What career level is relevant for membership? Is this assessed through years spent working as an academic, through the number of monographs, etc.?

Nominees are assessed against the criteria for membership, available on our website. The assessment includes review of publications, other outputs and references from peers.

Should the primary proposer or seconder be in a similar research area of the nominee?

No, it is not a requirement that proposers and seconders are from the same discipline as the nominee.

Can you clarify the position regarding the Nominator and Seconder? Does one need to be from outside the candidate’s own institution?

The proposer and seconder should be from different institutions. They do not have to be from the same institution as the nominee.

Is it strictly 10 people elected from STEM and 10 from Humanities/Social Science?

Up to 20 new members can be elected every year. Usually there are 10 from science and 10 from arts and humanities

Do we need to present our work in person?

No. Nominations are submitted to the Academy by the proposer. Assessments are based on the written material submitted only.

Is the nomination form fully electronic, paper, or a combination?

The nomination can be submitted electronically. Paper copies can be accepted too.

Do we recommend external reviewers or do you? How many/anonymous?

The proposer recommends up to 10 external referees without consultation with the candidate. It is at the discretion of the Advisory Committee whether or not these suggested referees are approached. The Advisory Committee reserve the right to suggest additional or different external referees.

How many external reviewers look at the application, and are these discipline-specific?

Generally the external referees are discipline specific. The proposer will provide a list of up to 10 suggested external referees and the Advisory Committee decide on how many ‘asks’ are issued and to whom.

Do the external reviewers view the full candidate’s nomination form or just comment on the candidate’s listed publications?

External reviewers view the full nomination for the candidate.

What is defined as a publication or citation, especially with regard to transdisciplinary and practitioner-oriented scholarship?

Publications and citations are defined broadly, including transdisciplinary and practitioner-oriented scholarship. Please see the Directions for Proposers document which is published at the start of the call every year for more detail on outputs.

How long does membership last?

Membership does not expire; it’s a lifetime membership.

Is there an annual ‘quota’ of male/female, discipline within eg STEM, etc.?

No the RIA membership process does not operate a quota policy.

Does the makeup of the assessment committees change each year?

Yes. Members generally serve a three year term on the Advisory Committee. Some members cycle off the Advisory Committee every year and are replaced following an open call to the membership for expressions of interest.

What is the range of the number of applications per year from successful and rejected candidates? How persistent are applicants?

Success rate in recent years has been around 25%. Candidates can be nominated for membership ad infinitum following the agreed three assessment years followed by two ‘fallow years’ schedule.

Are exemplar successful applications available?

Exemplar nominations are not available, however RIA members are provided with support in putting forward high quality nominations. The nominees who succeeded in becoming RIA members can be reviewed on the RIA website in membership directory section.

Will we know who are the members who adjudicated on our application?

No, the advisory committee does not disclose this information.