NON-FACULTY ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
Non-Faculty Academic Appointments with Compensation
Teaching or Research Fellow
Teaching or Research Associate
Senior Research Associate
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Additional Information
Non-Faculty Academic Appointments without Compensation
NON-FACULTY ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS WITH COMPENSATION
Affiliation. Only full-time resident students in good standing in doctoral programs at Harvard University are eligible for positions as teaching or research fellows in the GSD. Only full-time resident students in doctoral programs at Harvard who have completed their doctoral examinations and "passed to candidacy," and who have previously completed the equivalent of two full years as teaching or research fellows, may be appointed as senior teaching or research fellows. Doctoral students who have "passed to candidacy" are also eligible to serve as instructors in the GSD, in which case the appointment procedures for faculty apply.
Duties. Teaching fellows may assist faculty in preparing course materials and in offering instruction, but may not be responsible for the structure and content of a course. They may conduct teaching sections, tutorials, and design critiques. They may also read papers, review designs, recommend grades and assist in supervising independent study projects. Teaching fellows may not offer more than one lecture or seminar in any course in the absence of the faculty instructor of record and may not assign course grades. Research fellows may assist faculty in the conduct of research, but may not be responsible for the structure or content of investigations. They may conduct experiments, record data, perform quantitative analyses, document evidence, conduct literature searches, prepare drawings, etc. Research fellows may not serve as principal investigators. They may, on occasion, participate with faculty in the conduct of instruction as described above. Teaching and research fellows may not assist faculty in any professional or personal work not directly related to instruction or research in the GSD.
Term. Appointments may be made for one module (half-term), one term, or up to a maximum of one year. A student may not normally hold successive or intermittent appointments as a teaching or research fellow for more than a total of four years, nor may he/she serve as a senior teaching or research fellow for more than four years, exclusive of previous appointments with other titles.
Work Load. The maximum appointment for a fellow in the GSD is normally one "two-fifths" appointment per term, except during the summer when the student is not registered for course work.
Compensation. Salary rates are fixed each academic year and are not negotiable. Earnings may be included as a resource in a student's financial aid package.
Teaching or Research Associate
Affiliation. Individuals who are not students at Harvard and who have teaching and/or professional experience roughly comparable to that of an assistant professor or beginning associate professor are eligible for positions as teaching or research associates in the GSD. Persons holding such positions may concurrently engage in employment outside the university or hold other appointments within the university provided that the sum of all their employment does not exceed a normal work week.
Duties. Teaching and research associates perform the same duties as teaching and research fellows (described above).
Term. Appointments may be made for one module (half-term), one
term, or up to a maximum of one year, and may be renewed up to a maximum
of two years. Appointments beyond two years require approval of the
Senior Faculty Council and the dean.
Work Load. Teaching or research associates are part-time or full-time staff employees.
Affiliation. Individuals who are not students at Harvard and who have the research qualifications and experience roughly comparable to senior associate professors or full professors are eligible for positions as senior research associates. Persons holding such positions are normally full-time employees of the GSD but may share appointments in other units at Harvard provided that the sum of all their employment does not exceed a normal work week.
Duties. The responsibilities of senior research associates are individually defined. They may include the conduct of research that does not require close faculty supervision. Senior research associates do not normally have principal investigation rights, but this may be waived by the dean for specific projects if there are compelling reasons why there are no faculty supervisors who can serve in this capacity.
Term. Appointments may be for the period for which research funding is assured, i.e., for as short a period as one week, or for as long as one full academic year. On occasion, longer appointments as senior research associate may be made to one of the research units of the GSD when funding is assured for the entire period of the appointment. Under these circumstances, the appointment will follow the procedures for appointments of associate professors under the search, review and approval procedures for such appointments and with the same limitations on term as for such appointments.
Work Load. Senior research associates are normally full-time staff employees.
Affiliation. Individuals who have received the doctoral degree, but who wish to continue their scholarly work under the general supervision of one or more faculty members at the GSD, may be appointed post-doctoral fellows.
Duties. Post-doctoral fellows may carry out research and teaching responsibilities similar to those of teaching or research fellows or senior teaching or research fellows. This title is not an appointment to the faculty and does not permit the offering of unsupervised instruction. A post-doctoral fellow may not be designated principal investigator or project director for research efforts, but he or she may carry out research under the direction of a junior or senior faculty member at the GSD.
Term. The appointment may be made annually, not to exceed 12 months, and is limited to three years. Part-time appointments or non-consecutive appointments for a fraction of a year will count as a one-year appointment in determining eligibility for reappointment.
It is expected that a post-doctoral fellow would have external funding. Most international fellows applying from abroad are funded by a foundation, government grant, or company. All international fellows should be certain they can provide evidence of sufficient funding. Visa authorization is contingent upon the certification of funds to cover tuition and living expenses.
