Professorial Fellow (Research)

Applicants are expected to play a leadership role in research including postgraduate supervision within the University and should normally hold the rank of Associate Professor. An academic seeking promotion to Professorial Fellow will be expected to have demonstrated exceptionally distinguished scholarly achievements and will normally be recognised as an eminent international authority in his/her discipline. The applicant will normally hold the rank of Associate Professor within the University, and will be required to have made an exceptional contribution to scholarship by research. Teaching and service to the University, the profession and the community will also be considered. In the case of teaching and research staff the applicant must provide evidence of satisfactory teaching and community service.

Where applicants seeking promotion have fractional appointments, the University expects the same level and quality of achievements and international recognition as full time academic staff. In terms of the quantity of output, such as teaching load, research publications and service, the expectation is of at least pro-rata output consistent with the level of achievement required for promotion.

The Promotions and Tenure Committee will give due consideration to matters such as broken careers (perhaps due to family responsibilities) and differing opportunities for research output, by comparing rates of achievements rather than total aggregates.

The requirement here is for sustained, substantial and exceptional research and scholarship (or other creative work, in the case of appointments in the Arts). This could be demonstrated in a number of ways, including:

• publication in refereed journals, books, performances and other scholarly works, invitations to present keynote addresses at international meetings and chapters in international books, election to learned academies and other recognition such as awards, prizes and honorary degrees,
• fostering the research of other groups and individuals in the School, and related disciplines,
• successful supervision of post graduate students and willingness to supervise major honours or postgraduate research projects,
• experience in the development of research policy.

Documentation should demonstrate completed publication (or the equivalent including patents granted, compositions performed and reviewed, paintings exhibited and favourably reviewed, successful product marketing, etc.) during the period since appointment or any past promotion.

References to publications should be given in full with, for example, exact pagination and dating. Outstanding performance on indicators (a) and (b) is essential as is demonstrated international recognition and/or outstanding rating on one or more of the other indicators.

1. Publication in refereed journals or series, or by publishers recognised as leaders in the field. Applicants should give explicit justification for this, for instance, a brief explanation of the exclusiveness of the refereed journals or the quality of the publishing houses which have produced their work. In studio arts or architecture there is an equivalent gamut of publication, ranging from appearance in juried shows or collections, through the invited one-person show at a distinguished gallery or institution, down to the level of mere appearance at a mixed gallery – roughly the equivalent of the selected conference paper for the usual academic disciplines. Merely completing works of art or architecture has absolutely no value for establishing status, any more than merely completing research papers. In musical composition, the work or the soloist must have been chosen for performance in a competitive or highly selective context, or must be favourably reviewed by independent reviewers. Publication in less prestigious formats will also be considered but will depend more heavily for its weighting on independent and authoritative assessment of merit, as in (b) or (d) below.

2. High ratings of the publications and other research or creative work – as attested (where appropriate) by citations indices, by references in published literature which cite the applicant’s work as definitive or in letters from distinguished scholars, critics in the field (a substantial number of whom must come from outside the University of Western Australia) or significant figures from industry. The Committee will, of course, call for assessors’ reports which might be all that is required.

3. Value to industry and community of knowledge, processes and products developed.

4. Favourable published reviews of the publications or creative works.

5. Awards by professional associations for outstanding research or creative work.

6. Invitations to positions, lectures or demonstration at outstanding institutions or leading professional conferences.

7. Grants based on competitive jury recommendations.

8. Research leadership, as evidenced by team achievements or, with suitable justifications, citation indexes.

9. Breadth of expertise.

10. Any other clear evidence of exceptional contribution to the chosen field.

Research publications and other achievements should be organised under the headings used by the University in the evaluation of research output of Schools.

Applicants should demonstrate a significant personal contribution and commitment to high quality teaching at all levels. Evidence should also be demonstrated of an active role being played in the maintenance of academic standards and in the development of educational policy and of curriculum areas within the discipline.

Teaching aims to impart or inspire valuable knowledge, skills or approaches in a form and at a rate that is challenging but manageable for students, and to an extent that benefits students more than merely reading or viewing available material. Documentation of outstanding teaching should therefore focus on demonstrating a superior level of performance in some of the following areas and satisfactory performance in the rest.

1. Expertise in the parts of the subject matter that are being taught

   Documentation here would be likely to involve statements from expert peers, or publication of extensive research or good texts in the relevant area(s). The provision of teaching materials (including films of presentations) will be viewed as incomplete without some independent evaluation of their merit.

2. Success in imparting or inspiring learning in the students

   Documentation here would require either favourable, reliable student ratings, or else a demonstration of success in learning based on a comparison of results in this class against some standard that defines what is possible or admirable for similar students. Student testimonials may be directed to the Chair of the Promotions and Tenure Committee.

3. Coverage of the specified curriculum content and of the standard teaching load in the School. Documentation might be provided by teachers of subsequent courses in a sequence or from the Head or from peers in another University

4. Satisfactory testing and reporting of the results of tests. Documentation by the Head, who may need to consult with previous Heads if recently appointed as Head

5. Postgraduate and honours supervision, adequately documented

6. Conscientious work on out-of-class matters associated with teaching, such as curriculum committees, help with the student club or interest group, and the provision of career guidance. Documentation as for (d) plus, if possible, some student evaluations

7. Initiatives taken in the development of new courses, teaching methods, assessment methods, laboratory experiments, etc., including those which take account of differences in learning style based on gender and cultural diversity

8. Providing a learning environment which meets the needs of a diversity of students

9. Awards for excellence in teaching

To demonstrate outstanding performance in the teaching area of the kind that would be essential for someone applying for promotion on the basis of teaching alone (and desirable for anyone including teaching as part of the basis for promotion) would further require evidence of excellence in one or more of the areas above and should also be supported by quality evidence bearing on some of the following:

• Favourable reviews or significant adoptions of innovative published or circulated instructional material (this is taken to include software, curricula, demonstrations, films, devices, etc.)
• Invitations to lecture or demonstrate at conferences on the teaching of the applicant's discipline, or to serve on national or international committees on teaching or curriculum in the applicant's area(s).
• Evidence of systematic experimentation on, or scholarly analysis and evaluation of, alternative and innovative teaching approaches or materials, such as the development of inclusive curricula.
• Publications on aspects of teaching or the results of research on teaching, in the applicant's disciplinary area that demonstrated a scholarly level of expertise in that literature.

This is normally considered under two headings: service within the University and service outside the University. As in the preceding categories, quantity and quality should be documented in any cases where emphasis is being placed on the service component. Documentation should be from peers familiar with the contributions in each specific sub-area.

1. Within the University:

   1. Participation in policy development, committees, supervision or advice at School, faculty and institutional level. Contributions to further the University's equity goals and programmes should be documented here. Applicants should be able to demonstrate a willingness to be involved in these matters and to represent the discipline at School, faculty and University level.
   2. Demonstrated ability to encourage and foster the work of others and to promote a supportive, collegiate environment.
   3. Demonstrated academic leadership through actively promoting high standards of professional behaviour, mentoring staff, fostering teamwork and actively contributing to the development of a strategic direction for the School.

2. Outside the University:

   The demonstration of leadership in community affairs, particularly those related to the discipline, and an ability to liaise and communicate effectively with members of the community, and where appropriate, professional and industry bodies will be considered.

A service portfolio is considered a requirement for this level.