Academic Research Job Family

The Academic Research Job Family (ARJF) is a set of 12 generic titles for the appointment of non-faculty academic researchers at Boston University. The ARJF defines the duties, education and skill requirements, employment policies and procedures, and eligibility for accruing sick and vacation leave for individuals participating in the research and training programs of the academic units of the University. The ARJF includes career advancement steps for researchers.

Hiring into ARJF positions is based on procedures specific to each individual school or college. The 12 generic titles are described in the Non-Faculty Academic Research Job Family Matrix; this document is a road map for researchers and principal investigators, schools, and departments, and employment administrators across the University.

All current academic research positions, compensated or not, are mapped to one of the 12 job titles. For more information, refer to:

• The ARJF Title Mapping Chart maps former BU job titles to the Academic Research Job Family.
• The ARJF Job Summaries document briefly summarizes the primary purpose of each Academic Research job.
• The ARJF Glossary contains descriptions and definitions for each term used in these documents.
• The ARJF Matrix specifies the different job-critical knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as prerequisites, benefits eligibility, and education and experience required for each position. This document is downloadable in two formats (a complete spreadsheet view and a printer-friendly version).

Note: The ARJF Matrix includes guidelines for postdoctoral fellows (trainees) who are paid from training grants. As such, postdoctoral fellows are not University employees.