Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for University Fellow

🎯 Role Definition

The University Fellow is an early- to mid-career academic professional who leads and supports high-impact research, curriculum design, teaching, mentorship, and institutional initiatives. This role combines scholarly activity, grant writing and management, pedagogical innovation, and cross-departmental collaboration to advance the university’s research agenda and student success. University Fellows work with faculty, students, external partners, and administrative teams to design programs, publish findings, secure funding, and translate research into practice.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Postdoctoral Researcher / Postdoc
Lecturer or Adjunct Faculty
Research Associate / Research Scientist

Advancement To:

Assistant Professor / Tenure-Track Faculty
Senior Research Fellow / Principal Investigator
Director of Research Programs or Center

Lateral Moves:

Academic Program Manager
Teaching Professor / Clinical Faculty
Research Administrator / Grants Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead original, publishable research projects aligned with departmental priorities, including designing study protocols, conducting literature reviews, collecting and analyzing data, and authoring peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers.
Develop, write, and submit competitive grant proposals to federal agencies, foundations, and industry partners; manage grant budgets, deliverables, compliance requirements, and reporting schedules.
Design, develop, and deliver undergraduate and/or graduate courses and seminars using evidence-based pedagogical practices; prepare syllabi, assessments, and inclusive learning materials aligned with program outcomes.
Supervise, mentor, and train undergraduate and graduate students on research projects, thesis development, lab techniques, fieldwork, data analysis, and professional development; monitor progress and provide formative feedback.
Coordinate interdisciplinary research collaborations across departments, centers, and external institutions, negotiating roles, timelines, authorship agreements, and resource sharing.
Manage research labs, field sites, or program teams, including recruiting and supervising research staff, scheduling work, maintaining safety protocols, and ensuring ethical conduct in line with IRB and institutional policies.
Disseminate research findings through high-quality publications, policy briefs, technical reports, and public presentations to academic, practitioner, and community audiences.
Lead course and curriculum development initiatives, integrating new pedagogical models, technology-enhanced learning (Canvas, Moodle, LMS), and measurable learning assessments to increase student engagement and retention.
Translate research into practical applications, policy recommendations, or community programs; engage stakeholders to pilot interventions and evaluate outcomes using mixed methods.
Maintain and contribute to institutional service by participating in faculty committees, program reviews, admissions panels, and strategic planning working groups.
Develop and implement evaluation frameworks and metrics to assess program impact, student learning outcomes, and research effectiveness; prepare data-driven reports for funders and administrators.
Foster external partnerships with industry, government, community organizations, and academic consortia to secure sponsorships, internships, and collaborative research opportunities.
Present research at national and international conferences, workshops, and invited lectures to raise the profile of the program and university; prepare conference abstracts, posters, and invited talks.
Ensure compliance with institutional review board (IRB), human subjects protections, lab safety, financial regulations, and sponsor reporting requirements.
Manage project timelines, fiscal budgets, procurement, and subcontractor relationships to keep research and programmatic work on schedule and within budgetary constraints.
Recruit and onboard visiting scholars, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate research assistants; lead orientation and develop mentorship plans that align with institutional goals.
Curate and maintain research datasets, repositories, and documentation; apply FAIR data principles and reproducible research practices, including version control and metadata standards.
Support translational activities such as patent filing, technology transfer, entrepreneurship programs, and collaboration with university innovation or commercialization offices.
Design and deliver professional development workshops for faculty, staff, and students on grant writing, research methods, pedagogy, equity-minded teaching, and career readiness.
Lead community engagement and outreach initiatives, including organizing symposia, public lectures, K–12 partnerships, and stakeholder consultations to increase access and impact.
Conduct needs assessments and market analyses to inform program development, certificate offerings, executive education, or continuing education opportunities that align with labor market demand.
Monitor and report on research performance indicators, publication metrics, and external funding pipelines; maintain an active professional profile (ORCID, Google Scholar, LinkedIn).
Serve as a primary point of contact for program evaluation, accreditation preparation, and external audits; compile documentation and facilitate site visits.
Mentor junior faculty and contribute to peer review of teaching, research proposals, and departmental initiatives to build institutional capacity and succession pipelines.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Coordinate logistics for research workshops, symposia, and visiting speaker series, including budgeting, travel arrangements, and promotional materials.
Assist with student recruitment and retention initiatives, including review of applications, interviewing candidates, and advising prospective students.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of funding trends, regulatory changes, and best practices in higher education through continuous professional development.
Prepare publicity copy, website content, and social media posts to promote research outputs, events, and fellowship opportunities.
Provide subject-matter expertise for institutional committees, accreditation teams, and external reviewers.
Support faculty searches and hiring processes by participating in candidate interviews, screening materials, and reference checks.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Grant writing and funder relations — demonstrated ability to write competitive proposals, manage budgets, and comply with sponsor reporting (NIH, NSF, NEH, foundations).
Research methods — advanced competence in quantitative and qualitative methods, study design, survey instruments, experimental/field protocols, and mixed-methods integration.
Data analysis & software — proficiency in R, Python, Stata, SPSS, or SAS for statistical modeling; experience with data cleaning, longitudinal analysis, and reproducible workflows.
Data visualization & reporting — experience using Tableau, Power BI, ggplot2, matplotlib, or similar tools to create publication-quality figures and dashboards.
Learning management systems & instructional technology — experience with Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, Zoom, Panopto, and multimedia course development.
Academic publishing & scholarly communication — proven record of peer-reviewed publications, editing, and familiarity with open access, preprints, and DOI management.
Institutional compliance & ethics — knowledge of IRB processes, human subjects protections, and research integrity policies.
Project & program management — experience with Gantt charts, MS Project, Asana, Trello, or similar tools to manage multi-year projects and team deliverables.
Budgeting & financial oversight — ability to develop budgets, track expenditures, manage subawards, and ensure fiscal compliance.
Qualitative software & GIS (preferred) — familiarity with NVivo, ATLAS.ti, QGIS, or ArcGIS for spatial and thematic analysis.
Reproducible research practices — version control (Git/GitHub), containerization (Docker), and data documentation (metadata, README files).
Curriculum design & assessment — competency in backward design, learning outcomes, rubric creation, and accreditation standards.
Stakeholder engagement & partnership development — demonstrated success in building community, industry, or government partnerships for research and education.

