Research fellow

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A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator.

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Although research fellow positions vary in different countries and academic institutions, in general it indicates junior researchers who develop their research careers under the guidance of senior researchers.

India

In India, the position of research fellowship is provided to scholars from various streams like science, arts, literature, management and others. Research fellowships are funded by government academics, research institutes, and private companies. Research fellows research under the supervision of experienced faculty, professor, head of department, and Dean on two different posts known as Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and senior research fellow (SRF). Research organisations like ICAR, CSIR, UGC, ICMR recruit research fellows through National Eligibility Test. After the completion of pre-defined tenure, JRF can be considered for a senior research fellowship based on the research fellow's performance and/or interview conducted by the committee of the research institute.


Russian Federation

In the Russian Federation, the position and title research fellow is unknown; however, there is a broadly similar position of (Russian: Научный сотрудник, lit.'scientific worker'). This position normally requires a degree of Candidate of Sciences approximately corresponding to the PhD. More senior positions normally require, in addition to the aforementioned degree, a track record of publications or certified inventions, as well as practical contributions to major research and development projects. [1]

Hierarchy of researching positions in the Russian Academy of Sciences [2]
Translation (variant)OriginalRussian abbreviationScientific degree or job seniority requiredNumber of publications required
junior researcherмладший научный сотрудникм. н. с.Candidate of Sciences or 3 years1 in 5 years
researcherнаучный сотрудникн. с.Candidate of Sciences or 5 years3 in 5 years
senior researcherстарший научный сотрудникс. н. с.Candidate of Sciences or 10 years5 in 5 years
leading researcherведущий научный сотрудникв. н. с. Doctor of Sciences or Candidate of Sciences (in exceptionary cases)7 in 5 years
principal researcherглавный научный сотрудникг. н. с.Doctor of Sciences10 in 5 years

South Africa

Research fellows in South Africa are considered an asset to research organisations and universities. There are highly ranked universities such as University of the Witwatersrand, University of Stellenbosch Business School, and Rhodes University which offer fellowships to South African nationals in certain fields of research. [3]

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom a research fellow is a broad category, used to indicate a scholar on a research-oriented professional development track. In many universities a research fellow is a career grade of a Research Career Pathway, following on from a postdoctoral position such as research associate, and may be open-ended, subject to normal probation regulations. For some universities, research career grades roughly correspond to the grades of the academic pathway in the following way: research fellow (a lower or same grade as a lecturer), [4] principal research fellow—reader, whereas senior research fellow is somewhere between a lecturer and senior lecturer or associate professor. [5] Some universities such as Cambridge restricts Professorial grades only to academics who have excelled in both teaching and research. [6] Outside of faculty appointments, the title of "Research Fellow" or "Senior Research Fellows" can be also used as honorary or temporary awarded "fellowships" to distinguished academics by research institutes or colleges, usually from different institutions. [7]

Professorial Fellows

Professorial Fellows are the most senior professorships at a university. They are members of the College's Governing Body. [8]

Senior Research Fellows

Senior Research Fellowships (SRFs) are awarded to researchers with "academic standing comparable to that of a distinguished research professorship at a major university." [9] They recognize scholars with distinguished research records and publications. [10] This position originated in the 15th century as a way of allowing scholars time and funding to pursue independent research without having teaching duties. [11]

As with the professorial fellows, senior research fellows 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). At All Souls College, Oxford, senior research fellows are 7-year long positions that are equivalent to a tenured position in the United States. [12] This position is equivalent to a full professorship. [13]

Junior Research Fellows

List of research fellowships

Fellowships by funding bodies
Funding bodyFellowship
Wellcome Trust
Leverhulme Trust
  • Early Career Fellowships
  • Emeritus Fellowships
  • International Academic Fellowships
  • Major Research Fellowships
  • Research Fellowships
Royal Society
Royal Academy of Engineering
British Academy

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Souls College, Oxford</span> College of the University of Oxford

All Souls College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows. It has no student members, but each year, recent graduates at Oxford are eligible to apply for a small number of examination fellowships through a competitive examination and, for those shortlisted after the examinations, an interview.

A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher educational institutions, a fellow can be a member of a highly ranked group of teachers at a particular college or university or a member of the governing body in some universities; it can also be a specially selected postgraduate student who has been appointed to a post granting a stipend, research facilities and other privileges for a fixed period in order to undertake some advanced study or research, often in return for teaching services. In the context of research and development-intensive large companies or corporations, the title "fellow" is sometimes given to a small number of senior scientists and engineers. In the context of medical education in North America, a fellow is a physician who is undergoing a supervised, sub-specialty medical training (fellowship) after having completed a specialty training program (residency).

The title of reader in the United Kingdom and some universities in the Commonwealth of Nations, for example India, Australia and New Zealand, denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research or scholarship.

Honorary titles in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in many of the universities and colleges of the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, New Zealand, Japan, Denmark, and Canada.

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Academic ranks in Germany are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academic ranks in the United Kingdom</span> Overview of academic ranks in the United Kingdom

Academic ranks in the United Kingdom are the titles, relative seniority and responsibility of employees in universities. In general the country has three academic career pathways: one focused on research, one on teaching, and one that combines the two.

Academic ranks in Norway are the system of merit-based ranks used by academic employees in academia. Similar to the British rank system, the Norwegian rank system is broadly divided into three pathways, a combined research and teaching career pathway, a research career pathway and a teaching career pathway.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior Research Fellowships</span> Oxbridge postdoctoral fellowship

A Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), sometimes known as a Research Fellowship or Fellow by Examination, is a postdoctoral fellowship for early-career scholars and recent PhD/DPhil graduates at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. JRFs are among the most highly competitive, prestigious postdoctoral fellowships in the United Kingdom. The fellowships are also seen as direct pathways to tenure-track positions.

References

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  2. "Постановления Президиума РАН". ras.ru. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  3. "Research Fellowship in South Africa"
  4. "Academic Promotions University College London". ucl.ac.uk. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  5. "Academic Promotions University College London". ucl.ac.uk. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  6. "Promotion levels at Cambridge University". hr.admin.cam.ac.uk. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  7. "All Souls College Oxford: Categories of Fellowship". asc.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
  8. "College Fellowship". University College Oxford.
  9. "TRINITY COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS". FundIt.
  10. "Master & Fellows". Trinity College Cambridge.
  11. Clark, William (2008). Academic Charisma and the Origins of the Research University. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. p. 146.
  12. "Senior Research Fellowships". All Souls College, Oxford.
  13. "Not one of them". Times Higher Education.