Faculty Designations

Academic Basic Scientist
Tenure-eligible Designation
University Title Series: Regular or Special

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An Academic Basic Scientist is a person who has made a full-time commitment to the University of Kentucky and whose primary area of scholarly activity is the scholarship of discovery. Academic Basic Scientists usually will have a Ph.D. degree but may have an M.D./D.O. or other terminal degree appropriate to the appointment. Most Academic Basic Scientists will be in Basic Science Departments, but an Academic Basic Scientist could be in a clinical department. Most commonly, the Academic Basic Scientist will conduct research of a basic science nature. Current National Institutes of Health (NIH) definitions of clinical research include research using human tissue; an investigator involved in this type of clinical research may be considered an Academic Basic Scientist. However, faculty members involved in clinical research using human subjects typically will not be in this designation.

The Academic Basic Scientist faculty designation is tenure-eligible and will be coupled with assignment to either the University's Regular Title Series or the Special Title Series. Most Academic Basic Scientists will be in the Regular Title Series. Occasionally, an Academic Basic Scientist may be appointed in the University's Special Title Series. For example, an administrative director of a research program appropriately might be so designated. Appointment into either the Regular or Special Title Series is associated with the expectation of the production of scholarly activity.

Academic Basic Scientists are expected to be productive in research throughout their academic careers; for senior faculty members it is expected that this productivity will be accompanied by external funding to support their research programs. In the event that a senior Academic Basic Scientist no longer has such funding or the reasonable expectation of such funding in the near future, this person's activities should be appropriately realigned with the talents and interests of the faculty member and the needs of the department and the institution. This realignment typically will include increased activities in other areas. If appropriate, the faculty member's designation and job description should change. Reassignment of title series also may be appropriate.