Last Update on: 20 August 2023

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1. Purpose
2. Scope
3. Definitions and Acronyms
4. Objectives
5. Eligibility Criteria
6. Selection Criteria for Award
7. Applications
8. Selection and Recognition
   
9. Award Benefits
   
10. Implementation, Compliance, and Reporting
    
11. Document Amendment Information
    

1. PURPOSE

The purpose of these guidelines is to support the administration of the Distinguished Professor Award.

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2. SCOPE

1. These guidelines apply to the Distinguished Professor Award (the award).
2. These guidelines apply to all KFUPM professorial rank faculty members.

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3. DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS 

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4. OBJECTIVES

1. 'Distinguished' is a title to be bestowed on Professorial Rank faculty, be it at the hiring stage or on those who are already employed by KFUPM and are well established in their research activity at the University.
2. The objective of this award is to recognise extraordinary and highly accomplished University scholars relevance to their field.

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5. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

All professorial rank faculty members are eligible for the award, if they satisfy the following criteria:

1. over the last six (6) years:
   • Publications threshold of 50 or more for faculty in the area of Natural Sciences, 50 or more in the area of Engineering & Technology, and 20 or more in the area of Social Sciences & Management.
   • A citation (excluding self-citations) threshold of 2000 or more for faculty in the area of Natural Sciences, 2000 or more in the area of Engineering & Technology, and 400 or more in the area of Social Sciences & Management. 
   • An FWCI of 2 or more

     Category	Publications	Citations	FWCI
     Engineering & Technology	50	2000	2
     Natural Sciences	50	2000	2
     Social Sciences & Management	20	400	2

2. Over the last two (2) year:
   • Supervision of Ph.D./MSc theses, minimum = 4 students
   • Presentation of papers in flagship conferences: minimum 2 papers or more
   • Satisfying one of the following four conditions:
     • Member of an editorial board of an international journal, or
     • Member of the scientific committee of a reputable/flagship conference, or
     • Keynote speaker at a reputable international conference/event, or
     • Winner of international award(best paper, citations in high-impact journals, etc.)

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6. SELECTION CRITERIA FOR AWARD

1. The selection criteria for this award, includes the following:
   • Research quality and impact:
     • publications in Scopus-indexed journals and conferences;
     • citations;
     • FWCI.
   • Research productivity:
   • Research leadership:
     • Supervision of MS and PhD students.
     • overall leadership and recognition in research
2. The recipient should demonstrate substantial scholarly achievements, with their academic work widely known and respected. Their research achievements should have a recognized impact on the advancement of knowledge in their area. 
3. Selection is based on the quality of the scholarly achievements of the candidate, their leadership in research, their international reputation, their contribution to research via funded projects, and their involvement in graduate studies.
4. Scopus/SciVal shall be used for metrics for the last six years. (e.g. for those being identified in the year 2023, Scopus/SciVal data will be obtained for activity between 2017 and 2022).
5. Three SciVal categories shall be used for selection: (i) Engineering & Technology; (ii) Natural Sciences; and (iii) Social Sciences & Management.
6. The candidate is selected based on the above criteria and positive recommendations of at least two international referees.
7. The title ‘Distinguished’ is temporal, with a duration of two years, and is renewed provided the minimal criteria to qualify for are maintained.
   

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7. APPLICATIONS

1. Applicants should provide the following:
   • a comprehensive application stating the applicant’s research, teaching, and service achievements;
   • a current curriculum vitae prepared according to KFUPM promotion guidelines;
   • a list of publications in ISI/Scopus-indexed journals and conferences;
   • a list of citations, excluding self and co-authors citations;
   • a copy of evidence of the applicant’s credentials including books, patents, book chapters, journal publications, conference presentations, funded research projects, citations, editorial board membership, letters of invitation for keynote speeches;
2. Applications should be submitted to DROC.

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8. SELECTION AND RECOGNITION

1. Each application will be reviewed and scored by an ad-hoc committee appointed by the Research Committee using the following to ascertain whether the applicant satisfies the minimum requirement:
   • the eligibility criteria for the award;
   • the selection criteria for the award.
2. Those applications that meet the minimum requirements are forwarded to renowned experts in the field for assessment and input.
3. The ad-hoc committee shall submit their findings based on the experts opinions, and make a recommendation to the Research Committee.
4. The Research Committee shall review the application and make a recommendation to the University Scientific Council. 
5. The University Scientific Council, if satisfied with the Research Committee’s report, will endorse the recommendation. The University Scientific Council’s recommendation shall be forwarded to the KFUPM President.
6. After the approval of the KFUPM President, the convocation Committee will inform the applicants selected for the award.
7. Selected applicants are recognized and honoured by the CHPE.
8. DROC initiates the project.

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9. AWARD BENEFITS

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10. IMPLEMENTATION, COMPLIANCE, AND REPORTING

1. DROC is responsible for monitoring the implementation of these guidelines, using the following performance indicators:
   • the number of Distinguished Professor Awards allocated annually;
   • the number of issues reported in relation to the Distinguished Professor Awards scheme.
2. Deans and Chairs are responsible for ensuring compliance with these guidelines.
3. Non-compliance with these guidelines shall be immediately reported to DROC.

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11. DOCUMENT AMENDMENT INFORMATION

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