Academic Affairs and Personnel

See Academic Personnel Manual Section 311 (pdf)

-- Effective July 1, 2013 --

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I. Definition of the Project (e.g., Scientist) Series

Titles in the Project (e.g., Scientist) Series are assigned to those appointees who make significant and creative contributions to a research or creative project in any academic discipline.  Appointees in this series may be ongoing members of a research team or may be employed for a limited period of time to contribute high-level skills to a specific research or creative program.  Appointees in this series are not required to carry out independent research or to develop an independent research reputation.  Appointees with Project (e.g., Scientist) titles do not have teaching responsibilities and they are not required to engage in service. Ordinarily, appointees in the Project (e.g., Scientist) Series titles will carry out research or creative programs with supervision by a member of the Professor or Professional Research Series.

An appointee in the Project (e.g., Scientist) Series does not usually serve as a Principal Investigator.  Serving as a Principal Investigator is not required, nor is it expected for an appointment, merit increase, or promotion in this series.  Designation as Principal Investigator does not in itself justify an appointment to the Project (e.g., Scientist) Series.

Appointees may serve full-time, part-time, or without salary.  Project (e.g., Scientist) Series titles may be supported by State and/or non-sate funds.

The candidate for a title in this series must have earned a doctorate or its equivalent.  The Chancellor may grant an exception to this requirement. Appointees are governed by the rules and norms of the Faculty Code of Conduct, APM 015.

II. Characteristics of Series

A. Ranks and Steps

B. Term of Service

An appointment or reappointment in the Project (e.g. Scientist) Series shall have a specified ending date.

C. Tenure

Tenure or Security of Employment is not granted in association with appointment to the Project (e.g., Scientist) Series.

D. Limit on Funding

Each source of compensation must permit research.  Utilization of departmental provisions (except when specifically assigned to this series) and of departmental General Assistance funding for appointment of Project (e.g., Scientist) appointees requires advance approval of the Chancellor.

It is the responsibility of each Department Chair (in cooperation with any employing Principal Investigator or Director) to assure that each appointee to this series is at all times aware of the financial longevity of the source(s) of support for the appointment.

Policies regarding layoffs or involuntary reduction in time due to lack of work, lack of funds, or programmatic change are contained in Appendix 33, “Policy Governing Layoff of Non-Senate Academic Appointees.”

E. Senate Membership

Appointment to the Project (e.g., Scientist) Series does not confer membership in the Academic Senate.

 

III.  Compensation

A. General

Except as provided in Appendix 10, Section II, an individual appointed to this series is compensated on the Salary Scale appropriate to the circumstances of service, as defined in the Academic Salary Scales of the University of California Academic Salary Scales.

B. Off-Scale Salary Limitations

All Off-Scale rates must be in multiples of $100. Deans not serving as Chair have Off-Scale approval authority up to and including the next step, and the Chancellor has final approval authority for all other off scale salaries; except that salaries exceeding the Regental Threshold require Regental action (refer to annually published UC Salary Scales for Regental Thresholds). See Appendix 17 for “Summary of UCLA Policy on Off-Scale Salaries.”

C. Above-Scale Salary Limitations

The Chancellor has the authority to approve Above-Scale salaries except that salaries exceeding the Regental threshold require Regental action (refer to annually published UC Salary Scales for Regental Thresholds). 

 

IV.  Employment

A. Recruitment

See Appendix 22, “Summary of Recruitment Policy” and Appendix 23, “Faculty Search Guidelines” regarding search requirements and required documentation.

B. Criteria

The Project (e.g., Scientist) Series differs from the Professional Research Series in that individuals appointed to the former need not demonstrate the same capacity for fully independent research, or research leadership, required of the Professional Research Series or the Professor Series.  Therefore, Project (e.g., Scientist) appointments are made when a Professional Research Series appointment is not appropriate because of the dependent status or service nature of the position, or because the appointee may not fulfill the academic requirements of that series. Those appointed in the Project (e.g., Scientist) Series are expected to have a broader range of knowledge and competency, and a higher level of independence, than appointees in the Specialist Series.

C. Categories of Personnel Actions

A review and dossier are required for all personnel actions other than a simple renewal of appointment/reappointment.  Personnel actions consist of:

1.   Appointment

Initial employment in the series or permanent intercampus transfer requires a search. 

