An increasingly globalised world means that higher education institutions are employing a diverse set of academic staff from across the world, and a better understanding of these scholars and their work roles is important for effective teaching, learning, and institutional management. Using the most recent data available from the "National Study of Postsecondary Faculty", this study examined individual characteristics and work roles for foreign- and US-born academic staff at two points in time. Findings showed that more foreign-born individuals have become academic staff at US institutions in 2004 compared to 1993, that they spend more time on research as opposed to teaching, and that they produce more scholarly written papers than their US-born peers. Findings in this study have implications for institutional policy, possible revenue sources, the teaching-learning process, and knowledge production.