Academy professor

An academy professor is a scientist appointed to function as a professor and/or conferred the official professor rank by a national academy of sciences, rather than by a university.

Such scientists are often regarded as exceeding ordinary university professors in terms of research qualifications, and are typically elected on a competitive basis.[1] Academy professors are usually employed by research institutions where their positions are based. This title exists in countries such as Finland, Russia, and Kazakhstan. Some academies, such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, also award honorary titles of academy professor.[2]

Finland

In Finland, academy professors (Finnish: Akatemiaprofessori) are appointed by the Academy of Finland (Finnish: Suomen Akatemia). There are approximately 25 scientists holding this position at any given time.

Academy professors work in various fields, for example ecologist Johanna Mappes and computational nanoscience specialist Hannu Häkkinen. Their term typically lasts five years.

To be considered for the position, applicants must demonstrate significant research achievements and be recognised contributors within their fields. The role involves full-time research, including leading research projects, supervising teams, mentoring junior researchers, and participating in teaching and thesis supervision.[3]

Russia

Two Russian national academies—the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS, Russian: Российская академия наук, РАН)[4] and the Russian Academy of Education (RAE, Russian: Российская академия образования, РАО)[5]—award honorary professor titles to scientists, typically under the age of 50, based on their scientific achievements.

These titles include "RAS Professor" (Russian: Профессор РАН), with 797 holders as of 2025, and "RAE Professor" (Russian: Профессор РАО). Some RAS Professors are later elected as full members of the Academy.

In addition to their institutional roles, these professors contribute to science policy and strategic planning in Russia and are considered potential candidates for full academy membership.[6]

Professor titles are also awarded by some non-state academies, such as the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.

Other countries

In Kazakhstan, some public and private academies confer professor titles. There is also a position called "academical professor", which is equivalent to a standard university professorship and is not directly related to academies of sciences.[7]

The Chinese Academy of Sciences awards honorary titles such as Einstein Professor to distinguished foreign scientists.[2]

China also has the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese: 中国科学院大学), whose faculty includes many members of the Academy who are sometimes informally referred to as "Professors of the Academy".[8]

References

  1. ^ For example, in March 2018, there were over 800 applicants for 114 professorships in the Russian Academy of Sciences.
  2. ^ a b "Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Leggett Visits Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology". Chinese Academy of Sciences. 2016-11-18. Archived from the original on 2018-05-04. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  3. ^ "Academy Professors". Academy of Finland. Archived from the original on 2020-05-13. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  4. ^ Moscow will host the first Symposium of professors of the Russian Academy of Sciences (additional elections held in 2018, 2022, and 2025).
  5. ^ "Профессора Российской академии образования" (in Russian). Russian Academy of Education. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  6. ^ "«Будущее принадлежит вам»". Scientific Russia. 2018-06-01. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  7. ^ "Основы кредитной системы обучения в Казахстане" (in Russian). Казак университетi. 2004. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  8. ^ Statistics and Facts on the website of the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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