2.5.A. Definition

Faculty in the School of Medicine are predominantly in the University Tenure Line or University Medical Line.  The Non-Tenure Line (Research), also known as the Research Line, is used for special programmatic needs that are not fulfilled by faculty in these other lines.  Appointments are made coterminous with continued salary or other support from sponsored projects.

Faculty appointed in the Research Line generally have special expertise in a relatively narrow field that is of particular benefit to a broader clinical or research program.  Typically, such special expertise expands the academic impact of strong clinical or other research programs ongoing in the School of Medicine.  Such faculty have been especially attractive to the clinical departments where a successful academic program may depend upon the expertise of a focused Research Line faculty member whose work addresses issues pertinent to a busy clinical program.  Most of the faculty in the Research Line are recruited to be part of a program with a multidisciplinary need.

A position in the Research Line may be especially attractive to basic investigators who desire an intensive collaboration with clinical programs and for whom the stimulation of the clinical program is critical to the expression of their research.  Indeed, the ability to collaborate effectively with others is generally a critical factor in a Research Line faculty member’s ability to fill successfully the programmatic need for which the position was created.

Since this faculty line is specifically designated for research, there is no formal teaching obligation.  However, Research Line faculty often teach actively in their laboratories, and they may also teach departmental courses.  The School of Medicine generally discourages significant clinical time commitments for faculty in this line.

Research Line faculty are members of the Professoriate and of the Academic Council of Stanford University and of the School of Medicine’s Faculty Council.