The Faculty Fellow Program is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR). The program:
- expands familiarity with VPR operations among the staff and faculty;
- develops leadership capacity among the staff and faculty;
- improves VPR operations through staff and faculty input; and
- does not support staff and faculty in developing their own research grant proposals, promoting the goals of a particular center, or carrying out a project focused on a single department or college.
About the Program
Staff and faculty (including research faculty) participating in the program receive 40 percent salary support from the VPR Office and are released from all teaching obligations during the term of the appointment. Departments/Colleges retain the released salary to provide resources to cover the Fellow’s teaching load during the term of the appointment. Appointments are for one year with the possibility of renewal for a second year pending Department/College approval.
Please note that faculty fellows assist VPR staff with a project associated with one of the four areas listed below. In order to learn more and identify one of the four areas to propose to work on, prospective applicants must contact the staff member listed below in the area in which they would like to work by mid January before the application deadline in February each year. Once the applicant has developed a mutually beneficial project focus with that staff member, they will share a link with the applicant for them to apply.
Areas of Appointment
For the 2026-2027 academic year (beginning Fall 2026), there are four possible Fellow appointment areas:
- Faculty Fellow, Sponsored Programs (ex: pre- and post-award processing and administration). To discuss a project in this area, contact Kelly Kallio at kmkallio@mtu.edu.
- Faculty Fellow, Research Integrity (ex: helping the Research Integrity Office develop their offerings to researchers across campus in the areas of HRPP, ARPP, laboratory safety, Responsible Conduct of Research, Research Misconduct, shared facilities, centers and institutes). To discuss a project in this area, contact Brent Burns at bburns@mtu.edu.
- Faculty Fellow, Research Development (ex: helping the Research Development Office develop their offerings to researchers across campus in areas such as strengthening proposal development support, enhancing research collaboration, learning about and engaging with research sponsors). To discuss a project in this area, contact Pete Larsen at palarsen@mtu.edu.
- Faculty Fellow, Commercialization (ex: translational research, technology de-risking, proprietary projection strategy, management talent recruitment, value proposition development, customer discovery). To discuss a project in this area, contact Mike Morley at mcmorley@mtu.edu.
How to Apply
Staff and faculty (including research faculty) wishing to be considered must submit a one-to-two-page letter of interest as directed by their VPR staff contact by February 12, 2026 at 4 p.m. Letters should specify one of the four possible areas of appointment, particular project ideas (actual assignments will be developed through discussion with VPR and appropriate administrative units), relevance of the Fellow appointment to the individual’s career goals, and any other relevant information.
Relevant Department Chair or Dean letters of support should also be attached.
How to Reapply
For Faculty Fellows considering a second year Fellowship, a short [2-3 page] description of a specific project idea that would both deepen the value of the experience to the Fellow and address an institutional issue identified during the first Fellowship year should be submitted by the same deadline date for first-year Fellowship applicants. Project ideas can be developed in cooperation with relevant administrative units.
This application should be accompanied by a letter of support from the relevant Chair or Dean. Second year Fellowships will be awarded based on the availability of funds and the project idea submitted.
One or two appointments will be offered by March 31, 2026, with an anticipated Fall 2026 start date.