Vice-Chancellor's Research Fellowship: guidelines

VICE CHANCELLORS RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP SCHEMEGUIDELINES - 2014

1.Background

The Vice Chancellors Research Fellowship Scheme has been established to promote and grow research capacity at QUT through the appointment of high calibre research staff in identified areas.

The key objectives of the scheme are to:

build capacity in targeted areas of research strength attract and develop talented staff who will underpin the future research aspirations of the University increase collaboration with quality national and international research partners produce high quality outputs that deliver impact to the community increase the universitys competitiveness in externally funded fellowship schemes

This prestigious scheme supports both postdoctoral and research fellowship appointments as defined by the eligibility criteria below. Up to 15 new fellowship positions may be awarded. The distribution of the fellowships across appointment categories and identified target areas is at the discretion of the Vice-Chancellor, in consultation with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Commercialisation).

Both postdoctoral and research fellowships are offered in open competition in the following target areas:

Digital Media Machine Learning Robotics and Computer Vision Biofabrication and Biomaterials Plant Biotechnology Environmental Health / Air Quality Children and Youth Intervention Intellectual Property Healthy Ageing Systems Biology Health Economics Business Innovation

The scheme is open to Australian and International applicants.

2.General Eligibility Criteria

Fellowship candidates must:

have been awarded a PhD be based at QUT for the full duration of the fellowship propose and undertake a research project that is aligned with an identified area of strength. seek, during the period of the fellowship, additional funding through external granting schemes for projects/fellowships hosted by QUT make a full-time commitment to the fellowship.

3.Eligibility Criteria for Applicants:

Postdoctoral Fellowship Applicants (Level B):

To be eligible to apply for a Postdoctoral Fellowship an applicant must:

a) be within 0 to 5 years since the award of their PhD at the time of the closing date for applications, orb) have submitted a PhD thesis and expect to be awarded a PhD within 3 months from the closing date for applications. If these conditions are not met, the offer of a Fellowship may be revoked. In this case, it is imperative that the applicant notify QUT immediately of the outcome of the examination of their PhD thesis, andc) demonstrate their proposed project falls within one of the identified target areas.

Research Fellowship Applicants (Level C):

To be eligible to apply for a Research Fellowship an applicant must:

a) be an established researcher within 5 to 10 years since the award of their PhD or equivalent research doctorate at the time of the closing date for applications;

b) have an excellent research track record, with a proven capacity for research leadership; and

c) demonstrate their proposed project falls within one of the identified target areas.

4.Duration of Fellowships

Fellows will be offered an appointment on a fixed-term, full-time basis for a period of 3 years. Part-time appointments may be negotiated with the host faculty once the fellowship has been awarded. QUT is committed to building its academic workforce and will work with successful fellows over the tenure of their award to develop a career plan that aligns with their expertise and the teaching and research needs of the University. Fellows will be encouraged to apply for external fellowships and project funding and may be considered for academic positions in their area of expertise.

5.Remuneration

Fellows will normally be appointed at Step 1 of the applicable academic salary scale, and will increment each year for the duration of the fellowship subject to satisfactory performance as evidenced by the Performance Planning and Review (PPR) process. Salary scales are as follows:

Postdoctoral Fellow (Level B)

$84,133 (step 1) to $99,918 (step 6) plus 17% superannuation

Research Fellow (Level C)

$103,068 (step 1) to $118,859 (step 6) plus 17% superannuation

Further information on QUT salary scales is available at: http://www.hrd.qut.edu.au/staff/salary/salary/academic.jsp

In exceptional cases, applicants may be appointed at a higher level within the salary range based on qualifications and experience.

In addition to salary, Fellows will also be entitled to a one-off Research Support Grant (RSG) of $AUD 20,000 in the first year of appointment.

A Research Support Grant may be used for the following purposes:

short term or casual assistance where some work in the research program requires additional personnel or where some special expertise is required, eg technical support minor items of equipment which are needed essentially full-time for the fellows project and which cannot reasonably be made available by the host School/Research Centre. Equipment purchased from a Research Support Grant is the property of the School/Research Centre within QUT special chemicals, components, consumables and minor items necessary for the Fellows research projectsustenance and fares for field work, attendance at national or international conferences, workshops and seminars directly associated with and essential to the Fellows research program and where necessary, for consultation with other workers where a Fellow resigns prior to the end of the agreed term of appointment, funds not expended or committed at the date of resignation must be returned to the University.

