Division of Biology and Medicine
BioMed Faculty Administration
BioMed Faculty Tracks
Learn more about faculty tracks, ranks, and criteria for appointment, reappointment, and promotion at Brown.
BioMed Faculty Tracks
Learn more about faculty tracks, ranks, and criteria for appointment, reappointment, and promotion at Brown.
Academic Tracks - All Departments
Academic Faculty includes Research Scholar for Biology departments, and Clinician Scholar, Research Scholar, Teaching Scholar, Pre-track*, and (Research) tracks in Medical/Clinical departments.
Faculty with the titles listed below are physicians, research scientists, or health or allied science professionals whose primary professional efforts are as employees of Brown or of an affiliated organization(s). Excellent clinical skills are considered foundational for all faculty who are engaged in clinical work. Faculty with the titles listed below are voting members of the Brown University faculty in accordance with the Faculty Rules and Regulations of Brown University.
*If Pre-track, faculty must designate their track by the end of their second term as an Assistant Professor.
Faculty Recruitment and Appointments
For new appointments, all academic tracks must be recruited through the search or search waiver process.
All other faculty actions, such as reappointments, junior promotions, terminations, and extensions, are processed through the BMFA Faculty Actions site, with instructions outlined on our Faculty Actions Processes page.
Appointments and Promotions to Senior Ranks
An appointment or promotion to a senior rank on an academic track is submitted to the Committee on Medical Faculty Appointments (CMFA).
(Research)
Starting in AY 2025-26, the University is streamlining Research Faculty appointments. Part of this effort includes reducing new (Research) faculty appointments. New research faculty appointments should use Research Scientists and Assistant, Associate, and full Professor on the Research Scholar Track titles, except in exceptional circumstances. These circumstances could include (Research) appointments required for specific grants or other funding mechanisms, appointments for retiring or departing faculty who maintain grant-activity at Brown, and other similar circumstances.
Faculty appointments in the professorial ranks with the parenthetical suffix "(Research)" are provided for individuals who devote their primary efforts to research, the area of such research having been identified by the division, department or program as being an integral part of its mission. Salary for these positions should primarily come from external funding.
They are voting members of the faculty and, as such, should be voting members of their home unit.
Although individuals in these positions may occasionally teach, such teaching will not normally be part of the continuing responsibility of the (Research) faculty member, and on those occasions when teaching is undertaken, it should not exceed 50% of the effort of the individual faculty member. Faculty appointed as (Research) may advise students, perform Departmental and University service, and are generally expected to engage in the life of their Department.
(Research) faculty may also be designated as Contingent/Concurrent, Visitors, or Adjunct.
Clinician Scholars - Clinical Departments Only
Research Scholars - All Departments
Faculty appointments in the professorial ranks on the Research Scholar track are provided for individuals who devote their primary efforts to research, the area of such research having been identified by the division, department, or program as being an integral part of its mission.
Faculty on the Research Scholar track may also teach, advise and mentor, and engage in service to the Department and University, if required by their Department and/or School.
Faculty on the Research Scholar track are voting members of the University faculty.
Teaching Scholars - Clinical Departments Only
Clinical Faculty Tracks - Clinical Departments Only
Faculty who hold clinical titles may be physicians, or health and allied science professionals who may be community-based practitioners or employees of affiliated organizations or Brown University.
Excellent clinical skills are considered foundational for all faculty who are engaged in clinical work. Faculty with clinical or clinician educator titles have voting rights only within their department and the Medical School in accordance with the Faculty Rules and Regulations of Brown University.
Faculty Recruitment and Actions
All faculty actions, such as appointments, reappointments, terminations, etc., are processed through the BMFA Faculty Actions site with instructions outlined on our Faculty Actions Processes page.
Appointments and Promotions to Senior Ranks
Appointment or promotion to a senior rank on the academic track is put before the Committee on Medical Faculty Appointments (CMFA).
Clinical Track
Clinical faculty are obligated to provide a minimum 100 hours of annual teaching, advising, mentoring and/or service to their department or to Brown University.
These faculty have the prefix “Clinical” before their title, for example, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics.
Clinician Educator Track
Clinician Educators are employees of Brown or of an affiliated organization and are obligated to provide a minimum of 200 hours of annual teaching, advising, mentoring and/or service to their department or to Brown University.
These faculty have “Clinician Educator” following their title, for example, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Clinician Educator.
Tenure Track and Teaching Professor Titles - Biology Departments Only
The tenurable ranks at Brown are Professor, Associate Professor, and Assistant Professor. Those holding these ranks are hired for initial periods of more than one year, and, in the case of tenured faculty, until retirement or resignation. Faculty at these ranks are expected to hold the highest academic degree that can be earned in their fields, and all are expected to engage in research and other scholarly undertakings, teach classes, advise students, and participate in departmental and University activities—all to a high degree of excellence.
