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Research Faculty Appointments

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Kristi Anseth, Chemical Engineering professor, foreground, works with graduate students Julie Benton, left, and April Kloxin, in the microscope lab studing tissue cells. Anseth was named one of the "Brilliant 10" by Popular Science magazine in 2009.

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Executive Advisory Council (reviews research faculty appointments)

Postdoctoral Association of Colorado (PAC)

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research is responsible for the oversight, review and approval of all "research faculty hiring" on the Boulder Campus. We hope that the following information will facilitate ease in working with already-established, as well as upcoming, campus policies and procedures.

Chancellor's Personnel Report Due Dates
The "Chancellor’s Personnel Report Due Dates" document provides the designated due dates which are to be followed when preparing to hire Research Faculty (1300 jobcode series) and "grant-funded Professional Exempt" positions. NOTE: Information contained at 10/8/04 Research Faculty Presentation Information explains what evolved into fulfilling the requirement of "proactive hiring."

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please use the Departmental Appointment Checklist as a "departmental hiring tool" to ensure the hiring dossiers for "Research Faculty", "Grant-Funded Professional Exempts" and "Post-Doctoral Fellowship Recipients" are complete.

JOBSATCU (University of Colorado’s online employment posting and application system)
January 2009: All research faculty recruitment and hiring must include the use of the University’s new online employment posting and application system, "jobsatcu" ("J@CU"). Please note that the following are the three primary recruiting and hiring scenarios in which hiring units will incorporate the use of "J@CU":

  1. "Open-Competitive Search": posting ad at alternative site(s), referencing the "J@CU" posting number in the ad, requiring applicants to submit the required application documents to "J@CU", etc.;
  2. "Regular Search": posting ad at alternative site(s), referencing the "J@CU"" posting number in the ad, requiring all applicants to complete (a) the Applicant Information and (b) the EEO forms in "J@CU" as part of the application process; and instruct applicants to provide application materials via an "offline process."
  3. "Targeted/Waived Search": this type of search is used when a candidate is already identified, without using the "search" process; the hiring unit is required to create a job posting in "J@CU" which will be identified as "Waiver", and once the "J@CU" posting is approved, a "quicklink application number" will be provided to the hiring unit, which will in turn provide it to the candidate who is then required to access the quicklink application number and complete (a) the Applicant Information and (b) the EEO forms in "J@CU" as part of the application process.

Research Faculty Business Processes Step-by-Step Guide
Please use the step-by-step guide for Boulder Campus Research Faculty Hiring Processes

Research Faculty Series Appointments
Boulder Campus "Research Faculty" (PRAs, Sr. PRAs, Research Associates, and Sr. Research Associates) are individuals who are hired by Tenure-Track Faculty who are also PI’s (Principal Investigators) on research grants. The following documents are to be used in the hiring processes:

"Research Associate" vs. "Post-Doctoral Fellowship title:

Research Associate definition: individual who (1) has completed a Ph.D. and (2) is typically paid from research funds designated to support the research objectives of specific research programs. These employees report to and are evaluated by a "PI" (Principal Investigator) who is responsible for the grants.

Post-Doctoral Fellowship ("Post-Doc") definition: an individual who has applied for and received his/her own fellowship funding. These individuals typically do NOT report to a "PI" (Principal Investigator), but rather report directly to the funding agency.

Benefits Matrix Table: this document displays the differences in the level of benefits for "Research Associates" vs. "Post-Doctoral Fellows"

Post-Doctoral Fellowship Recipient ("Post-Doc Fellows") Appointments
(NOTE: Post-Doctoral Fellowship Recipients MUST have their own fellowship funding from the respective funding agency.)

The "Post-Doctoral Fellow" (HRMS jobcode 1438) title replaced the "Post-Doctoral Trainee" (HRMS jobcode 3201) in January 2008 due to the university's concerns regarding individuals being hired concurrently as "non-employees" and "employees."

The university established a centralized accounting process, which is overseen by the Budget Officer in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, to cover the additional benefits expenses for this group (~35) of employees who apply for and receive their own "fellowship funding".

NOTE: Due to the nature of the Post-Doctoral Fellowship appointment, the requirement to use "Jobsatcu" is non-applicable/waived, as most Post-Doc Fellows (1) choose to come to the University in order to complete their proposed fellowship project, or (2) are already employed (typically as a Research Associate) by a faculty member/PI on the Boulder Campus.

The following documentation must be submitted to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research on or before the 19th of each month PRIOR to when the funding of the Post-Doctoral Fellowship appointment is to commence:

Research-Professor Series Appointments
The Research-Professor Series (Assistant Research-Professors, Associate Research- Professors and Full Research-Professors) hiring and promotion processes are similar to the tenure-track processes: a nomination is made, the nominating unit submits the hiring dossier and documentation to the EAC (Executive Advisory Council) in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, which is responsible for the final review and approval. Individuals hired in the Research-Professor Series must have grant funding to support salary, benefits, etc., and are expected to have comparable responsibilities (research, service, etc.) in their formulated workload. The following documents address the policies and procedures, as well as the checklists which are to be used in the hiring, reappointment, and promotion processes:

The following templates are electronically sent to the hiring unit after the EAC has reviewed the dossier of the candidate:

Exempt Professionals Positions funded by Grants
All OEP (Officer/Exempt Professionals) hiring processes are governed by Human Resources (http://www.colorado.edu/humres/exempt/OEPFormsResources.html?a=5).

