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[job seeker]

I am moving to a new city in about 6 months, primarily for family reasons.  I recently finished my PhD and I have several first-author publications which landed me interviews at top schools, but not a job offer.  Now I'm looking to find a position at the local state university, which is a big, R1 institution.  

Any ideas on how to do this?  I am planning to apply for independent funding, but I'd love to figure out how to get a funded position there.  Tenure-track would be ideal, but research professorships or other such positions would be fine as well.  

I'm especially curious about "opportunity hires" - how do they work?  I have connections in this new place that might be able to help me out, but I have to be able to tell them what to do, who to call, etc.

[%sig%]

[Random]

From what I've seen, usually the term "opportunity hire" is used for affirmative action hires--to redress racial and gender imbalances in the faculty.  There would be faculty lines funded from outside the department, or that the department wouldn't get otherwise.  Sometimes it is also used in relation to spousal hires--and perhaps more rarely in relation to hires in very hot fields (usually science/technology related).  In any case, "opportunity hires" means waiving normal search requirements.  In some situations, an "opportunity hire" may not get anything tenure-track.  The question to ask yourself is what makes you an opportunity hire?  Why would the university hire you without a regular search?  Having publications alone won't cut it.  If you're in a lab field, perhaps you can get a postdoctoral position with somebody there.

[anon]

Opportunity hire usually refers to the spouse of someone in the same or differnt department who is hired in order to solidify the school's ability to secure who they want.

[Actually]

For most places, "opportunity hires" is just what the term implies, an opportunity to hire a superstar or even just a star when there are no job openings available. Usually, these are senior people - it's pretty rare that a recent PhD, no matter how great he/she looks will get a line at an R1. However, what can it hurt to make contact with local schools if you are in the area? Also, normally, "research assistant profs" also normally go through the entire hiring process - they are floated for the first year or two until they get their own soft money, but if you know of someone with a huge grant that could support you for a year or two, it might help as getting funding without an institutional affiliation is quite difficult.

[Waxwing]

Actually is correct, at least as far as my R-1 goes.  The rhetoric is purposely vague, so that the administration can decide ad hoc what the term will mean.

I would agree that most of these not targeted at minorities will not go to new Ph.D.   Realistically, you can't really be seen as a target if you don't have a job already and have advanced sufficiently to call attention to yourself.

WW

[job seeker]

How does one get a position as a research assistant professor?  Are these lines obtained in the same way that other faculty lines are (i.e., through the dean, potentially after a long wait), or can one try to get a year or two of funding, on the assumption that soft money will follow, without an advertised position?

[duh]

why not call the department and ask if you can get an adjunct research appointment to write grants.  Then, if you are successful you might work your way in after a while.  Can also ask about adjunct teaching to facilitate use of the University's resources!  Regarding teh adjunct research appointment, what do they have to lose???  You write grant, they pay nothing, they get indirects.. Sounds simple to me!