Full Members
Expectations
Full members are expected to spend at least 50% of their available research time on contributions that are core to the NANOGrav mission, as described in the membership policy. A full member is also expected to make service contributions to the collaboration; an incomplete list of examples includes positional roles (e.g., serving in elected roles like on the MT, E&C, or a WG chair), meeting organization (e.g., hosting a collaboration meeting, serving on an SOC or LOC, contributing to a session of a workshop), developing pulsar timing datasets, sofware or pipelines, contributions to the IPTA, or leading a collaboration paper. This is a guide; the collaboration recognizes that there are many different professional situations in which people work and are employed, and the MT will consider other factors in addition to this effort contribution. A full member who does not contribute to NANOGrav at the aforementioned level will be demoted to associate membership.
Applications
Before voting commences for full membership, the applicant will give a short (<=10 minute) presentation on a General Telecon to describe the specific ways in which they have and will contribute to and enrich the collaboration.
Graduate Students
- A graduate student seeking to apply for full membership normally must have passed their qualifying exam or their institutional equivalent which signifies that their coursework is complete and they are engaging in research for their thesis.
- There is an expectation that the student’s thesis will be related to NANOGrav science.
- A student’s primary research advisor must endorse their membership application and provide a brief statement (roughly 1–3 paragraphs) that will be included in the student’s application for review by voting members.
Undergraduate Students
- Undergraduate students can not become full members. Interested undergraduate students working with NANOGrav researchers can join as “junior members." However, see below for details on associate membership.
Associate Membership
Expectations
An associate member should actively contribute to the collaboration and our target science goals. One should apply to be an associate member if familiar with NANOGrav science, and for whom joining NANOGrav would be the natural next step in one’s progression in the field. A less appropriate application for associate membership would be if one had no related or past experience at all and no local NANOGrav researcher with whom to collaborate. (See below for student cases.)
- Active contributions to NANOGrav (see the text on full membership for examples) include participation in WGs, attending collaboration meetings, working on designated collaboration projects or projects as part of a WG, and suggesting/leading new projects with other collaboration members. It is insufficient to be merely on NANOGrav mailing lists and Slack without regular interactions and contributions.
- A lack of active contribution by an associate member will result in the termination of their NANOGrav membership.
- Acts of service to the collaboration by associate members are looked upon very favorably during the annual membership statement review process and can bolster a subsequent application for full membership.
- A prospective applicant for associate membership should very carefully read NANOGrav’s Publication Policy, and consider whether this model is appropriate for them. If there is any item of this publication policy that you are unsure of, then ask the NANOGrav Management Team before applying for associate membership.
- New personnel who are starting roles funded by NANOGrav or the IPTA, or where a majority of their time is expected to be in support of NANOGrav/IPTA work, are eligible for associate membership regardless of prior research experience.
Applications
Students
- New graduate students advised/supervised towards a thesis by a full NANOGrav Member are eligible for associate membership regardless of prior research experience.
- Students in undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or temporary positions (e.g. rotation students/1st year project without expectation of continued work) should typically apply for junior membership. However, students who expect to make significant and ongoing contributions to the collaboration may apply for associate membership with their supervisor’s approval.