The following documents continue to REQUIRE review and approval by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research:

NOTE: Submit draft via electronic mail to Jensensa@colorado.edu for preliminary review and approval

Recent Policy and Processing Changes:
The "Research Faculty Benefits/Leave Policies Form" is in the process of being updated, which will include the following:

  • Discrimination and Harassment Training (formerly Sexual Harassment Training)(updated 10/23/08) Research faculty must complete Discrimination and Harassment Training within the first thirty days of employment, and renew certification every FIVE years!
  • Family/Medical Leave for Research Faculty (February 2009)
    Research Faculty may take up to 480 hours of FMLA leave during a 12 month period if the employee has been employed by the University for at least 12 months and has worked at least 1,250 hours during the most recent 12 month period. The required forms may downloaded by clicking the links below.

    *In compliance with the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), please attach the following information to all applicable certifications, to be provided to health care providers, as follows:

    PERA members: please complete the Certification of Leave of Absence form if you are going to be on leave without pay for more than 30 days.

  • Research Faculty Leave Reporting Policy (05/01/06)
    1. Regent policy requires all employees accruing vacation and sick leave to submit monthly leave usage reports to their supervisor and to the departmental Payroll/Personnel Liaison;
    2. Graduate School policy also requires that there must be a written record of leave approval;
    3. In the event that an employee disregards these policies, a letter of expectations (ResearchFacultyLeaveUsageExpectationLetter0406) regarding leave policies will be issued to the employee.
  • Research Faculty LWOP Benefits Policy (09/01/04)
    The purpose of this policy is to provide for the benefits administration of research faculty on leave of absence without pay (LWOP). This policy is not intended to adversely affect employees who are on the following approved leaves whether paid or unpaid: Family Medical Leave, Disability Leave, Military Leave, or Parental Leave.
    • Background: According to University policy and practice, individuals placed on LWOP at a 50% or greater appointment may opt to continue with health benefits. If the employee elects to continue coverage, the university must continue to pay its share of the benefits. Even if the individual chooses to opt out of health benefits coverage, the university continues to pay the premium for long term disability and mandatory life insurance. This policy is thus intended to clarify the use of LWOP while ensuring the continuation of benefits for faculty waiting for the renewal and/or extension of research funding.
    • Policy: A research faculty member may be placed on LWOP at 50% or greater appointment for no longer than three consecutive months. An extension for no more than three consecutive months, at 0% appointment, may be granted upon written request to the head of the research unit and approved by the Vice Chancellor for Research.
    • Issued by: Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research in accordance with the Office of the Provost, Boulder Campus
  • Fringe Benefits/Termination Pay Information (07/01/04)
    The University of Colorado at Boulder negotiated with the DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services) a revision to the fringe benefit rates to include termination vacation and sick leave pay for certain exempt professionals, research faculty, clinical faculty and classified staff who are paid from grant funds. The policy can be found under Termination Pay Program at Accounting and Business Support Web Site Search Index. This policy went into effect July 1, 2004. Vacation leave payouts for individuals who leave the university will now be charged against this "centralized fringe benefits pool"; and vacation leave accruals and 1/4th of accrued sick leave accruals will be paid from this fringe benefits pool, as well, when they retire from the University. You must use the following codes when entering the hours into PeopleSoft, in order for the termination leave accrual payouts to be charged against this new fringe benefits pool:
    • VCT - vacation at separation
    • SKS - sick leave at retirement payoff

    NOTE: this fringe benefits pool will NOT be used when reporting monthly usage of sick leave and vacation leave usage. The new fringe benefits pool is to be used ONLY at the time of termination (accrued vacation leave payout) and/or retirement (accrued vacation and sick leave payout).

BOULDER CAMPUS RESEARCH FACULTY SALARY INCREASE TO BECOME EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2012:
The summary page of the merit evaluation form, signed by the employee (1300 jobcode series) and supervisor is due to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research on or before July 23, 2012.

“Self-evaluation” form: Most units have developed an “internal evaluation document” which includes (1) yearly accomplishments, (2) goals for the next review cycle, (3) optional comments sections for both the employee and the supervisor, and (4) signature lines for both the employee and supervisor.
The following forms will be disseminated to Deans, Directors, Chairs, Department Heads, and Key PPL's in May 2012:

  • Instruction Cover Memo
  • Spreadsheet Instructions
  • Justification Sample
  • Sample Self-Evaluation Form
  • Departmental Roster

July 2012-June 2013 cycle: The merit evaluation process for research faculty who are paid from “continuing general fund sources” is in progress. These merit evaluation processes and deadlines are overseen by the respective Schools and/or Colleges.

IMPORTANT REMINDER:  All employees are required to complete the mandatory Discrimination and Harassment (formerly Sexual Harassment) Training within 30 days of employment AND complete the "online refresher course" every FIVE years!

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