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Principal Investigator Eligibility

Any individual who holds one of the following positions can be identified as a PI and submit proposals to external sponsors:

  • tenure-track faculty (full, associate, and assistant professors)
  • nontenure-track research faculty (full, associate, and assistant professors)
  • nontenure-track clinical faculty (full, associate, and assistant professors)
  • instructors
  • adjunct faculty
  • senior research investigators*
  • librarians
  • curators

On a case-by-case basis, an individual who holds one of the following positions can be identified as a PI upon approval from the vice president for research:

  • visiting faculty
  • visiting scholars

In general, research associates may not serve as PIs, but may seek approval from the vice president for research. Postdoctoral fellows and research assistants (graduate students) may not serve as PIs.

*Tenured senior faculty with active research portfolios who wish to retire as faculty members, but continue as PIs. Normally, senior research investigators have been granted emeritus status.


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