Staff recruitment and students

Interview by Thomas Angus

 Human Resources (HR) oversee the research staff recruitment process in liaison with the Principal Investigator, academic department and Faculty Research Services team.

  • Principal Investigators are responsible for drafting advertisements and Job Descriptions, shortlisting, interviewing and selecting candidates.
  • Departments support the PI with the recruitment process and documents, providing formal approve that the department will support and manage the postholder.
  • Faculty Research Services are the financial approvers, ensuring that sufficient budget exists within the research grant to cover the full duration of the post.
  • HR are responsible for legal and compliance approvals including right to work checks and ensuring the integrity of the selection process.

To initiate the recruitment of a research post, the academic department should contact the Recruitment Hub in the first instance to specify the parameters  and provide relevant data.

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The Principal Investigator (PI) should inform the funder and the Faculty Research Services team if anyone employed on a research project is taking Maternity, Paternity or Adoption Leave.

Depending on the funder’s policy, the Net salary costs of the leave will be paid either from a central HR account or will continue to be charged to the research project. The Net cost is the total amount paid to the individual after Statutory Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Pay (recoverable from HMRC) is deducted.

If funders do not reimburse the costs, if justifiable, they may consider extending the project end date to match the length of the leave period. In all cases, the PI should discuss with their Faculty Research Services team at the earliest opportunity.

For further information on maternity/paternity leave please visit the HR website.

The Principal Investigator (PI) should inform the funder if anyone employed on the research project is on long-term sick leave. If justifiable, the funder may consider putting the project in abeyance until the employee returns. Please see the College's guidance on sickness absence

Some funders also require evidence of absence to be provided which can include annual leave records to accompany timesheets. For further information, please visit our Timesheets page.

Some funders require the Principal Investigator (PI) to inform them of all staff changes. They may also wish to approve staff changes in advance. Examples of staff changes include:

  • Promotion to a new salary grade
  • Spine point increase
  • Employee leaving/advertise for replacement
  • Maternity leave
  • Long-term sickness
  • Sabbatical leave

If required, the PI should check the funder’s terms and conditions and contact their Faculty Research Services team for advice.

Where PhD studentships have been included on European Commission awards (such as Research and Innovation Actions, Innovation Actions and ERC Grants) the following Post-Award requirements apply:

  • Stipends can only be charged to awards where the funding was explicitly requested in the application, officially awarded and included in Annex 1 of the Grant Agreement.
  • The Principal Investigator and department should notify PhD students of any funding conditions prior to the studentship offer / acceptance such as the requirement to pre-assign any intellectual property and the completion of timesheets.
  • Engagement Letter for PhD Students on EC Projects [Word] should be completed and signed for each student prior to their start date. This should be sent to your Faculty Research Services team and copied to rs.compliance@imperial.ac.uk
  • All students on EC-funding projects should complete monthly Timesheets and submit these to their supervisor for approval.
  • Original copies of Engagement Letters and Timesheets should be retained by the academic department in line with EC requirements (5 years after receipt of the final payment for H2020) and College policy (financial year plus 6 years) – whichever is the longest.