6.Performance of the Fellow

Fellows will be appointed in a Faculty, under the direct supervision of a senior academic member of staff. It is the responsibility of the Faculty, in consultation with an Institute where relevant, to assign a supervisor with appropriate expertise and to ensure that the Fellow has access to the relevant facilities and support staff in order to undertake the proposed research project and achieve the expected outcomes. Fellows are expected to be active contributors to QUTs research community and take on supervision and leadership roles commensurate with their skills and experience. Where appropriate, Fellows may wish to undertake teaching activities that are consistent with their research project. The allocation of teaching load must be discussed with the direct supervisor as part of the Universitys performance review and development process, Performance Planning and Review Academic Staff (PPR-AS), and must not reduce the capacity of the Fellows to undertake their research project. The supervision of Higher Degree Research students is encouraged. Fellows will be subject to normal performance review mechanisms of the University and in addition, will be required to present at least one public seminar per year.

Fellows, from time-to-time, may be called upon by the Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Commercialisation) to provide advice and commentary on proposed research initiatives at QUT.

Fellows will receive the same access to appropriate research opportunities and infrastructure as their QUT colleagues.

7.Selection Criteria

Applicants will be considered, and ranked across the following criteria:

Quality and trajectory of the applicants track record, relative to opportunity60%

Quality of the proposed research project and potential to deliver quality research outcomes40%

Total100%

Explanation of Selection Criteria: Quality and Trajectory of the Applicants Track Record Relative to Opportunity

In responding to the selection criterion, applicants will be expected to demonstrate as part of their Curriculum Vitae their personal achievement in relation to:

significant refereed publications (over the last 5 years) and other acknowledged research outputs that are discipline specific. Applicants must clearly identify their contribution as distinct from other contributors and provide evidence of the quality of the output (impact factor, citations etc) research funding (internal and external) awarded over the last 5 years. In the case of postdoctoral fellowship applicants, internal grants will also be considered as part of assessment process. Applicants must clearly identify their contribution as distinct from other contributors. esteem measures (key note addresses or invitations to present, prizes and awards, committee/board membership etc) knowledge transfer activities outreach activities (including engagement with external partners) supervision of research students. In the case of Research Fellowship applicants, supervision of higher degree research students and number of completions will also be taken into consideration.

In addition, Research Fellowship applicants will be expected to demonstrate their experience with, and capacity to:

Provide research leadership Establish new linkages with local, domestic and international research groups and manage existing collaborations Manage and mentor other research staff Contribute to the research agenda of the host faculty and university more broadly.

Quality of the Proposed Research Project and Potential to Deliver Quality Research Outcomes

Under this selection criterion applicants must provide a mature project outline addressing the following headings:

Proposal Title Aims and Background applicants must clearly describe the aims and objectives of the project, referencing where applicable, current work in the area Significance and Innovation applicants must demonstrate how the research is significant and whether the research addresses an important problem. Approach and Methodology - applicants must outline the conceptual framework, design and methods, and demonstrate that these are adequately developed, well integrated and appropriate to the aims of the Proposal. Include a research plan and proposed timelines. Alignment with one of the identified target areas. Potential to attract external funding applicants must demonstrate how the proposed project will enhance their chances of attracting external fellowship and/or project funding. Budget Justification applicants must provide a detailed budget outlining how the Research Support Grant will be expended.

8.Selection Process

Initially applications will be assessed against the selection criteria and fit with the target area by the host faculty. Each faculty will be invited to review applications in their target areas and shortlist the most competitive applicants for further consideration by a Review Panel chaired by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Commercialisation) or his nominee.

The Review Panel will consist of experienced academic staff with competitive research track records, as well as, assessment panel experience. The Chair will have the discretion to co-opt members to the Panel as required.

