Participant Obligations

The Visiting Faculty Program is intended to support the professional development of current faculty members who have the desire to increase the competitiveness of their own independent research or stimulate invigoration of their teaching at their home institution through scientific research collaborations with DOE laboratory scientists.

Before the application submission deadline, all faculty applicants must submit a research project proposal that is co-developed with the research staff located at the host DOE laboratory.

Selected faculty and student participants also have the following program obligations:

  • Must have proof of coverage under a health insurance plan for the duration of their appointment. It is the responsibility of each participant to secure insurance coverage before arriving at the appointment site.
  • Participants must conduct their internship within the United States and its Territories.
  • Must complete the full 10-week program.
  • Must complete all required program deliverables on time.
    • Students who do not complete the initial survey (“pre-survey”) by the deadline will be terminated from the program immediately.  Their record of participation will be expunged, and they will not be allowed to apply to WDTS programs in the future.
    • Students who do not complete the remaining required deliverables (described below) on time will have the record of their participation expunged, and they will not be allowed to apply to WDTS programs in the future.
  • Must complete the entrance and exit surveys through the online system provided at the beginning of the program. Host laboratories may choose to withhold initial or final stipend payments until the surveys have been submitted.
  • Participate in professional scientific meetings at the request of the DOE research advisor.
  • In advance of completion of their appointment, faculty participants are strongly encouraged to make an oral presentation on the outcome of their VFP related research activities, and must complete and submit a 6 – 8 page research project report. Report requirements and submission instructions can be found at Visiting Faculty Program (VFP) Faculty Deliverables Requirements and Guidelines.
  • In advance of completion of their appointment, student participants must make either an oral or poster presentation on the outcome of their VFP related research activities, complete and submit a 1500 - 3000 word research project report, a general audience abstract, and a one-page peer review of another undergraduate intern's talk or poster. Report requirements, submission instructions, and additional guidance can be found at Visiting Faculty Program (VFP) Student Deliverables Requirements and Guidelines.
  • To help maintain accountability and accuracy of its federally-mandated assessment and reporting functions, WDTS requires funded work to appropriately acknowledge its support in the presentations and publications resulting from its funding. When acknowledging WDTS support, please use the following statement - “This work was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) under the Visiting Faculty Program (VFP).”