Geroscience Graduate Faculty Obligations

This booklet is for currently enrolled Geroscience PhD students only. Future applicants should visit the USC Leonard Davis School Admission website for the latest program information.

Geroscience Graduate Faculty Obligations

Members of the Geroscience PhD Program Faculty hold academic appointments at the University of Southern California in the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and come from multiple academic units. Adjunct faculty appointments and joint appointment positions are made at the recommendation of the School of Gerontology Personnel Committee and require approval of the School of Gerontology faculty and office of the Dean. While not every faculty member will necessarily participate in every one of these activities, each member is expected to be involved in several programmatic areas, that include: 

• Serving as an academic advisor for Geroscience PhD students; 
• Serving on graduate committees of students in the program, including evaluation of written and oral qualifying examinations, student research reviews, and final PhD dissertation defense examinations; 
• Teaching graduate courses in the Geroscience PhD program, including lectures in GERO 600 and 601; 
• Serving in recruitment activities, including recruiting and interviewing prospective students and attending recruitment visit events; 
• Attending and helping to organize program seminars and retreats, including student seminars.

Note: The Geroscience PhD Committee may periodically review participation by adjunct and joint faculty, particularly of those who have students currently in their laboratories.  

Faculty participation is evaluated annually by the Geroscience PhD Committee. Objective criteria include: 

1. PhD student successful defense in last 12-months 
2. Active mentoring of current PhD students (students must be on-track and faculty must have completed bi-annual evaluations) 
3. Interviewing PhD program candidates (January/February) 
4. Participation in program functions (seminars, recruitment, student events, annual retreat, etc.) 
5. Lectures in GERO 600 and 601 

Appointments of faculty who do not contribute to the program over a period of two years may, at the discretion of the Geroscience PhD Committee, be asked to renew their commitment to participate in some capacity or withdraw from their participation in the Geroscience PhD training program.   

See also: USC Faculty Handbook