Principal investigator
A principal investigator (PI) is the lead scientist or engineer for a particular well-defined science (or other research) project, such as a laboratory study or clinical trial. It is often used as a synonym for "head of the laboratory," not just for a particular study.
In the context of USA federal funding from agencies such as the NIH or the NSF, the PI is the person who takes direct responsibility for completion of a funded project, directing the research and reporting directly to the funding agency.[1] For small projects (which might involve 1-5 people) the PI is typically the person who conceived of the investigation, but for larger projects the PI may be selected by a team to obtain the best strategic advantage for the project.
In the context of a clinical trial a PI may be an academic working with grants from NIH or other funding agencies, or may be effectively a contractor for a pharmaceutical company working on testing the safety and efficacy of new medicines.
[edit] Certification for principal investigator
The Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) provides a certification, specific to physician investigators/principal investigators (PIs).[2] ACRP offers the designation "Certified Physician Investigator (CPI)".
[edit] List of notable principal investigators
The following is a list of principal investigators that have a page and their respective projects have a page.
- Carroll Alley on the Apollo Program's Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment
- Phil Christensen of the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer and the Mars Odyssey THEMIS instruments
- Riccardo Giacconi of the Chandra X-ray Observatory
- Shrinivas Kulkarni of the Space Interferometry Mission
- Steve Squyres of the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity
- Alan Stern of the New Horizons probe to Pluto
- Colin Pillinger of the Beagle 2 probe to Mars
- Peter Smith of the Phoenix spacecraft Mars missions
- Francis Everitt of the Gravity Probe B
[edit] References
- ^ See e.g. NSF Grant Policy Manual 210f 'Definitions: Principal Investigator', available: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2002/nsf02151/gpm2.jsp#210; NIAID (NIH) 'Glossary of Funding and Policy Terms and Acronyms', available: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/glossary/default5.htm#pi
- ^ http://www.acrpnet.org/certification
