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Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Faculty Affairs Office

Investigator Gateway to Promotion & Tenure

Career advancement for faculty appointed on the Investigator career track occurs through developing an independent, extramurally-funded research program that results in a body of publications and scholarly work that achieves national recognition. Investigators are appointed on one of two pathways: 

  • Scientist
  • Physician-Scientist

 

Planning Your Journey

Select your current tenure status and rank to learn how to prepare for tenure and/or your next promotion.
  

Below are resources to help tenure-eligible faculty navigate their career and work towards promotion and the award of tenure (typically tenure is awarded at the time of promotion to Associate Professor). The milestones below are based on the standard 9-year tenure clock at Feinberg, so this timeline may need adjustment if your clock is a different length. If you transferred to Feinberg after beginning your faculty career at another academic institution, consider your start date at the Assistant Professor level (at any institution) as the beginning of your journey in marking the milestones identified below.
  

Key Focus: Develop an independent, extramurally-funded research program and resulting body of publications and scholarly work that is nationally recognized for its impact in your field of investigation

 Early in Tenure Clock (Years 1-3)


 Interim Review (Year 3)

The Faculty Affairs Office will notify you when it is time for your first interim review by the school's Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure (APT) Committee and deans. This process offers feedback intended to facilitate your success in obtaining tenure. For more information, see Interim Review for Tenure-eligible Faculty.

 Middle of Tenure Clock (Years 4-6)

  • Develop an action plan to address the feedback from your 3-year interim review, and implement it throughout years 4-6
  • Continue to meet with your full mentoring committee at least annually (and individual mentors as needed), and engage them in helping you to address feedback from your interim review
  • Incorporate education, teaching, and service activities into your portfolio of career activity along with your research (and clinical work, if applicable)
  • Work towards obtaining a second round of extramural funding, with the goal of securing a second round of funding in years 4-8 (i.e., the latter half) of your tenure clock
  • Begin to identify external referees who hold the rank of Associate Professor or Professor and think about how to build relationships. See the Referee List page for guidance.
  • Grow your reputation nationally; view the external professional recognition page for guidance

 Interim Review (Year 6)

The Faculty Affairs Office will notify you when it is time for your second interim review by the school's Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure (APT) Committee and deans. This process offers feedback intended to facilitate your success in obtaining tenure. For more information, see Interim Review for Tenure-eligible Faculty.

 Late in Tenure Clock (Years 7-8)

  • Develop an action plan to address the feedback from your 6-year interim review, and implement it in years 7-8
  • Continue to meet with your full mentoring committee at least annually (and individual mentors as needed), and engage them in helping you to address feedback from your interim review
  • Secure a second round of extramural funding by year 8
  • Demonstrate that you have achieved national recognition for your work
  • Solidify the list of external referees at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor who could evaluate your work. See the Referee List page for guidance.
  • Build a case to demonstrate the likelihood of your maintaining a high-impact research program into the future; the award of tenure recognizes not only achievement to date, but the likelihood of continuing to perform high-impact research throughout the remainder of your career 

 Apply for Tenure (Year 8)
Expect to begin the tenure application process half-way into your 8th year, or 1.5 years before expiration of your tenure clock.

Tenure-eligible faculty must submit an application for tenure in the calendar year prior to the expiration of their tenure clock. If your clock ends on 8/31/2025, then your application is due to the Faculty Affairs Office by August 2024.

Tenure / promotion always take effect on September 1 of a given year, and Feinberg has a structured annual review cycle that, in combination with your department's internal review process, may kick off as early as 20 months before the effective date of an approved promotion. In other words, plan to start the formal application process about 1.5 years before your tenure clock end date.

Key Considerations for the Award of Tenure

  1. Have you developed a robust independent, extramurally-funded research program and achieved a second round of funding?
  2. Have you published original peer-reviewed investigations as first or last author?
  3. Do you have evidence of a national reputation? View the external professional recognition page for guidance.
  4. Can you list 6-8 external referees at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor (who are not close collaborators and who do not have a training connection to you) who could write letters of reference in support of your tenure application? See the Referee List page for guidance.
  5. Can you demonstrate the likelihood that you will continue to perform high-impact research throughout your career? 