Soft Skills

Strong written and verbal communication tailored to academic, donor, and public audiences.
Mentorship and coaching — ability to develop students and junior scholars with empathy and accountability.
Collaborative leadership — proven experience leading interdisciplinary teams and facilitating consensus.
Critical thinking and problem-solving — capacity to synthesize complex information and propose actionable strategies.
Organizational skills and attention to detail — managing competing deadlines, compliance documentation, and publication pipelines.
Adaptability and resilience — comfortable working in dynamic academic environments and shifting priorities.
Cultural competency and inclusivity — commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusive pedagogy and research practices.
Presentation and public speaking — effective at conference talks, workshops, and stakeholder briefings.
Negotiation and diplomacy — skillful at managing authorship, resource allocation, and institutional politics.
Time management and prioritization — able to balance research, teaching, service, and administrative responsibilities.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Master's degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., Education, Social Sciences, STEM, Humanities), plus demonstrable research experience; or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Education:

Ph.D. or terminal degree in a relevant field with a strong record of research, teaching experience, and peer-reviewed publications.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Education, Higher Education Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction
Sociology, Psychology, Economics, Political Science
STEM fields (Biology, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Science)
Humanities and Interdisciplinary Studies
Public Policy, Public Health, Social Work

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–7 years of post-degree experience in academic research, teaching, or program management; postdoctoral experience highly valued.

Preferred:

3–10 years with a track record of successful grant submissions, supervised student research, curricular innovation, and peer-reviewed publications.
Experience with interdisciplinary collaboration, institutional service, and community engagement is strongly preferred.