General Description The Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) at The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) is searching for an Assistant Dean, Research Initiatives. This position will provide strategic leadership, direction, and support for center and institute-based activities related to research initiatives in the Whiting School of Engineering. Working across multiple research centers and institutes, the Assistant Dean, Research Initiatives will collaborate with the Whiting School's esteemed faculty to build partnerships, both externally and across the university.
For the past 43 years, Johns Hopkins has been ranked number one in annual research expenditures by the NSF. Over the past five years, research awards and expenditures at JHU have grown from $2.56 billion to $3.18 billion. The University serves as the home to more than 200 research centers and, over the past decade, has experienced an incredible positive trajectory of increased academic excellence, because of the work of JHU's academic leadership, faculty and students, its innovative international programs, high level of collegiality, and exceptional interdisciplinary collaborations.
The Whiting School, with its 170 tenure and tenure-track faculty members, is ranked first (both undergraduate and graduate) in the country in Biomedical Engineering by US News and World Report. It is ranked 8th (graduate) in Environmental and Environmental Health Engineering, and top-ranked in Chemical, Civil, Materials, and Mechanical Engineering. The school's vision is to elevate the school to preeminence among schools of engineering, and its strategic plan anticipates the projected growth of an additional 60 to 80 faculty members and to grow its current research funding from ~$200M annually to more than $300M each year
The WSE is responsible for 20 percent of the university's total invention disclosures, although the school accounts for fewer than 2 percent of the total tenured faculty. The Whiting School seeks an Assistant Dean who understands the multiplicity of the work taking place here and will connect the WSE to new opportunities for funding. The Assistant Dean, Research Initiatives is expected to deepen current relationships as well as forge new partnerships and initiatives.
Position Summary The Assistant Dean will be responsible for the significant transformation of the research structure and processes of the school's research centers/institutes, in support of the school's strategic direction and vision. This school-based leadership position reports to the Vice Dean of Research and Translation. This position plays a key role in the future direction of how research opportunities are identified, achieved, and scaled, and the successful candidate will be experienced, visionary, and innovative.
Key Responsibilities - Provide leadership and assumes responsibility for the overall conceptualization, planning, development, and assessment of large-scale, multidisciplinary research initiatives for new initiatives that include the creation and formation of research centers and institutes, as well as facilitating collaboration and alignment of existing research centers and institutes, leading to successful funding and increased research and translation opportunities for Whiting faculty.
- Collaborate with others within the school and across its departments, centers, and institutes to conceive and implement multidisciplinary projects. Coordinate closely with school leadership to strengthen practices and approaches and assess operational performance against key measures.
- Provide leadership and guidance to departments on strategy development and implementation and ensures that departments' research strategies are aligned with and furthering the school's strategic plan.
- Market and socialize the school and its research and translation efforts externally, successfully identifying funding, research, and translation opportunities for the school.
- Provide mentorship to early career faculty in support of their pursuit of establishing a healthy, diverse research portfolio from external sponsors.
- Provide strategic direction and leadership related to increasing the number of successful awards of large-scale governmental center proposals, such as DOD, NIH U54s, NSF ERCs & MRSECs, DOE EFRCs, etc.
- Responsible for leading the periodic strategic reviews of our research centers/institutes.
- Actively participate in efforts to improve and assess projects and processes. Bring a mindset of continuous improvement that incorporates best practices and identifies root causes to challenges that emerge. Recommends and implements subsequent changes.
- Provide highly responsible organizational support to the Vice Dean, and able to represent the Vice Dean as necessary.
Qualifications - Master's degree in science or engineering from an accredited institution.
- Demonstrated leadership ability and management experience to provide support at all levels of the school.
- The ability to build credibility with faculty and academic leadership, and external partners, including government funders.
- Strategic long-range planning with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines through implementation.
- Past success in securing funding and managing sponsored research programs and projects, preferably knowledge of or direct experience in developing and supporting research endeavors.
- Proven experience working collaboratively and effectively with diverse and multicultural staff, faculty and student populations.
- Experience building large-scale collaborative strategic initiatives in a university setting.
- Critical thinking skills and a high level of emotional intelligence.
- A recognized subject matter expert in a field of research directly related to science or engineering.
Preferred Qualifications: - Security clearance
- Earned doctoral degree in science or engineering from an accredited institution.
Application Instructions Applications should include a cover letter and resume or CV. All application material should be submitted online via Interfolio. Review of applications will begin on June 26, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled.
About Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University remains committed to its founding principle, that education for all students should be grounded in exploration and discovery. Hopkins students are challenged not just to learn but also to advance learning itself. Critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and entrepreneurship are all encouraged and nourished in this unique educational environment. After more than 130 years, Johns Hopkins remains a world leader in both teaching and research. Faculty members and their research colleagues at the university's Applied Physics Laboratory have each year since 1979 won Johns Hopkins more federal research and development funding than any other university. The university has nine academic divisions and campuses throughout the Baltimore-Washington area. The Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, the Whiting School of Engineering, the School of Education and the Carey Business School are based at the Homewood campus in northern Baltimore. The schools of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing share a campus in east Baltimore with The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Peabody Institute, a leading professional school of music, is located on Mount Vernon Place in downtown Bal ... timore. The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies is located in Washington's Dupont Circle area. Show more
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