Appointment Process. A post-doctoral fellow must be secure an individual member of the faculty as his/her advisor and be approved by the chair of the department. Candidates may be suggested to the department chair, who shall consult with faculty most likely to be associated with the fellow. If the criteria for appointment are met, the chair will submit to the dean a request for appointment, together with the candidate's curriculum vita, a description of the research that will be conducted while in residence, and a copy of the accepted administrative terms. Requests for Post-Doctoral Fellow appointments must be submitted by May 1 for Fall appointments and by October 1 for Spring appointments.
Additional Information about Non-Faculty
Appointments with Compensation
Compensation. Non-faculty academic appointees are officers of the university and are eligible for staff privileges in Harvard libraries and for membership in the Faculty Club. The precise salary will depend on the individual's qualifications and experience as well as the requirements of the particular position.
Appointment Process. A formal search is not required for a teaching or research fellow, for a senior teaching or research fellow, or for a post-doctoral fellow, but faculty members must consider qualified minority and/or women students for such appointments. For staff appointments, an available position must be advertised in accordance with the university guidelines, and a search and review must be conducted under the direction of a voting member of the Faculty of Design.
The request for a non-faculty academic appointment may be made by any member of the Faculty of Design who is the instructor of record for a GSD course, seminar or studio, or who is a principal investigator on a GSD research project or who is a Director of a Research Center. The request shall be made on the appropriate form and submitted to the department administrator or the executive dean for review and approvals.
NON-FACULTY ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS WITHOUT
COMPENSATION
Affiliation. A person with a record of distinguished scholarly achievement may be appointed by the dean as visiting scholar in the GSD for residence of up to one academic year to assist in the conduct of his or her own scholarship. Normally, these persons currently hold professorial or senior research appointments at other universities and are on sabbatical or leave under sponsorship of a major grant, such as a Fulbright or Guggenheim. Appointments are only considered when it is evident that residence in the GSD will be of significant benefit to the research in progress and when the residence of the scholar will benefit scholarship and/or instruction in the Faculty of Design.
Affiliation. A person with some scholarly or professional achievement beyond the normal scholarly or professional degree may be appointed by the dean of the faculty as visiting fellow in the Graduate School of Design for up to one academic year to engage in research or otherwise participate in academic endeavors of the school. Appointments are only considered when it is evident that participation at the GSD will be of significant benefit to research or academic endeavors of the school.
Most international fellows applying from abroad are funded by a foundation, government grant, or company. All international fellows should be certain they can provide evidence of sufficient funding. Visa authorization is contingent upon the certification of funds to cover tuition and living expenses.
The Visiting Fellow status is not to be used for people who are enrolled in a degree program (doctoral or masters) at another institution. Those individuals should pursue special student status through the Admissions Office.
See “Additional Information about Non-Faculty Appointments without
Compensation” below.
Additional Information about Non-Faculty Appointments
without Compensation
Duties. Persons with these appointments pursue their own research or projects while in residence at the GSD. These titles are not appointments to the faculty and do not permit the offering of instruction; only faculty positions may be used for that purpose. These titles are also not appropriate for persons who will perform research with a stipend; such positions require appointment as a research associate or senior research associate. Appointments with these titles are not intended for persons conducting research for doctoral dissertations or for persons who have recently completed their formal education and seek experience as post-doctoral fellows. Persons with these appointments are not entitled to take or audit GSD or other Harvard courses.
Term. Appointments may be up to a maximum of one academic year. Appointments to these titles normally may not be extended.
Compensation. There is normally no Harvard compensation for these positions. Persons holding these positions are university appointees and as such are eligible for borrowing privileges in Harvard libraries and for membership in the Faculty Club.
Appointment Process. Appointees to the visiting scholar and visiting fellow positions must be sponsored by an individual member of the faculty and recommended by the department chair. If the criteria for appointment are met, the department chair will bring the request to the Executive Committee along with the candidate's curriculum vita, a description of the research or other work to be conducted during the term of the appointment, and a copy of any other administrative terms. The Executive Committee will serve as advisor to the dean for these appointments.
If the appointment is approved, a letter will be sent from the Dean confirming the appointment and stating that there will be no monetary stipend and that they will not be given any office space or staff support. It must be clear that the appointee is responsible for all charges in Harvard libraries or the Faculty Club. Written confirmation
of these conditions, in the form of a copy of the letter signed by the
appointee, must be secured before requesting the appointment. For further
information, consult the Executive Dean. Requests for Visiting Scholar and Visiting Fellow appointments must be submitted by May 1 for Fall appointments and by October 1 for Spring appointments.