The Deputy-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Commercialisation) will make a recommendation on the allocation of fellowships to the Vice-Chancellor based on Panel feedback.

The Panel is under no obligation to recommend a Fellowship if the quality of applicants is not rated highly enough.

Feedback on the assessment process will not be provided to applicants.

9.Application Process

Prior to application, applicants must make contact with the relevant Assistant Dean (Research) and/or Institute Director to discuss their proposed research project and alignment with a target area. Applications that do not clearly indicate prior contact and confirmation of the suitability of the proposed project will not be considered.

A complete application will consist of the following:

Application a detailed research project proposal (maximum 8 pages) curriculum vitae (maximum 10 pages) research fellowship applicants may include an additional 2 pages of CV to demonstrate their leadership and management experience.

Your application and supporting documentation must be submitted via the QUT jobs website accessible at: http://www.qut.edu.au/jobs/ The closing date is 16th September 2014. Late applications will not be accepted.

10.Conditions of Appointment

The Fellow must commence their appointment by no later than 31 March 2015 for Australian based applicants and by 30 June 2015 for international applicants. In the event that the Fellowship is not taken up within this period, the Fellowship shall lapse. The Fellow will be appointed on a fixed-term basis as a research academic staff member of the University based within a Faculty. As such, they shall be entitled to the terms and conditions of employment available to a fixed-term, full-time (or part-time where agreed) research only academic staff member of the University as outlined in the Enterprise Agreement (Academic Staff) 2014 2017 and successor Agreement. Entitlement to benefits relating to travel and conference assistance and basic research support will also be available in line with University policy and procedure. The Fellow must comply with all statutes, rules and policies of QUT which are relevant to University staff. The direct supervisor and the Fellow will come together at the point of commencement to develop a program of activity that is consistent with the career plan of the Fellow, the proposed research project and the performance plan of the host faculty. The Fellow will be expected to work full-time on their defined research project. While Fellows are expected to undertake a full-time program of research, QUT acknowledges that some Fellows may wish to undertake teaching in order to develop a complete academic portfolio. Teaching allocations must be decided as part of the PPR-AS process, in consultation with the direct supervisor and Assistant Dean (Research). Fellows will not be entitled to additional remuneration for these activities. Fellows are actively encouraged to supervise Higher Degree Research students as Principal or Associate supervisors. The Fellow will have a period of probation of 9 months and must participate in the Performance Planning and Review process for Academic Staff (PPR-AS) (http://www.mopp.qut.edu.au/B/B_09_02.jsp). The PPR-AS will be conducted by the direct supervisor. Senior academic(s) with responsibility for research within the Faculty may also contribute to the Fellows PPR-AS process. The Fellow is required to complete a Progress Report every six months and a Final Report must be forwarded to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Commercialisation) at the time of the completion or termination of the Fellowship. In addition, Fellows must give a public seminar every year. Subject to QUTs Intellectual Property Policy (http://www.mopp.qut.edu.au/D/D_03_01.jsp), intellectual property created during the course of a Fellowship is vested in the University. Fellows are expected to comply with QUTs Code of Conduct for Research (see http://www.mopp.qut.edu.au/D/D_02_06.jsp) At the conclusion of the Fellowship, the Fellow may be offered a further appointment by the host Faculty subject to performance and workforce planning requirements, however the University is under no obligation to do so.

A Fellow may resign their fellowship appointment at any time after the commencement date provided that four months notice (in writing) is given to their direct supervisor. In the event that a Fellow resigns within one year of the Fellowship, the University reserves the right to recover (on a pro rata basis) any expenses paid for the appointment such as relocation and travel. The Research Support Grant is not transferable.

11.Termination of Appointment

A Fellowship appointment may be terminated by the University consistent with the termination provisions of the Universitys Enterprise Agreement for Academic Staff.

12.Further Information

Michael McArdleDirector, Office of ResearchQueensland University of TechnologyTelephone: +61 7 3138 5376Facsimile: +61 7 3138 1304Email: m.mcardle@qut.edu.au

13.Notification of Outcomes

Successful applicants will be notified by the end of November.

2QUT Vice-Chancellors Research Fellowships 2014