Hiring Industry
Professionals as Professors of Practice
Origin
and intent
Leading
Institutes across the world have started to hire distinguished Industry Professionals/Experts as
Professor of Practice to
incorporate the best set of Industry practices within an academic framework. The main objective is
to enrich and align its students to face and resolve the real-world problems.
BITS
Pilani has a long tradition of having its academic curriculum linked to Industry through WILP and
Practice School. It has also introduced Institute-sponsored Industry Immersion Scheme to encourage
faculty members work on various cutting edge industry-related problems. Faculty members of BITS Pilani
are connected to the outside world through consultancy and entrepreneurship.
As an Institution of
Eminence, BITS Pilani recognizes the importance of the wealth of experience available in the corporate
sector. The synergy of thoughts and ideas of Academic Institutes with Industry help amalgamate academic
scholarship with practical experience. It is time that as an Institution we tap and leverage the
available professional experience to reap the maximum benefit. However, one would note that the resumes
of experienced industry professionals do not necessarily meet the traditional criteria for awarding a
faculty position in a leading teaching-cum-research Institute like BITS Pilani. To this end, we have
created a cadre as Professor of Practice (PoP).
Goals and
Expectations
The Professors of Practice
are expected to play key pedagogical and leadership roles in the development of BITS Pilani’s advanced
research and study programs across the Institute which includes developing facilities and labs, courses and
programs, engaging with students and faculty, incubate applied research engagement leading to credible
publications and patents by reaching out to industries. Candidates will also contribute to activities and
design projects, facilitate novel pedagogical practices by promoting active learning, creativity, and
innovations, and teach graduate and undergraduate courses at BITS Pilani.
These
individuals would ideally provide students with a deeper understanding of the practical applications in a
particular field of study and serve as liaison between the industry, the government and the institute in
identifying teaching and research opportunities that support public interest and societal needs. They will
also facilitate an environment for students and faculty colleagues alike to nurture entrepreneurship and
start-ups.
The
Professor of Practice is normally
expected to
- play
an important role in bridging the academic research activities in BITS, and applied research in
industry.
- apply
for industry sponsored research projects as a Co-PI jointly with a regular faculty member (who can be
the PI of the project) of BITS Pilani.
- engage
in industry academia collaborations.
- Encourage
and promote innovation and entrepreneurship among students and faculty colleagues and provide necessary
mentorship for their activities
- include
hands-on component in teaching industry-oriented courses
- guide
Master’s students in their research
- co-guide/guide
PhD students
- work on arranging PhD
fellowships funded in part or entirely by industry.
- contribute in activities of
designing industry specific projects, facilitating novel pedagogical practices followed in Industry by
promoting active learning, creativity, and innovations.
- define research problems for
PhD students that are of particular relevance and interest to Industry
- design
and teach niche electives at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and foundational academic
pedagogy.
Appointment and mode of
Engagement
The
Professor of Practice is a non-tenured appointment.
The offer will be initially for a period of three years, which is extendable based on performance and
contribution. However, an industry professional may apply for short-term (1 to 2 years) PoP with BITS Pilani
against an appropriate leave his/her regular position in the industry. Normally 10% of the total
faculty strength may be inducted as PoP. The Professor of Practice with a PhD, may be absorbed as a
Full-time Professor if he/she has demonstrated
evidence of scholarly research both at the level of academic rigor and industrial applicability (including
but not limited to high impact publications, patents and product incubation) and pedagogical experience
(teaching courses both at academia and industry labs, mentorship of significance). However, for offering of
full-time tenured professorship, the incumbent must come through our laid-down process of faculty selection
for regular tenured position while the criteria for selection may be different depending on the
Institute’s need in a particular area of expertise.
Eligibility
Professionals such as CEO,
CTO, vice president, Principal Scientists, Senior Research Scientists with at least a Master’s degree
in engineering, science, humanities, or a related field can be considered for the position of Professor of
Practice. A PhD is desirable but not mandatory. However, the lack of a PhD must be offset by the
demonstrated domain knowledge obtained from deep experience in the field. Individuals with an appropriate
Bachelor degree but having exceptional footprints in the area of entrepreneurship and start-ups may also be
considered as PoP.
Compensation(s)
The compensation of a
Professor of Practice will depend on the nature of the appointment and the expertise he / she brings in and
the market trend for such expertise but normally be at par with a Professor Scale for any full-time
appointment.
Approval Process
The non-tenure appointment
of a PoP will be done through the Campus Level Review committee, based on recommendations of relevant
departments and centres, as followed for any non-tenure appointments.
Click Here to Apply