Initiate the Application Process

You must apply for tenure in the calendar year preceding your tenure clock expiration date. Applying for tenure earlier than that is possible, but is reserved for extraordinary achievement, meaning you have achieved the expectations of a 9-year clock in a timeline shorter than 9 years. In other words, being "on track" to achieve tenure at the 9-year mark does not warrant applying for tenure early. Faculty who have received a tenure clock extension (e.g., for childbearing, COVID-19, etc.) are not required to use the extension, so can apply for tenure on the 9-year clock timeline even if their clock is longer than 9 years.  

  1. Contact your department leadership to ensure there is alignment on the timing of your application for tenure
    • It is a good idea to have a draft of your Feinberg CV and your referee list prepared at this stage for review by department leadership, who can advise you on readiness for promotion/tenure and let you know about your department's internal process for nominating promotion candidates.
  2. View the Annual Promotion Cycle page to understand the timeline, prepare your packet, and access resources for the current promotion cycle. 

Below are resources to help current Associate Professors navigate their career and plan for promotion to full Professor. At Feinberg, we expect that faculty hold the rank of Associate Professor for a minimum of 5 years before promotion to Professor, but there is no deadline by which you must be promoted. The guidance below establishes milestones for those who aspire to obtain promotion by the 5-year mark, but is just as useful for those whose journey is a different length.

Key Focus: Demonstrate a sustained impact in your field of investigation through continuation of your independent research program and accompanying body of publications and scholarly works, growing your national and international recognition
   

 I'm building towards promotion...
Years 1-3 (or later) as Associate Professor


  • Sustain your research program; obtain another cycle of funding beyond what you had in your tenure-eligible years and continue to publish in high-impact journals. An accelerating publication rate after tenure is favorable and speaks to the sustainability of your research program and your impact in the field. 
  • Maintain educational, teaching, and service activities, with increasing demonstration of leadership through these roles
  • Become familiar with the Promotion & Tenure Information Program and Information Guide for Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure
  • Use the Feinberg Faculty Portal to maintain your faculty profile
  • Maintain your Feinberg CV and Record of Teaching on an ongoing basis; consider using the Feinberg Faculty Portal to track your career activity for these purposes
  • Use the annual performance review process to discuss your career plans with your department chair or division chief and obtain feedback on your progress towards promotion
  • Begin to identify external referees who hold the rank of Professor and think about how to build relationships. See the Referee List page for guidance.
  • Expand your reputation nationally and internationally; view the external professional recognition page for guidance
  • Build a case to demonstrate the likelihood of your maintaining a high-impact research program into the future; promotion to tenured Professor recognizes not only achievement to date, but the likelihood of continuing to perform high-impact research throughout the remainder of your career 

 I'm ready to apply for promotion!
Middle of Year 3 (or later) as Associate Professor

Promotions always take effect on September 1 of a given year, and Feinberg has a structured annual review cycle that, in combination with your department's internal review process, may kick off as early as 20 months before the effective date of an approved promotion. In other words, plan to start the formal application process about 1.5 years before you are promoted.

Key Considerations for Promotion to Tenured Professor

  1. Will you have held the rank of Associate Professor for at least 5 years on the date your promotion becomes effective? (E.g., if applying for promotion effective 9/1/2025, you should hold the rank of Associate Professor for at least 5 years by that date)
  2. Have you sustained an independent, extramurally-funded research program?
  3. Have you continued to publish original investigations in peer-reviewed journals as first or last author?
  4. Do you have evidence of a national / international reputation? View the external professional recognition page for guidance.
  5. Can you list 6-8 external referees at the rank of Professor (who are not close collaborators and who do not have a training connection to you) who could write letters of reference in support of your promotion? See the Referee List page for guidance.
  6. Can you demonstrate the likelihood that you will continue to perform high-impact research throughout your career? 

Initiate the Application Process

If you answered yes to all of the questions above, then you may be ready to apply for promotion! Here are the next steps:

  1. Contact your department leadership to make them aware you wish to be considered for promotion.
    • It is a good idea to have a draft of your Feinberg CV and your referee list prepared at this stage for review by department leadership, who can advise you on readiness for promotion and let you know about your department's internal process for nominating promotion candidates.
  2. View the Annual Promotion Cycle page to understand the timeline, prepare your packet, and access resources for the current promotion cycle.