A tenure-track appointment is based on the achievements and promise of an individual as both a scholar and a teacher, and carries the responsibility of a commitment to a career in which faculty fully engage in both of these activities. Faculty members are also expected to contribute significantly to the governance of the University. Although faculty members are generally expected to be equally committed to research and teaching excellence, faculty members may, on occasion or in different intervals of their careers, devote considerably more time to one of these activities than the other. Chairs of Departments and Directors of Institutes, Programs and Centers, in consultation with the appropriate Dean, are expected to establish the distribution of research, teaching, and service responsibilities for individual faculty members to maximize the effectiveness of the academic unit. Tenurable members of the faculty are expected to develop independent programs of research that have a major impact on their fields, and tenured members of the faculty are expected to engage in significant research and publication throughout their active careers in accordance with departmental and disciplinary standards. Teaching loads at Brown are based on the assumption that an appreciable amount of time of each faculty member will be devoted to research. Under exceptional circumstances, such as the time requirements of preparing or managing large collaborative projects and grant proposals, faculty may be given permission to consolidate teaching (“course bunching”) with approval from the Department Chair and the appropriate Dean. See 15.4 of the Handbook of Academic Administration for details. Teaching loads may also increase if faculty are less active in research.
Faculty Recruitment and Actions
All tenure-track faculty must be recruited through the search or search waiver process.
New appointments are reviewed by the Tenure, Promotions, and Appointments Committee (TPAC) if they carry tenure, or are at the rank of Associate or Full Professor (with or without tenure), Associate Teaching Professor, or Teaching Professor. The process for appointment and promotion to senior ranks is provided by the Dean of the Faculty.
Tenure Track
Teaching Professor Track
Teaching-track appointments are contingent upon ongoing funding availability and need for the courses and other duties outlined in hire and renewal documentation. In the case of financial exigency, or of a lack of ongoing need for the courses and other duties, Brown reserves the right to not renew a contract for reasons other than performance.
Contingent and Concurrent Appointments on the Teaching Professor Track: There are some cases in which a regular staff position includes some regular teaching responsibilities. In such cases, the incumbent may be appointed into the Teaching Professor track, concurrent with and contingent upon the staff position. These positions are structured and defined so that individuals holding them are expected to be qualified to teach regularly. Teaching is at the discretion of the Director or Chair and is not compensated separately. The contingent and concurrent Teaching Professor track appointment should be for a renewable term of three to five years.
Please note that those holding contingent and concurrent appointments at these ranks are not eligible for scholarly leave. A contingent and concurrent Teaching Professor may, per their department’s standards and criteria, be a voting member of the department; for a contingent and concurrent Teaching Professor to be considered eligible to vote at regular faculty meetings, the department must seek approval of the Faculty Executive Committee.
A Teaching Professor appointment is not appropriately made to accommodate a particular individual, nor to address temporary or irregular teaching needs. In those cases, an Adjunct appointment should be considered.
Other Research Faculty
Research faculty include Research Associates, Investigators, Research Scientists, Senior Research Scientists, and Distinguished Senior Research Scientists. These individuals can be appointed to meet particular and defined needs of a project or program. These positions are generally contingent on available funds, and consequently, such individuals are appointed for limited terms.
Some research faculty members enjoy an ongoing affiliation with Brown, whereas others are appointed to assist with short-term research projects and/or address particular limited-duration research needs. Note that some research faculty members (postdoctoral fellows who receive external fellowships) are not employees of the university.
These faculty do not have voting rights but are eligible to serve as principal investigators on grants.
Emeritus/a Appointment - All Departments
Additional Resources
General Resources
For the most up-to-date information concerning definitions, policies, and procedures, please refer to the Brown Handbook of Academic Administration.
Information and resources designed to assist with faculty development.
Learn more about affiliate appointments for faculty, professionals, and international scholars.
For Department Administrators
Instructions and additional information for completing appointments, reappointments, secondary appointments, terminations, and emeritus actions.
Learn about the several ways in which a department can recruit faculty, including searches, search waivers, and hiring international scholars.
Department Administrators can submit appointment, reappointment, secondary appointment, emeritus, and termination requests directly to our BMFA Actions Site.
Please connect with our office if you have any questions or run into difficulty with the Actions Site.
Please connect with our office if you have any questions or run into difficulty with the Actions Site.
For Biology Faculty
The Office of BioMed Faculty Administration works in collaboration with the Dean of the Faculty to support faculty in basic science departments at Brown.
Tenure and Promotion provide resources and support for annual reviews, reappointments, tenure, and promotion cases, as well as guidance for dossier preparation.
Dean of Faculty departmental Standards and Criteria, and Annual and Mid-contract reviews.
For Clinical Faculty
Learn more about standards and criteria for faculty appointment and promotion.
Promotions to senior faculty positions in Biology (Research) and Medical/Clinical departments at Brown are managed by BMFA in conjunction with the Committee on Medical Faculty Appointments (CMFA).
Information and resources for current medical/clinical faculty at Brown University.
Forms and Documents
Access BMFA's most up-to-date forms and documents related to searches, pre-selects, templates, reviews, self-assessments, sabbatical, and more.