2.   Re-employment

For appointment in the same series after a previous separation only the letter from the Chair and a CV are required in the dossier.

3.   Renewal of Appointment/Reappointment

Subsequent appointment in this series without an intervening separation.  Review and submission of dossier are not required, provided there is no proposed change in rank and step or Five-Year Review.

4.  Change in Series

Not applicable to the Project (e.g., Scientist) Series.  Any subsequent appointment to another series is subject to the review and search requirements applicable to that series. Since a Project (e.g., Scientist’s) approved rank and step is based on research qualifications without reference to teaching experience or competence or service, there is no presumption that the same rank and step would be appropriate in any series change.

When extending an offer to individuals in this series, it is necessary for the Dean or Chair to include the following statement in any correspondence regarding the offer of an appointment or renewal of appointment:

This appointment is for a specific term, with an ending date as herein set forth, and is not for a longer period unless express written notification is so given to the appointee. In the absence of such express notification, the appointment ipso facto terminates on the specified ending date.”

Additionally, the appointment letter shall set forth any funding requirements for the position.  When there is a reasonable expectation of long-term funding, the Chancellor, by exception, may make an appointment in the Associate Project (e.g., Scientist) and Project (e.g., Scientist) title with no specific ending date.  In such a case, the appointee shall be advised in writing that the appointment does not carry Tenure or Security of Employment.

Change in Series actions from the Professional Research Series, or from Professorial Series, do not require searches, since the intent of the action is to better define a more appropriate series for the individual. It is assumed in these cases that the search for the original appointment was at least equivalent, or more extensive, in character and scope to that which would have been required had the newly proposed position undergone a search.

5.   Merits

When an appointee becomes eligible to be considered for a merit, the Department is required to review the record to determine whether or not advancement should be recommended. Eligibility does not imply automatic advancement. A dossier must be submitted whether or not Senate Review is waived. Advancement follows only upon demonstration of qualification following review. 

Advancement to Project (e.g., Scientist), Step VI usually will not occur before three years of service at Step V.  This involves an overall career review and will be granted on evidence of sustained and continuing excellence in scholarship or creative research achievement involving great academic distinction recognized nationally or internationally.

Advancement from Project (e.g., Scientist), Step VI to Step VII, from Step VII to Step VIII, and from Step VIII to Step IX usually will not occur after less than three years of service at the lower step, and will only be granted on evidence of continuing achievement at the level required for advancement to Step VI.

6.   Promotion

When an appointee becomes eligible to be considered for a promotion, the Department shall review the record to determine whether or not to recommend the advancement. Eligibility does not imply automatic advancement. A dossier must be submitted. Promotion follows only upon demonstration of qualification following review.

D. Criteria for Advancement

In framing a request for advancement in the Project (e.g. Scientist) Series, the following criteria should be addressed:

1.      provision of high-level skills to a specific research or creative program;

2.      professional competence and activity.

Teaching and service requirements are not applicable to the Project (e.g., Scientist) Series.

 

V. Review and Approval Authority

A. Senate Review is waived for this series.  Five-Year Reviews are not applicable to the Project (e.g., Scientist) Series.  Also, Fourth-Year Appraisals and Eight-Year Limit Reviews, are not applicable to the Project (e.g., Scientist) Series.

Employing units which do not report to a Dean of a School or College

All Other Schools and Colleges

* Acceleration is defined as advancement in step prior to the number of requisite years as described in Section II or a salary increase in excess of one step.

**Deferral is advancement in step after a period longer than the stated number of requisite years or a salary increase of less than one step.

The Dean has final approval authority for any merit increase involving a two-year acceleration, except that when the action involves the second consecutive two-year acceleration, the Chancellor has final approval authority.

 

VI. Non-Renewal of a Term Appointment for Budgetary Reasons, Programmatic Changes, or Lack of Work

For policies regarding layoffs or involuntary reduction in time due to lack of work, lack of funds, or programmatic change, see Appendix 33, “Policy Governing Layoff of Non-Senate Academic Appointees.”       

 

VII. Termination of an Appointment

All appointments to this series are self-ending.

For policies regarding dismissal prior to an ending date, see Appendix 34, “Non-Senate Academic Appointees Corrective Action and Dismissal.”

 

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Revised 9/19/14

Web page updated 7/30/15