Faculty & Staff

Principal Investigator Eligibility

The Principal Investigator (the individual submitting the application) on a research, training, or service proposal must be a Columbia University officer of instruction with a fulltime appointment and have the rank of instructor or higher.

• Fulltime officers of research with the rank of senior research scientist/scholar or research scientist/scholar are also entitled to serve as PIs and no special approval is required.
• Fulltime officers of research with the rank of associate research scientist/scholar and postdoctoral research scientists/scholar may serve if approved by the Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences.

The applicable rank is that which will be in effect at the time the application is awarded. The principal investigator of a project assumes full administrative, fiscal, and scientific responsibility for the conduct of the project.

In certain cases, individuals who are not fulltime officers of instruction or research may serve as Principal Investigators. To obtain an exception, an officer should obtain authorization of both the department chair or center director and the Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences, then forward the request to the University’s Office to Research Administration (RA).

The request must include an abstract of the proposed project as well as the individual's curriculum vitae. The RA Project Officer reviews the request and seeks the final authorization from the Senior Vice Dean of the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Additional information concerning eligibility to serve as a principal investigator can be found on the Columbia University Medical Center site.