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[staypuff]

Any advice about collaborating with faculty you do not know? 
For example, faculty in your university who conduct similar research or even faculty at another close university?

I need to find some collaborators, but I am worried about things like theft of ideas or people not fulfilling the agreed upon work?

I am at the stage of my career where I need to connect with others, to conduct large studies, but my department/school is lacking in my area and I need to look elsewhere.

Any thoughts about reaching out to unknowns?

Thanks.

[helpful]

Um, give them a phone call and arrange to meet them for coffee?

[octoprof]

Um, give them a phone call and arrange to meet them for coffee?

Similarly, make connections at conferences and then go to lunch (or whatever) and flesh out ideas. I've developed some long term collaborations with folks I met at conferences who had similar interests.

[tinyzombie]

Your subject line is a little misleading - I thought this was going to be about professors nobody has heard of.

Otherwise, what octo and helpful said.

[southerntransplant]

Chime with the above.

One of my more industrious collaborators is someone I had never personally met prior to writing a proposal. We had been in email and phone contact, and I knew what he looked like, but I didn't actually meet him until we had submitted the proposal and won it. We are also in different fields, so I was unaware of his reputation, and his home institution is 8000 miles away.

I think I tend to step my game up a few notches with people I don't know. Not that I'm a slacker, but I'm extra hard on myself when I get it together and bring it for a collaborator I've not previously known.