EB1-2 Outstanding Researcher/Professor

To qualify for classification as an Outstanding Researcher or Professor, an individual must be able to document that:

1. S/he is recognized internationally as outstanding in a specific academic area,
2. S/he has at least three (3) years of experience in teaching or research in the academic area, and
3. S/he seeks to enter the United States:
   •  for a tenured position (or tenure-track position) within a university or institution of higher education to teach in the academic area,
   • for a comparable position with a university or institution of higher education to conduct research in the area, or
   • for a comparable position to conduct research in the area with a department, division, or institute of a private employer, if the department, division, or institute employs at least three (3) persons full-time in research activities and has achieved documented accomplishments in an academic field.
4. Academic field is defined as a body of specialized knowledge offered for study at an accredited United States university or institution of higher education. Permanent, in reference to a research position, means either tenured, tenure-track, or for a term of indefinite or unlimited duration, and in which the employee will ordinarily have an expectation of continued employment unless there is good cause for termination.
5. Initial evidence must include at least two (2) of the following:
   • Documentation of receipt of major prizes or awards for outstanding achievement in the academic field;
   • Documentation of membership in associations in the academic field which require outstanding achievements of their members;
   • Published material in professional publications written by others about the applicant’s work in the academic field. Such material shall include the title, date, and author of the material, and any necessary translation;
   • Evidence of participation, either individually or on a panel, as the judge of the work of others in the same or an allied academic field;
   • Evidence of original scientific or scholarly research contributions to the academic field; or
   • Evidence of authorship of scholarly books or articles (in scholarly journals with international circulation) in the academic field.

As evidence that the applicant has at least three (3) years of experience in teaching and/or research in the academic field, experience in teaching or research while working on an advanced degree will only be acceptable if the applicant has acquired the degree, and if the teaching duties were such that s/he had full responsibility for the class taught or if the research conducted toward the degree has been recognized within the academic field as outstanding. Evidence of teaching and/or research experience shall be in the form of letter(s) from current or former employer(s) and shall include the name, address, and title of the writer, and a specific description of the duties performed by the applicant.

The outstanding researcher/professor petition must also include:

1. An offer of employment from a prospective United States employer. A labor certification is not required for this classification.
2. The offer of employment shall be in the form of a letter from:
   • A United States university or institution of higher learning offering the applicant a tenured or tenure-track teaching position in the applicant’s academic field;
   • A United States university or institution of higher learning offering the applicant a permanent research position in the applicant’s academic field; or
   • A department, division, or institute of a private employer offering the applicant a permanent research position in the applicant’s academic field. The department, division, or institute must demonstrate that it employs at least three (3) persons full-time in research positions, and that it has achieved documented accomplishments in an academic field.