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This winter, Academic Council approved a new Junior Faculty Research Leave Program. The Program is effective July 1, 2000.
The purpose of the Junior Faculty Research Leave Program is to assist untenured faculty in their pre-tenure years by providing a concentrated period of time during which they can engage in research to advance their careers.
The research leave is a one-semester leave with pay, taken during years two to six of the faculty member's probationary period. All tenure track faculty are eligible for the leave. This leave may not be taken during the faculty member's first year of appointment or the last year at MIT. Faculty members who have been given a terminal appointment may not be granted a research leave.
Faculty members should apply to their department head for the research leave. Faculty are expected to consult with their mentors and the department head about the timing of leaves to ensure the best use of the opportunity and to be consistent with the faculty member's teaching and other obligations.
The application should be in the form of a proposal outlining how the faculty member will use the time and how the work proposed fits into the faculty member's research agenda. Applications should be submitted to department heads based on their local schedules, keeping in mind that planning and financing are part of the annual budget process. The dean of the School and the provost must approve all applications.
Junior Faculty Leaves are intended for research and should not be confused with other types of leave, such as Personal Leave or Parental Leave, or with the various relief from teaching arrangements Schools have in place. Leaves must be taken during the second through the sixth year and are lost if not taken. These leaves should also not be confused with the traditional Faculty Sabbatical which is only available to faculty who have been awarded tenure.
The Junior Faculty Leave does not stop the tenure clock and does not affect the timing of sabbaticals that might be awarded to junior faculty if they are subsequently awarded tenure. Departments may, at their discretion and expense, extend the leave beyond one semester or provide additional considerations, including components of a faculty start-up package or teaching relief.
During the transition period (school years 2000-2001 and 2001-2002) where existing junior faculty who have not previously had this opportunity take advantage of this new program, the following schedule applies. In Year 1, 2000-2001, leaves are only available to faculty who are in the fifth and sixth years on the tenure track. In 2001-2002, the leave is available to faculty in years three through six. In the third and subsequent years, faculty in years two through six may take the leave.
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