RASEI Fellow and Affiliate FAQs

Q: What are the advantages of being a RASEI Fellow or Affiliate?

A: In order to be successful, RASEI will need to provide benefits to Fellows and Affiliates from both UCB and NREL above what they presently enjoy at their primary institution.  RASEI will enhance intellectual vibrancy, provide a structure and environment for deepening collaborations between NREL and UCB, increase research funding and educational opportunities, and bring new faculty, staff and students to the NREL and UCB campuses through an institutional commitment to collaborative research.  In a general sense, RASEI will provide NREL Fellows and Affiliates with opportunities to guide and participate in the energy-related activities at a nationally-ranked research university.  Similarly, RASEI will provide UCB Fellows and Affiliates opportunities to develop and participate in an interdisciplinary research platform and to be involved in research programs at one of (if not the) world’s most renowned federal laboratories engaged in renewable energy research.

More specifically, RASEI will provide NREL Fellows and Affiliates with the opportunity to:

• develop/take part in academically-oriented research projects that include UCB faculty in the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, Law School and Business School
• obtain a direct route to a joint appointment or faculty adjoint appointment in one or more departments at UCB
• apply for research support to agencies that would normally exclude them
• through collaborations and appointments in departments, have access to UCB graduate students, undergraduate students and postdocs who will work on their research
• be recognized for contributing to the education of UCB graduate and undergraduate students
• through collaborations, be able to increase number and quality of publications
• have access to new programmatic funding, space and facilities (in the future)

More specifically, RASEI will provide UCB Fellows and Affiliates with the opportunity to:

• obtain a joint appointment with NREL
• interact with NREL researchers and be more involved in NREL’s research programs
• participate in large, multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional proposals
• through collaborations, have access to state-of-the-art facilities at NREL
• engage NREL researchers in their teaching activities
• have access to new programmatic funding, space and facilities (in the future)

Q: What effort level will be involved with being a RASEI Fellow or Affiliate?

A: The effort levels associated with being an Affiliate are much less than for being a Fellow.  The basic expectations and opportunities for Affiliates are:

• present a poster at the Annual RASEI Research Symposium (Oct. 21 for 2009)
• apply for a RASEI Seed Grant or Proof-of-Concept Grant (optional)
• serve on a Seed Grant or Proof-of-Concept Grant review panel
• contribute to submission of RASEI proposal for external funding (optional)
• attend RASEI-sponsored research and outreach events

The basic expectations and opportunities for Fellows are:

• all of the expectations for Affiliates
• lead a dynamic research group in an area of relevance to RASEI
• opportunity to seek some form of appointment (joint, adjoint, etc.) with the other institution
• responsible for developing RASEI governance structure and research themes
• opportunity to serve on search committees for Director for RASEI and new RASEI faculty
• be involved in at least one major proposal effort
• contribute to teaching of energy-related courses on a regular basis (includes giving guest lectures)
• consider having all or part of their research group housed in RASEI facilities in the future, with the understanding that these facilities could be at either UCB or NREL

Q: Why did CU-Boulder decide to transform the former Energy Initiative into RASEI?

A: This issue is discussed at length in the Energy Initiative Steering Committee Report:
http://rasei.colorado.edu/siteadmin/images/files/file_445.pdf.  For example:
“Among the factors supporting a new Energy Institute are our strong history of excellence in key fields such as renewable energy, materials and nanoscience, the environmental sciences, entrepreneurship, and environmental and natural resources policy; our close proximity and working relationship with one of the Department of Energy’s primary renewable energy labs (NREL) as well as a multitude of companies in the emerging renewable energy sector; strongly committed faculty and students; a supportive local and state government; and the university’s history of successful joint institutes with federal agencies – e.g. JILA and CIRES. New and concentrated attention to energy has the potential to enhance intellectual vibrancy, deepen collaboration with government and private entities, increase research funding and educational opportunities, and bring new faculty and students to the campus.  It will also strengthen our ties with the business and policy communities and act as an avenue through which the University of Colorado Foundation can attract new donors.”

