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The Importance of Research & Scholarship in the Promotion & Tenure Process

Mike Harold Chair, Chemical & Biomolecular

Engineering Dept.

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A faculty member is …• an educator• a researcher• a manager• an administrator• a mentor• a counselor• a colleague• a collaborator• a leader ….

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Tenure Track Faculty:Research Life Cycle

$

Research ProgramPioneering Research

Funding Sources Government, Industry, Foundations

Education

ReputationPublications

StudentDevelopme

nt

Start-up Funds$

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Tenure Track Faculty:Research Life Cycle

$

Research ProgramPioneering Research

Funding Sources Government, Industry, Foundations

Education

ReputationPublications

TenureStudentDevelopme

nt

Start-up Funds$

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Some Advice & Observations

• Get a mentor• Stay in tune with calls for proposals

– DOR emails• Seek out collaborators• Write proposals

– “Never up, never in” (Arnold Palmer, ca. 1970)• Strong research will get you promoted

– Good teaching is necessary but not sufficient– Service to one’s profession is important to establish your external

visibility– Service to one’s department should be minimal during the tenure track

years

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Funding Sources

• Federal government– NSF, DOE, NIH, DARPA, Air Force, EPA, FDA, etc.

• State government– TCEQ, TxDOT, CPRIT, NHARP, etc.

• Foundations– Camille-Dreyfus, Welch, etc.

• Private industry– Exploit the vast Greater Houston & Texas economies

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Types of Industrial Funding• Special grants & awards– Young faculty awards; e.g.• DuPont Young Faculty Award• Dow Outstanding New Faculty Award• …

• Unrestricted grants– Contribution or “gift” to professor– No strings attached– No legal contract needed– No university overhead

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• Restricted grants– Most common– Project in area of interest to company– Milestones usually not in critical path of

company activity/project• Project-driven grants– Direct involvement in company project– Professor & students affiliated project

team members– Milestones can be in critical path

Types of Industrial Funding, cont.

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• Consortia/center membership grants– Single or multi-investigator effort–Multiple company members–Research projects• In pre-competitive area• In area with minimal proprietary concerns (e.g.

safety, environmental, etc.)• Involve unique competency/capability

Types of Industrial Funding, cont.

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Finding Common Ground

AssistantProfessor

ResearchManager

Fundamental Applied

“Win-Win”

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Research Contract Fundamentals• Intellectual property from sponsored research– IP usually owned by university– Contract negotiations determine technology license details

• Patent filing costs for non-exclusivity/right-of-first-refusal• Lump sum payment for exclusivity

• Publications and presentations – 3-6 month period for filing patents before communication

• Proprietary information– “Company Confidential” & “University Confidential”

information will require secrecy agreements– Secrecy agreements can constrain future research

endeavors

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Some Final Thoughts

• Congratulations• Work hard• Have fun• Learn something new everyday• Take chances• Maintain a sense of urgency• Seek balance• Give yourself credit