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The title of research fellow is used to denote a research position at a university or similar institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act as independent investigator, or under the supervision of a principal investigator. In contrast to a research assistant or research officer, the position of research fellow normally requires a doctoral degree, such as a MD (Doctor of Medicine) or PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) , or equivalent work. Some research fellows undertake postdoctoral research or have some moderate teaching responsibilities. Research fellow positions vary in different countries and academic institutions. In some cases, they are permanent with the possibility of promotion, while in other instances they are temporary.

Concept

Research fellows are treated differently around the world, depending on cultural and academic norms. In some cases, the position is essentially permanent, with some possibility for rising in the ranks, while in other instances, people employed in these positions can only expect temporary terms of employment.

Research fellows are sometimes known as post-docs, because they are doing post-doctoral research. Their work is dedicated solely to research, with no teaching or need to participate in the politics of the institutions they work for, although research fellows who are interested in advancement and research careers often take care to monitor trends in the academic world. While research fellows can opt to teach, this is rare.

By being able to dedicate all of their time to research, research fellows can often achieve advancements and accomplishments in their fields. They can also assist other people working in the same environment, such as advanced students and associates. In some cases, these fellows work under the supervision of someone else, and in other cases, they work independently.

When a research fellow works for a university, the advantage to the school is that he or she can add to the university's reputation in the academic world, and provide support to students and faculty. Research fellows also work in scientific laboratories, government agencies, and organizations which can vary in nature from groups studying cancer to associations interested in anthropological phenomena. In all cases, the research fellow can receive funding from a number of sources, including the institution and outside organizations interested in advancing the cause.

Medical research is often performed by research fellows, and they may also be involved in clinical trials and studies of everything from new surgical techniques to different approaches to psychotherapy. A research fellow can also work in the lab and in the field in an assortment of environments. Competition for research fellowships tends to be very fierce, as many academics enjoy the idea of being able to research at will without needing to teach, and to bring substantial sources of funding to bear on areas of interest and inquiry.

When research fellowships become available, they are usually advertised in industry publications and in public notices printed by the institution requesting applications for a research fellow position. People can also learn about research fellowships through professors and mentors in the field, and by specifically asking organizations of interest about the availability of fellowships and other research opportunities.

United Kingdom

Nowadays, in many universities this position is the first career grade of a Research Career Pathway and may be permanent, subject to normal probation regulations. Within such a path, the next two higher career grades are usually senior research fellow and professorial fellow. Although similar to the position of a research fellow, these two positions are research only posts, with the rise of the career grade there will normally be a formal requirement of a moderate amount of teaching and/or supervision (often at postgraduate level). These positions are for researchers with a proven track record of generating research income to fund themselves and producing high quality research output that is internationally recognised.

In some universities, research career grades roughly correspond to the grades of the Teaching and Scholarship Career Pathways in the following way: research fellow - lecturer, professorial fellow - professor, whereas senior research fellow somewhere between a reader and a senior lecturer. In other universities in the UK (e.g. the University of Oxford, the University of Leeds), the position research fellow has replaced the position of research associate , thereby broadening the appointment grade for research fellows.

In the past, the term research fellow often referred to a junior researcher, who worked on a specific project on a temporal basis. Research fellows tended to be paid either from central university funds or by an outside organisation such as a charity or company, or through an external grant-awarding body such as a research council or a royal society. Particularly in Oxbridge style colleges, research fellows appointed as fellows of a college tended to, or still do, partially receive remuneration in form of college housing and subsistence. Colleges may award junior research fellowships as the equivalent of post-doctoral research posts, lasting for three or four years. In contrast, senior research fellows tended to be established academics, often a professor on sabbatical from another institution, conducting temporally research elsewhere.

United States and Canada

Researchers may be appointed as faculty research fellow as a faculty member without tenure. Some research fellows are visiting research fellow from another institution.

Fellowships are usually advertised in industry publications and in public notices printed by the institution.

Germany

The English term research fellow is sometimes used to refer to the holder of a research fellowship from a public foundation that promotes research. Fellowships, from prestigious institutions such as Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, can be obtained by postdoctoral researchers at the beginning of their academic career, by experienced, established scholars and scientists, or even leading authorities in their discipline. This means that the award holder may formally hold a specific title at his or her home institution (e.g. Privatdozent), but may in the context of the sponsor be refer to as research fellow.

Russian Federation

In the Russian Federation, research fellows are graded as follows: junior research fellow (младший научный сотрудник), research fellow (научный сотрудник), senior research fellow (старший научный сотрудник), and principal research fellow (главный научный сотрудник

References

1. Ten Years' Growth - What Fruit Has the Georg Forster Programme Borne?, Retrieved on 18 Feb 2009

See also

• Fellow
• Lecturer
• Academic rank

• Misplaced Pages neutral point of view disputes from May 2010
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• Academic administration
• Research