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Research Faculty Policies

(Adopted by the Faculty: November 19, 2025)
(PPC Approved: November 11, 2025)

This document describes policies affecting research faculty, including job responsibilities, the process and criteria for renewal and promotion, and the procedures for addressing inadequate performance.    

Here, “department” refers to a department or program and “chair” refers to a department chair or program director. CDSP refers to the School of Computing, Data Sciences, and Physics. “Dean” refers to the Dean of CDSP and W&M refers to the University.  

I. Research Faculty Recruitment

Recruitment of Research Faculty (RF) shall be in accordance with all university procedures and the Faculty Handbook. Any move from one faculty position to another (except for promotion or reorganization) requires an open search, unless waived by the Provost, consistent with the Faculty Handbook III.B.4.  

In CDSP, prior to authorization of an RF search, departments will determine, in consultation with the Dean and the Office of Sponsored Programs, the funding sources that will support the salary of the faculty member and the nature of appointment, which may in some cases include teaching and service responsibilities (See Section III below). When a unit is approached by an individual who meets their research needs and standards, and who offers to provide their own salary support through preexisting external grants or contracts, the department should consult with the Dean on the appropriateness of requesting a search waiver for an RF appointment. 

II. Research Faculty Appointment Categories and Titles

RF in CDSP are faculty with full-time, non-tenure eligible appointments in the following categories:   

  • Visiting Research Assistant, Visiting Research Associate, and Visiting Research Professor: Full-time faculty appointed on a temporary basis to meet short-term research needs. Renewal of visiting appointments is rare and generally limited to a few years. Renewal is contingent on the availability of sufficient external funds to cover the cost of the position over the duration of a renewal contract. 
  • Research Assistant Professor, Research Associate Professor, and Research Professor: Full-time faculty whose primary responsibilities are research related, but who may also contribute to teaching and service (See Section III below). The rank of the initial appointment should be commensurate with the candidate's research expertise and accomplishments. Renewal is contingent on the availability of sufficient funds to cover the cost of the position over the duration of a renewal contract.  Funding is generally through external grants, although in rare cases a base-funded position may be created if it meets a critical need.  Promotion within these ranks is possible and may be considered upon renewal. 
  • Postdoctoral Fellows: Full-time, fixed-term appointees who are responsible for performing research.  Renewal is possible with the approval of the postdoctoral fellow's supervisor and is contingent on the availability of sufficient funds (typically external), to cover the cost of the position over the duration of a renewal contract. 

III. Research Faculty Job Responsibilities 

Research Assistant Professors, Research Associate Professors and Research Professors focus on directing and performing research, obtaining research funding (usually including their own salaries), and mentoring research students. Faculty appointed in these categories may in some cases be allowed to teach, with the approval of the Dean and the department chair, with the teaching load not to exceed that of TTE faculty. Service activities are also permissible. In cases where teaching and/or service is part of the contractual responsibilities for these positions, they will be considered in the annual merit evaluation.    

Visiting research faculty have similar responsibilities over the specified term of their appointment but do not participate in service activities.   

Postdoctoral fellows perform research. While postdoctoral fellows may participate in student mentorship through research collaboration, postdocs generally do not teach or participate in service activities.   

Non-research-related activities of RF must conform with the requirements of any funding agencies that support the position. 

IV. Research Faculty Participation in the Academic Community 

As members of the CDSP faculty, RF are encouraged to participate in the life of their home units, to join in school-wide gatherings, and to regularly interact with and collaborate with other W&M faculty and staff.  Except for postdoctoral fellows, RF are also encouraged to attend departmental and CDSP faculty meetings. CDSP research faculty have access to faculty offices and all standard institutional resources. They also have access to faculty grievance processes, the procedural protections the Faculty Handbook and Statement of Rights and Responsibilities accord faculty who are charged with misconduct, neglect of duty or incompetence, and university ombuds services. W&M’s Human Resources Office partners on all employment matters with CDSP and the Provost’s Office. Within the parameters set by the Dean’s Office, each department shall determine the best internal structure to manage research faculty matters. In CDSP, each department shall clearly outline in their bylaws or written personnel policies the specific ways that research faculty participate in their mission.   

While some RF faculty participate in service activities, this participation must not extend to decisions regarding the retention, promotion, or tenure of tenured or tenure-eligible (TTE) faculty. In CDSP, research faculty are excluded from serving on committees overseeing TTE personnel issues, such as the Advisory Committee on Retention, Promotion, and Tenure. They may serve on other committees as permitted by the Faculty Handbook, CDSP Bylaws, or the bylaws of individual departments. If a unit’s personnel policies allow it, Research Assistant Professors, Research Associate Professors and Research Professors may also participate in searches for TTE faculty. They may similarly take part in the faculty merit review processes; however, units may exclude them from the merit evaluations of the teaching performance of other faculty. 

V. Teaching Faculty Contracts 

a. Length    
  • Visiting Research Faculty appointments may not exceed 3 years, as per the CDSP Bylaws, III.6. The length of contracts for all other RF is variable, depending on institutional research priorities and the duration of available funding. 
b. Notification of Renewal  
  1. Notice of Renewal   
  • RF who are externally funded have no expectation of renewal and notice of nonrenewal will not be provided. Otherwise, notification of renewal or non-renewal shall follow the timeline specified in the Faculty Handbook for NTE faculty (section III.B.1.b.i). An RF position may only be renewed if sufficient funds are secured to cover the cost of the position over the duration of the renewal contract. If renewal is contingent on the outcome of a pending grant application, a renewal notice must clearly state that the renewal is conditional and does not take effect until the Office of Sponsored Programs confirms that adequate external funding has been secured.  
  • Renewal contracts will be issued in the final year of the expiring contract.  For externally funded RF positions, a renewal contract may not be issued before the Office of Sponsored Programs has confirmed that sufficient external funds have been secured to support the position. 

