In the sections below are descriptions of the various appointments and the terms associated with them.
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Visiting Engineer, Visiting Scientist, and Visiting Scholar titles designate visitors working at MIT for a specified period from one week to one year.
Appointments to this rank are temporary by definition.
Appointees to these ranks must report their outside professional activities to their department heads annually, as described in Section 4.4 Conflict of Interest and Section 4.5 Outside Professional Activities.
Appointees to this rank are required to sign an Invention and Proprietary Information Agreement.
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The academic appointment of Research Affiliate recognizes the status of an individual with whom the Institute wishes to acknowledge some degree of association.
Appointments to this rank are not normally intended to be long-term or of indefinite duration.
Appointments to this rank are without salary. Research affiliates are not employees of the Institute and do not participate in staff benefits programs.
Appointees to this rank must report their outside professional activities to their department head annually.
Appointees to this rank are required to sign an Invention and Proprietary Information Agreement.
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Staff Affiliate: Because of the unique relationship that the Institute has with both the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and the Broad Institute, there are individuals who are employed by HHMI or the Broad Institute and its partner institutions who work exclusively in MIT-assigned space. The appointment of staff affiliate is reserved for those individuals. Individuals appointed as staff affiliates are usually administrative or technical staff. Postdoctoral scholars supported by HHMI or the Broad Institute are appointed as fellows.
Staff Affiliates receive their salary from either HHMI, the Broad Institute or other non-MIT Broad Institute partner institutions. They are not employees of the Institute and are not eligible for MIT employee benefits.
Ownership of intellectual property is governed by collaboration agreements between the Institute and each organization.
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Students who are pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree at an institution of higher education other than MIT and have been invited by an MIT department or laboratory/center to do research in their fields of study may apply for Visiting Student status.
Visiting student appointments are limited to 12 months. Faculty hosts must pay a processing fee of $1,000 using discretionary (non-sponsored) funds. Registration fees must be paid to Student Financial Services prior to registering for each term. Memos issued by the Office of the Vice President for Research on April 12, 2012 (link to pdf) and May 25, 2012 (link to pdf) have more details regarding the Visiting Students Policy.
The International Students Office handles all visiting student applications (including those of US citizens). Details on the process and appropriate forms can be found at the International Students Office website.
Appointees to this rank are required to sign an Invention and Proprietary Information Agreement.