Research Scientist Guide

 

Effective: April 4, 2013

Last Updated: April 20, 2024

 

Rationale 

Research Scientists form the core of ISIS: they are highly trained, motivated professionals who conduct advanced, ground-breaking research in all areas of software-integrated systems. This career track is seen as similar to the faculty track, though with different responsibilities and expectations. 

Expectations

When hired as a Research Scientist, they are expected to grow their own externally funded research program and/or to make significant contributions to the success of sponsored research projects at ISIS. They are expected to contribute to ISIS goals in the following areas: 

  • Research: Substantial effort and contribution to ongoing research activities measured by PI’s evaluation.  
  • Technical Development: Acknowledged or emerging reputation for scholarly excellence and technical expertise as measured by publications, citations, open-source software authorship, recognition by research community, or other measures. 
  • Business Development: Developing and maintaining external research funding sources as measured by number of proposals submitted and awarded, independently and collaboratively as Co-PI or key personnel. 
  • Collaboration: Mentoring engineers and other staff measured by supervisor’s evaluation. 

 

Research Scientists (RS) are expected to gradually develop their own research profile, projects, and sponsor funded activities. The table below summarizes a 6-year plan of expectations. The percentages refer to effort (and thus sources of compensation) for the person. 

 

 

Source Role Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6
Business/Career
Development		 Op
Budget		 20% 20% 20% 15% 15% 15%
Research
Activity		 Project(s) 80% 80% 80% 85% 85% 85%
  Participant 100% <=80% <=70% <=60% <=50% <=40%
  PI, Co-PI, Key Personnel   >=20% >=30% >=40% >=50% >=60%

 

 

In the first year, 20% of the Research Scientist’s effort should be spent on business and career development, and this effort is paid from operating budget funds. This effort stays at this level for the first three years then decreases to 15%, and continues to be paid from operating budget funds. 

In the first year 80% (in later years: 85%) of the Research Scientist’s effort should be spent on sponsored research projects. In other words, 80% of the salary (with benefits and overhead) will have to come from externally funded research projects. 

The project-funded part of the salary is divided up as follows. In the first year, the RS is typically an investigator who contributes to sponsored project(s) that support them, but not necessarily a (‘named’) PI or Co-PI or Key Personnel. In other words, they work for the PI of the project. In the second year, at least 20% of the project-based portion of the funding should come from projects where the RS plays a leading role as a named Key Personnel, or Co-PI, or PI. In the third year and onward, this percentage should increase yearly by about 10%, such that by the 6th year more than 50% of the total salary comes from externally funded project(s) where the RS plays a leadership role. 

To summarize, the RS starts as contributor to project(s), and grows towards a model where they lead their own projects. This means that the RS will develop their own research program (using the business development funding), and by the 6th year they will have their own externally funded research team composed of graduate students, staff engineers, and research scientists. 

Mentoring

Research Scientists will be assigned a 3-person mentoring committee upon joining ISIS that regularly meets (at least twice a year) and advises the Research Scientist. The goal of the committee is to evaluate and help the RS develop in their career. If RS reaches established goals, the mentoring committee initiates the promotion process. If the performance of the RS is not acceptable, the committee may initiate the performance review process (as described in the VU HR guidelines).

The Research Scientist will receive their yearly evaluation from the mentoring committee (regarding business development work and publication record), and from the PIs on whose projects they worked as an Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator. The RS will submit an annual review called the Professional Activity Report (see Appendix 1), similar to that required of faculty. 

Promotion: If the above schedule is met, or if the RS achieves >50% funding as a Key Personnel, Co-PI or PI, or demonstrates leadership abilities through managing teams of scientists, engineers and students, the RS becomes eligible for promotion to Senior Research Scientist. 

The promotion to Senior Research Scientist will be based on a recommendation dossier prepared by the mentoring committee, and reviewed by the Executive Committee for fulfillment of expectations articulated above. The dossier should at a minimum contain a CV and a research statement written by the candidate, and a recommendation letter from the supervisor. 

The Senior Research Scientist will be expected to continue to increase the level of effort funded by sponsored projects in subsequent years. They will play a leadership role, lead a team of research scientists and engineers, and bring in large (>$1 M) research projects. 

The Principal Research Scientist will be similarly expected to lead their own projects, play an advisory role in multiple projects, play the role of expert and consultant on multiple projects, and lead large teams.  

 

Appendix 1

 

Research Scientist Professional Activity Report

Timeframe for Reporting: April 1 to March 31

This outline is to be the foundation for Research Scientists preparing their Professional Activity Reports.

  1. Project contributions
    1. List of project participation (project data, role, loading, technical contributions, management responsibility, mentoring, sponsor interactions, reports)
    2. Outcomes (designs, implemented artifacts, recognitions)
    3. Initiatives (new research directions)
  2. Business development contributions
    1. Proposal development (writing the different parts of the proposal, developing a budget)
    2. Other interactions (presentations, demonstrations, marketing material)
    3. Opportunity development (incubating ideas, identifying collaborators, assembling a team) 
  3. Scholarly contributions
    1. Open Source Software Publications
    2. Research/Technical/Journal/Peer-reviewed Publications (appeared, accepted, in-review)
    3. Other activities (tutorials, blogs)
    4. Presentations at meetings
  4. Service
    1. ISIS 
    2. University
    3. Professional organizations
  5. Teaching
    1. Internal tutorials and seminars
    2. Guest lectures or industrial tutorials and presentations
    3. Classes taught and supported
  6. Career Advancement Plans