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Overview

See Procedures for Research Titles 090222.pdf.

All Research titles fall under the authority of the Office of the Vice President (VP) for Research. Research titles are paid positions (as opposed to unpaid Research Affiliates). Review document "Research Titles Guidelines" at OVPR Human Resources Information > University Policies > Research Titles for descriptions of different titles, information, and procedures for processing Research assignments.

Paid research titles include both regular (ongoing) and temporary statuses. Review research title descriptions and the proposed affiliate's current CV carefully to determine the most appropriate title. Pay careful attention to their highest-completed degree and date of completion.

Be aware that some research titles are eligible for automatic Principal Investigator (PI) status, and others are subject to approval from the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP). Review OSP’s PI Eligibility Administrative Procedures for details and instructions.

Performance evaluations are required for all paid research titles. 

If you are unsure of the appropriate title to use or if you have additional research questions or need information, reach out to your research administration specialist.

Additional resources:

• HOP 7-1020: Research Titles

• Texas Research: Serving as a Principal Investigator

Full-time status requirement

All paid research positions are expected to be full-time (40 hours per week). Exceptions are sometimes allowed in unique situations. When sufficient justification is presented and approval is granted for a position to be less than full time and/or a year in duration, the proposed assignment must pay a gross rate of at least $455 per week to the employee. The minimum rate requirement applies to all exempt positions in accordance with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). All paid positions described in these procedures are considered exempt under the FLSA.

Exceptions to the above policy which results in a gross rate of less than $455 per week will be reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis and will result with the employee being assigned to a non-exempt research title. These non-exempt employees will not be allowed to work hours in excess of their assigned appointment and the expectations must be set so that the employee is able to accomplish the required research within the assigned hours. Offer letters and amendments must be specific with clear expectations and signed by both the supervisor and the researcher.

Two job titles have been defined for these exception cases. Researcher (0710) for the regular paid research titles and Researcher Fellow (0711) for the temporary paid research titles. PI status will stay with the incumbent when moving in and out of these non-exempt titles. New hires into to these non-exempt titles will need to follow the procedures for requesting PI status.

Requests for an exception to the full-time rule, or duration of less than one year, should be made through Faculty Affairs & Academic Personnel Services ServiceNow request portal and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Examples of requests that will be considered are: Partial Leave of Absence (Family Medical Leave, FML), Parental Leave, Proof of External Support or Fellowship administered through the University.

A recent graduate student who needs to finish a research project or who is transitioning into another position outside of UT may be assigned a Research Fellow (0706) or Postdoctoral Fellow (0712) without prior approval from EVPP, but the reason should be clearly stated in Workday BP comments. This transition period may not exceed six months.

Research faculty vs. research staff

For research faculty, there is an expectation of evidence of engagement with the academic enterprise through teaching, mentorship, or supervision of students at some level.

For information on research staff, see COE: Hiring Research Faculty.

Permanent research job profiles (expected to continue)

• Supervisory Organization: PM preferred

• Duration of assignment: One year minimum

• Recruiting: Required, unless granted a prior exception by Academic Personnel Services (APS); Process a Workday Job Requisition

• Recruiting exceptions:

  • May be requested in advance from APS

  • Email justification for request and qualifications of intended hire to evpp-aps@utexas.edu

  • If approved, process Create Position in the appropriate PM supervisory organization, and note approval in comments: "Recruiting exception approved by APS on MM/DD/YYYY."

Job profile descriptions

Temporary research job profiles (fixed term)

• Supervisory Organization: JM

• Duration of assignment: 

  • Research Fellow/Senior Research Fellow: One year minimum, renewable for up to three years

  • Postdoctoral Fellow: Assignments are for period of one year but may be renewed on an annual basis up to a maximum of five years.

• Recruiting: 

  • Optional. Workday Job Requisition required if recruiting.

  • If not recruiting, Create Position in appropriate JM supervisory organization.

Job profile descriptions

Workday processing - research staff

Create Job Requisition/Create Position

See Job Recruitment and Requisition Requirements for Research Staff.pdf

•  "Required Qualifications": 

  • Postdocs, add “PhD must have been received with the past three years.”

  • (Senior) Research Fellows, add "PhD must have been received more than three years ago."

  • Remove “Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.” PhD is required for postdoc and (Senior) Research Fellow titles.

Hire

1. Upload the most current CV and offer letter to the Workday Hire business process.

2. In the comments, add the following:

Notes on required comments:

• RF = Research Fellow; SRF = Senior Research Fellow; PDF = Postdoctoral Fellow

• "Initial assignment" refers to the date the scholar was first appointed in this title. If this is the first assignment, just comment "Initial (S)RF/PDF assignment." If this is a renewal, use the beginning date of the initial assignment.

• If scholar is ABD but PhD has not been awarded by the time of Workday processing, but will have been by time of assignment start, add notes: (Name) has completed all the requirements for his/her PhD through the (University Name) program. His/her official graduation date is MM/DD/YYYY.

Please send suggested additions to this page and notifications about broken links to COE-HR@austin.utexas.edu.