Provost's Early Career Scholars Program

Chinyere Agbai – College of Arts and Sciences
Christina Dyar – College of Nursing
Hun Lee – Fisher College of Business
Horacio Lopez-Nicora – College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences
Ashleigh LoVette – College of Public Health
Parvait Singh – College of Public Health
Brian Skinner – College of Arts and Sciences
Lydia Walker – College of Arts and Sciences

The Provost's Early Career Scholars Program is designed to attract, recruit and retain the highest caliber early-career faculty. Open to all disciplines, this program demonstrates Ohio State’s commitment to academic excellence.

Upon entry to the program, scholars will receive research funding, become part of a multidisciplinary cohort, and participate in dedicated programmatic activities offered by OAA to support their research and scholarship efforts, and to assist with their long-term career success at Ohio State. 

Specific benefits include:

• Annual support from OAA for five years, or until promotion to associate professor (whichever is first), to be used for research, start-up costs, and/or to invite collaborators to campus. 
• Holding the Provost's Early Career Scholar professorship for the first five years of the scholar’s appointment.
• A year devoted to research and scholarship (releasing the scholar from instruction and service duties; mentoring graduate students will continue).
• Participation in the scholar’s cohort, which will include social and professional development events focused on research and scholarship.

Candidates are confidentially nominated by their dean, who submits a rationale for why the candidate is outstanding and a rising star in their field. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Candidates must have a PhD or terminal degree in hand at the time of nomination. There are many measures of excellence, however, having a competing offer from a peer institution is a compelling measure. Nominations will be assessed by a faculty committee which will make a recommendation to the Office of Academic Affairs. The award is communicated to candidates by OAA following the departmental offer of hire.

Beginning with the 2023-2024 cycle, only early career faculty candidates being recruited to Ohio State will be considered for the program. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis starting immediately.

To ensure consideration of the nomination, and before an offer is made, deans are to submit the following information, using “Provost's Early Career Scholars Program” in the subject line, to facultyaffairs@osu.edu as soon as a final candidate has been identified.

• a cover sheet including the following:
  • candidate’s name
  • college/division/unit making the nomination
  • degrees held: institution, degree, and date
  • position(s) held since PhD
• nomination letter from the dean (up to 2,000 words)
  • include an assessment of the candidate’s work and promise; explain the rationale for the nomination (e.g., creativity, shaping future direction); what specific contributions the candidate will bring to the college and university
• candidate’s curriculum vitae
• candidate’s cover letter or statement of scholarship (if available)
• one sample publication (preferably in a leading venue as applies)
• three external letters of recommendation from appointment packet

Nominations should be submitted as a single PDF file.

Per Faculty Rule 3335-6-03, appointments on the tenure track are probationary until the sixth-year review with required annual reviews.

The program

• a Provost's Early Career Scholars professorship for the first five years of their Ohio State career
• a contribution from OAA for five years, or until promotion to associate professor (whichever comes first), to be used for research support, start-up costs, and/or to invite collaborators to campus
• a year devoted to scholarship (releasing the Scholar from instruction and service duties; mentoring graduate students will continue)
• participation in a multidisciplinary cohort of Scholars, which will include social and professional development events focused on research and scholarship

Additional funding for research and professional development and all funding towards annual salary and benefits will be the responsibility of the tenure initiating unit. As with all faculty, units are to provide appropriate arrangements for space and other necessary resources, including all technology. Scholars can and should be encouraged to pursue their own lines of research.

Beginning with the 2023-2024 cycle, only early career faculty candidates being recruited to Ohio State will be considered for the program.

Approximately eight scholars will be named each year, and the Provost's Early Career Scholars Program will include no more than 40 scholars at any time.

Other than limiting the program to new faculty to the university, applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis during each academic year with scholars being nominated by their dean, who, before an offer is made, presents to OAA why the scholar is outstanding and is a rising scholar in their field. 

The program is designed to attract the highest caliber early-career faculty candidates from all disciplines who are considered rising scholars with exceptional promise in their respective fields (e.g., creativity, shaping future direction). There are many measures of excellence, however, having a competing offer from a peer institution may be a compelling measure. Candidates must have a PhD or terminal degree in hand at the time of nomination.

The annual research contribution from OAA will be provided to the Scholar at the beginning of their start date and near their anniversary date thereafter. Any unspent funds remain with the scholar and can be rolled over to the following academic year.  

Scholars are to use the funding for research support, start-up costs, and/or to invite collaborators to campus. It is not to be used for salary, housing, or other personal uses, or for items unrelated to research and scholarship.