Outstanding Researcher Criteria
1. The individual must have an offer of employment in a full-time research position or as a professor. The employer must be a U.S. university or a private employer which employs at least three persons full-time in research positions.
2. The researcher must present evidence that s/he is recognized internationally as outstanding in the academic field. S/he must satisfy at least two of the INS’s six criteria in order to satisfy this requirement:
a.A major prize or award for outstanding achievement in the field;
b.Membership in associations which require outstanding achievements of their members;
c.Published material in professional publications written by others about their work;
d.Evidence of their participation as a judge of the work of others in the field (either as a peer reviewer or otherwise);
e.Evidence of their authorship of scholarly books or articles in scholarly journals with international circulation.
3. Show that s/he has at least three years of experience as a researcher or professor.
4. If the applicant does not have three years of actual work experience, experience acquired while performing research as a graduate student may be used. However, to use graduate research, s/he would need to show that it was outstanding, as indicated through the receipt of awards (such as “outstanding graduate student award”) or through disinterested party letters of reference.