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Affiliate Application

Affiliate Faculty Member Status

In order to build a UF-wide microbiology graduate program, the faculty of Microbiology and Cell Science (MCS) are inviting interested faculty from other departments to apply for affiliate faculty member status in our department. The long-term goals of this UF-wide program are to enhance the graduate learning experience for incoming graduate students, increase the visibility of microbiology as a discipline at UF, and increase our competitiveness for future training grants. Affiliate status allows a faculty member outside MCS to Chair a graduate student’s committee in our department.
Microbiology and Cell Science is interested in adding new affiliate faculty fulfilling the following criteria:

  1. Tenure-track faculty at UF and eligible for Graduate Faculty status in MCS
  2. Vigorous high-quality research program.
  3. Commitment and ability for providing an outstanding research training environment and serving as a mentor to educate graduate students.
  4. Research focus match with the broad span of areas encompassed by MCS and sought by MCS students.
  5. Evidence of, or potential for, program participation and collegial interactions such as by attendance at student seminars, service on thesis committees, scientific collaborations, etc.
  6. Potential for other contributions to the program such as by service on program committees, teaching in courses taken by MCS students, etc.
  7. Graduate education experience or potential.
  8. Ability to support research training of students as shown by research funding or potential.
    (It is recognized that new faculty often have not established as extensive a training or funding record as more senior faculty, and this aspect is considered in evaluating applicants.)

Microbiology and Cell Science affiliate faculty have privileges and responsibilities:

  1. Eligibility to serve as lab rotation and thesis advisors for outstanding graduate students.
  2. Role in program governance. The Microbiology and Cell Science department has a particular role in the support and governance of the program, but affiliate faculty outside of this department also serve as representatives on all program activities of the graduate studies committee including recruiting, admissions, advising, and development. The development subcommittee will be responsible for the submission of training grants to NSF, NIH, and/or USDA.
  3. Participation in the MCS core courses in the first 2 years by presenting at least two guest lectures. If you are already participating in the graduate curriculum of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology department, no further teaching will be required to join the MCS program.
  4. Financial responsibility for support of MCS thesis students in your lab at the program stipend level, which is currently $27,000 (adjusted annually).
  5. If an MCS rotation student joins your lab for thesis research, obligation for an approximate “payback” to the program for support of the student (stipend, fringe benefits, tuition) during the rotation in your lab. One month’s support is assessed.
  6. Enabling MCS thesis students in your lab to fulfill program requirements including major and minor coursework, teaching experience, and student seminar requirements.
  7. Being subject to periodic affiliate review approximately every 5 years. If you are interested in renewing affiliate status, you must provide information to the program. Your application for renewal will be evaluated for program participation, student success, and ongoing funding status.
  8. Adherence to all requirements for faculty and students as outlined in the program guidelines.
  9. Active participation in the recruitment of new graduate students will be requested from time to time. This will be accomplished, in part, by affiliate faculty members serving on our Graduate Studies Committee.

Application deadline and timeframe for review

The process of becoming an MCS affiliate involves a faculty member’s application and then review by the tenure track faculty of the MCS department. The application deadline is May 1 for a single annual review process. This timing is designed to allow review by the department for a decision to be reached prior to the rotation period for new students in the fall. Only rarely will exceptions to the deadline be considered, such as when new faculty join the university and there is adequate justification to evaluate the application outside of the normal cycle. In such a case, the review process may take more time than usual.

The application consists of 3 components

  1. Complete this application.
  2. Submit an NIH-style biosketch or more extensive CV (submitted with the application above).
  3. Submit a list of research funding such as NIH-style “other support” page.

These materials must be submitted as email attachments (preferable) or by campus mail to the program staff at ewt@ufl.edu by May 1 of each year.

Review Process

The Steering Committee’s review of application materials may result in 3 outcomes:

  1. Approval of Affiliate status.
  2. Invitation to the applicant for an informal meeting with the graduate studies committee to get acquainted and discuss the program, the applicant’s research, and components of the application before the department votes on whether to recommend approval of affiliate status. This outcome is common for new faculty.
  3. Decision not to recommend Affiliate status, which ends the process.

Once approved for affiliate status, MCS will complete ePAF, which is required to officially obtain Affiliate Status at UF. Once completed, the form will be routed to the appropriate parties for their signatures.