The Specialist series is used for academic appointees who are engaged in any specialized research, professional activity, and University and/or public service and who do not have any formal teaching responsibilities. Specialists are expected to use their professional expertise to make scientific and scholarly contributions to the research enterprise of the University and to achieve recognition in the professional and scientific community. Specialists may participate in University and/or public service depending upon funding source and the duties required by the job description for the position.

The Specialist may work without direct supervision, but usually not independently. They provide a service to a supervisor, a group, or the institution. Specialists may not serve as Principal Investigators, but may serve as Co-Principal Investigators by exception and with a member of the Professor or Research Scientist series.

The Specialist series, the Specialist in the Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Specialist in the Scripps Institution of Oceanography are the same title series, differing in their source of funding. Specialists in the Agricultural Experiment Station must follow the guidelines for appointments in the Agricultural Experiment Station

PPM 230-330-8 Types

APM 330-8

PPM 230-330-10 Criteria

APM 330-10

PPM 230-330-11 Qualifications

APM 330-16

PPM 230-330-16 Restrictions

APM 330-16

PPM 230-330-18 Salary

PPM 230-330-18.a

Individuals appointed to the Specialist series are compensated on the fiscal-year salary scales issued by the Office of the President for the Specialist series. New appointees are normally paid at the minimum salary rate for the rank to which they are appointed.

APM 330-18. b

APM 330-18. c

APM 330-18. d

PPM 230-330-20 Term of Employment

APM 330-20

PPM 230-330-21 Conditions of Employment

APM 330-21

PPM 230-330-24 Academic File Review and Final Authority

No appointment, reappointment or academic review action is final until there has been an academic review and the individual with final authority has approved the action.

The UC San Diego Authority and Review Chart sets forth the individual(s) and/or committees responsible for review, as well as the final authority for approval.

PPM 230-330-80 Recommendation and Review

APM 330-80. a

APM 330-80. b

PPM 230-330-80. c

Advancement to Above-Scale Advancement to Above-Scale status involves an overall career review and is reserved for only the most highly distinguished Specialists whose (1) work of sustained and continuing excellence has attained national and international recognition and broad acclaim reflective of its significant impact, (2) professional achievement is outstanding, and (3) service is highly meritorious. Advancement requires demonstration of additional merit and distinction beyond the performance on which advancement to Step V was based.

At UC San Diego, advancement to Specialist, Above Scale, is reserved for Specialists with records of outstanding, distinguished performance, judged in an arena substantially broader than the particular research groups with which they are associated. Testimonials from outstanding extramural research groups in the same or related fields will be necessary in order to document the level of performance required for advancement to Specialist, Above Scale. In some instances, advancement to the Above Scale level may be justified on the basis of the Specialist's publications, or on their own scientific, technical, or otherwise creative contributions (as compared to contributions to a group effort).

Except in rare and compelling cases, advancement will not occur in less than four years at Step V; mere length of service and continued performance at Step V is not justification for further advancement. A further merit increase for an individual already serving at Above-Scale salary level must be justified by new evidence of distinguished achievement; continued performance is not an adequate justification. Only in the most superior cases with strong and compelling evidence will a further increase be approved at an interval shorter than four years.

Procedural guidelines are available in the Academic Personnel Process Manual.

REVISION HISTORY

July 1, 2017 This policy was made effective.

April 20, 2018 Minor technical edits to update names and policy hyperlinks.

March 31, 2020 Technical edits to remove gendered language.