standard departmental procedures, usually recommendation from departmental committee, and approval by Office of Research and Innovation.
General expectations
The "research professor" series is designed for research faculty members who will have extended appointments at Virginia Tech and who are expected to interact with graduate students — serving on committees or supervising their research, for example. It is not appropriate for those with shorter-term or limited appointments since this would disadvantage the students they might work with. Faculty in this series may teach one course per year or two courses in a two-year period. They may teach more if funding is appropriately charged to the instructional budget. This series is parallel to research scientist and senior research scientist, not necessarily above it.
Salary guidelines
Salaries should be comparable to those with similar credentials and responsibilities as assistant, associate, and instructional professors of the same or comparable discipline. Exceptions may be requested and approved by the Office of Research and Innovation.
Typical Job Responsibilities
- Eligible or expected to be principal investigator?
Expected to serve as principal investigator.
- Design and initiation of research: conceiving the research project, interacting with stakeholders/committees, developing funding source(s), communicating results to stakeholders, defining unit goals, allocating resources
Typically responsible for design, execution, and interpretation of research projects, which he or she may head.
- Project management: setting priorities, acquiring resources, monitoring budgets, measuring progress, preparing reports, problem-solving
Typically significant or complete responsibility for project(s).
- Supervisory: assigning tasks, monitoring activity, performing evaluations, recommending personnel actions, personnel management
Typically significant responsibility for supervision of project personnel at all levels.
- Conducting research: collecting data, applying standard methods, writing reports, communicating results, developing new methods
Carries out independent research in field of specialization.
General
Qualifications
Doctorate or terminal degree appropriate to the field. Credentials consistent for appointment to rank of professor.
Approval requirements
Standard departmental procedures, usually recommendation from departmental committee, and approval by the Office of Research and Innovation.
General expectations
The "research professor" series is designed for research faculty members who will have extended appointments at Virginia Tech and who are expected to interact with graduate students -- serving on committees or supervising their research, for example. It is not appropriate for those with shorter-term or limited appointments since this would disadvantage the students they might work with. Faculty in this series may teach one course per year or two courses in a two-year period. They may teach more if funding is appropriately charged to the instructional budget. This series is parallel to research scientist and senior research scientist, not necessarily above it.
Typical Job Responsibilities
- Eligible or expected to be principal investigator?
Expected to serve as principal investigator.
- Design and initiation of research: conceiving the research project, interacting with stakeholders/committees, developing funding source(s), communicating results to stakeholders, defining unit goals, allocating resources
Typically responsible for design, execution, and interpretation of research projects, which he or she may head.
- Project management: setting priorities, acquiring resources, monitoring budgets, measuring progress, preparing reports, problem-solving
Typically significant or complete responsibility for project(s).
- Supervisory: assigning tasks, monitoring activity, performing evaluations, recommending personnel actions, personnel management
Typically significant responsibility for supervision of project personnel at all levels.
- Conducting research: collecting data, applying standard methods, writing reports, communicating results, developing new methods
Carries out independent research in field of specialization.