     2. Process and Criteria for Renewal   

  • An RF is only eligible for renewal if sufficient funds are available to cover the cost of the position over the duration of a renewal contract. 
  • An RF is only eligible for renewal if they have consistently met the unit’s expectations in annual evaluations (see Section VI) or have done so in recent evaluations with a clear record of improvement.  
  • No RF contract will be renewed without evidence of continued institutional need. The department shall provide this justification in writing when a request for a renewal contract is submitted to the Dean.  For postdoctoral fellows, the support of a supervisor’s ongoing research program is sufficient evidence of continued institutional need. 

The Dean, in consultation with the Associate and Assistant Deans, will make the final decision on renewal.  

VI. Research Faculty Merit Evaluation 

Research faculty, including visiting faculty and postdoctoral fellows, will be evaluated annually at the same time as tenured and tenure-eligible faculty. In developing unit-specific policies for the evaluation of research faculty, departments and programs should follow the guidelines below:  

  • All RF, except for postdoctoral fellows, will be evaluated for research on a scale of 0-6 using criteria that are based on those used to evaluate research for TTE faculty in each unit.  The mentoring of research students may count towards either research or teaching (but not both) for those RF who have teaching as part of their contractual responsibilities.  
  • RF with teaching expectations in their contracts will be evaluated for teaching on a scale of 0-6, using criteria that are based on those used to evaluate teaching for TTE faculty in each unit. 
  • Research faculty with a service expectation in their contracts will be evaluated for service on a scale of 0-3.  Units should take into consideration the more limited opportunities available to RF relative to TTE faculty when evaluating the quantity of service for merit evaluation. Service may include service to CDSP, to the department, to the University, and to the profession. 
  • For all RF except for postdoctoral fellows, Chairs will report both the numerical score and whether the RF meets or does not meet the expectations of their role within the unit. Each unit should develop criteria for “meets” and “does not meet” that may be linked to the numerical merit scores.  If the RF does not meet expectations, a formal performance improvement plan with measurable benchmarks for improvement will be instituted.  
  • Average scores for research, teaching and service that are shared with the department should include the scores for RF faculty. 
  • Postdoctoral Fellows will be evaluated for research on a three-point scale that corresponds to the ratings "Exceeds Expectations," "Meets Expectations," and "Does Not Meet Expectations."  

VII. Failure to Meet Expectations  

  • If an RF member does not meet expectations during an annual merit review, then a formal performance improvement plan with measurable benchmarks will be initiated and completed during the next academic year. The performance improvement plan will be created collaboratively between the research faculty member, the Chair and the Dean’s office.  
  • Progress towards meeting benchmarks will be assessed by the Chair and the Dean’s office at the conclusion of the academic year in which the performance improvement plan is in place. If benchmarks have not been met, the contract will not be renewed, even if external funding is available to support the continuation of the position. The final decision on whether benchmarks have been met rests with the Dean.   
  • If the timeline is too short to implement a full performance improvement plan before a renewal decision, the Dean and Chair will evaluate the faculty member's overall performance over the entire appointment. If feasible, improvement in the semester immediately following the unsatisfactory review will be considered. The final decision in this case rests with the Dean.  
  • In cases of performance issues requiring contracts to end prematurely due to alleged incompetence, neglect of duty, or misconduct, the Faculty Handbook processes shall apply.   

VIII. Promotional Processes

The following guidelines for promotion of RF should be incorporated into department personnel policies.  

  • There is no path to promotion for visiting teaching faculty at any rank or for postdoctoral fellows. 
  • A promotion review is not an automatic process and is initiated by the RF in consultation with their Chair.  An RF may choose to stay in their rank for as long as their position exists. 
  • Promotion dossiers for research faculty may be submitted when a position is due for renewal as part of the request for renewal. The dossier shall be reviewed by the appropriate personnel committee in each unit, which generates a written report recommending or not recommending promotion. 
  • Renewal of the contract must be approved before a promotion review takes place.  
  • No faculty member will be promoted without a history of excellent performance in the position.  Performance may be reflected in the record of papers published, conference talks given (both contributed and invited), grants acquired, and professional honors received.   
  • Promotion dossiers must include:  
    • Current curriculum vitae.  
    • A narrative statement (maximum 3 pages, 12-point font, single-spaced or the equivalent double-spaced) focusing on the faculty member’s contributions and growth in research since the appointment to the current rank.  
  • The dossier should also include a report by the personnel committee(s) of the unit, a letter from the Chair, and a vote of all tenured faculty and of all RF at ranks above the candidate in the unit.  
  • Candidates for promotion must have a full calendar week to respond to the personnel committee report before the faculty vote, and a full calendar week to respond to the Chair’s letter before the dossier is submitted to the Dean. The RF’s response should be included in the dossier.  
  • The Dean, after giving due consideration to the report of the personnel committee and letter from the Chair, will make the final decision on promotion, in consultation with the Associate and Assistant Deans.