School of Science

Principal Investigator Status Policy

Faculty, Senior Research Scientists and Principal Research Scientists are given PI status in accordance with Policies and Procedures. PI status for research scientists, Instructors and visiting faculty/scientists require the approval of the Department Head/Lab Director and the Dean. Requests for PI status are considered by the Dean on a proposal by proposal basis in a limited set of circumstances. Requests must generally meet the following guidelines to be considered:

1. The project must be small in scope and dollars
2 The project cannot be a significant source of salary coverage for the PI
3. The project cannot be done by anyone else in the individuals research area
4. The project must fit in with the overall research program of individuals faculty supervisor or must be deemed critical to the unit by the department head and or lab director.

In every instance, we ensure that a senior faculty member is providing oversight to the research scientist, instructor or visiting scientist.
Outside the conditions outlined above, the Dean of Science has made the following special arrangements for PI status:
1. Instructors in the Department of Math are allowed to submit proposals under an administrative PI. The administrative PI must be a senior faculty member.
2. Research Scientists and Postdoctoral Associates/Fellows in the Center for Space Research are allowed to be the Science PI on NASA observer proposal. A senior faculty member is always an administrative PI on these proposals. These observer proposals are small dollar and do not involve salary support for the science PI. (The Dean grants Science PI status on a proposal by proposal basis.)
3. The Computational Biology Fellow (a Research Scientist) has been granted blanket PI status for all proposals. This was part of the arrangements made at the time of offer.