Searle Leadership Fund Nomination Policy

The following materials must be submitted online as a *single PDF document* by the nominee's dean's office to be considered by the Advisory Committee. Nomination Submission upload instructions are below.

  • Cover letter from dean with information about the nominee's potential impact to Northwestern's research enterprise (see Nomination Requirements below);
  • Nominee's job application materials (CV, research description, letters of recommendation, etc.);
  • Records of phone calls to external referees;
  • Recruitment Funding Plan (see details below)

Nomination Requirements

  1. Nominees must be tenure-track faculty candidates conducting biomedical research.
  2. The Nomination Materials must demonstrate that a Searle Leadership Fund Nominee:
    • Will have an unusually strong impact on Northwestern's research reputation in the international community
    • Will have an unusually strong impact on maximizing synergies within the Northwestern research community;
    • Is an exceptional tenure-track faculty investigator, such that her/his work will help Northwestern gain a stronger reputation, and insure that we continue to receive Searle Leadership Funds. The nominee's research must be high profile.
  3. Searle Leadership Funds should be used to make a faculty recruitment package more attractive than it would have been without the funds. Requests for Searle Leadership Funds should not be expected or requested for every start-up package.
  4. Searle Leadership Funds should be used for the recruitment of new faculty and not for faculty retention packages.
  5. The Searle Leadership Fund Advisory Committee will consider requests up to $500,000/nominee. The amount requested must be justified in the Recruitment Funding Plan (see below). Requests in excess of $500,000 will be considered in unusual circumstances but must be exceptional and well-justified.

Recruitment Funding Plan

The Recruitment Funding Plan should detail the proposed sources of funding for the start-up package (e.g. how much is to be provided from department, center, school/college, NU central, and Searle Leadership funds). With the request for the Searle Leadership Fund monies there should be an appropriate justification for the Searle funds. The Funding Plan should address the value added by the Searle Leadership Fund monies and why is the Searle Leadership Fund is the necessary and appropriate source of the additional funds.

Nomination Deadlines

Complete nomination materials will be considered by the Searle Advisory Committee on a rolling basis.  The cover letter from the dean should indicate the anticipated date the offer will be presented to the candidate.

Nomination Submission

To help with scheduling of the Advisory Committee, an email indicating an impending nomination should be sent to Holly Falk-Krzesinski (h-falk@northwestern.edu) as early as possible but certainly at least 7 days in advance of the nomination package submission.

A complete package of all the Nomination Materials must be submitted online as *a single PDF file* by the nominee's dean's office to be considered by the Advisory Committee.

The PDF file is easily uploaded by following these directions:

  • Go to the following Depot server link to upload the Nomination Materials as a single PDF file: https://depot.northwestern.edu/xythoswfs/webui/_xy-5167185_1-t_bX2mxIEl:
  • Click on the Upload button on the toolbar;
  • Type in the file name directly or use the Browse feature to find the file on your hard drive (please use an easily identifiable file name such as "School_CandidateLastName_SearlePkg.pdf");
  • Click Ok;
  • Your file is now uploaded.
  • You will not be able to access the file once uploaded so if you need to delete or overwrite the file, or wish to confirm its status, please contact Holly Falk-Krzesinski at h-falk@northwestern.edu or 847-491-1074.

Awarding of Funds

The Searle Advisory Committee will meet (in-person, videoconference, or teleconference) to discuss each nominee's materials and decide on a recommendation whether to fund each request and at what level. The recommendation will be sent to the Vice President for Research for consideration and approval. In some cases, it will be appropriate for the Vice President for Research, or the Provost or President, to authorize Searle Leadership Funding without prior consideration by the Advisory Committee.

Advisory Committee

Robert Lamb, Chair - WCAS Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology
Richard Morimoto - WCAS Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology
Philip Messersmith - McC Biomedical Engineering
Patricia Spear - FSM Microbiology and Immunology
Iasha Sznajder - FSM Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care
Holly Falk-Krzesinski, Managing Chair, ex officio - Office for Research Development