Q: What are the advantages of RASEI being a joint institute with NREL?

A: This is also addressed in the Steering Committee Report, for example:
“Two of UCB-Boulder’s most successful institutes, CIRES and JILA, have benefited greatly from direct partnerships with federal agencies, NOAA and NIST, respectively.  If the new energy institute were to be formed with a similar relationship with NREL, potential benefits would include:

• The university would organize its interactions with NREL through the joint institute;
• Enhanced quality and resulting likelihood of funding possibilities for interdisciplinary
• projects due to close interactions between university faculty and NREL researchers;
• Joint appointments for university faculty and NREL researchers would enhance the ability of
• both institutions to recruit and retain highly successful personnel;
• Institute fellows (UCB and NREL) and their research groups would benefit from
• programmatic funding for research activities; 
• NREL fellows could directly advise UCB graduate students and apply for support to agencies that would otherwise exclude them;
• NREL fellows would have enhanced opportunities to participate in intellectual property and
• commercialization activities;
• University students would benefit from the teaching contributions of NREL fellows;
• The university and NREL could jointly pursue federal and state funding for a new energy
• institute building with state-of-the-art facilities.”

Q: How will UCB and NREL jointly govern RASEI?

A: The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between UCB and NREL to establish RASEI can be found at: http://rasei.colorado.edu/siteadmin/images/files/file_446.pdf.

Q: How are RASEI Fellows different from RASEI Affiliates?

A: According to the RASEI UCB/NREL MOU:
“The institute will be governed by a Council of Fellows, which serve as the institute's board of directors, set overall policy and directions, and recommend to the University and to NREL the appointment of the Director. Leading researchers from UCB and NREL will be eligible to be Fellows of RASEI.”  “UCB Faculty and NREL Staff will also be eligible to become Institute Affiliates. Affiliates will be expected to support and participate in the institute, and be involved in its research education and commercialization programs. Affiliates will have a less direct role in the governance of the institute.”

The distinction between Fellows and Affiliates is also discussed in Section D.1 of the Steering Committee Report.

Q: Who is eligible to become a Fellow of Affiliate of RASEI?  Can graduate students or postdocs be Fellows or affiliates?

A: According to the RASEI UCB/NREL MOU, “UCB Faculty and NREL Staff” are eligible to become Fellows are Affiliates.  For both institutions, the basic idea is that Fellows and Affiliates must be researcher who can independently apply for external grants and have access to space and other facilities.  At UCB, this usually means tenure track faculty, most research faculty, and some (senior) research associates.  In general, graduate students and postdocs are not eligible to become RASEI Fellows or Affiliates.

Q: How do I apply to become a RASEI Fellow or Affiliate?

A: Before Sept. 30, 2009, all UCB Faculty and NREL staff have been invited to apply by sending a letter of interest and professional vita to either of the interim RASEI Co-Directors Carl Koval (UCB) and Ray Stults (NREL).  Information about becoming a Fellow or Affiliate after Sept. 30, 2009 will be provided on the RASEI website (http://rasei.colorado.edu) at a later date.

Q: Who will review the applications and decide on selection of Fellows and Affiliates?

A: The applications will be reviewed by RASEI’s Executive Committee, which consists of Co-Directors Koval and Stults, James Brainard and Larry Kazmerski for NREL, and Christopher Bowman and Daniel Dessau from UCB.  This group will make a recommendation to Deputy Director Robert McGrath from NREL and Vice Chancellor for Research Russell Moore, who will jointly approve the initial set of Fellows and Affiliates.

Q: How long will the initial Fellow or Affiliate appointment be?

A: The initial appointments will be for three years.  At the request of the individual, and following a vote of the Council of Fellows, appointments will be switchable from affiliate to fellow and visa versa at any time.