Associate Dean for Research

Associate Dean For Research

The School of Data Science is a forward-thinking institution dedicated to advancing education and research in the dynamic field of data science. As a fast-growing school at the University of Virginia, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and innovative environment where faculty, staff, and students can grow and thrive.

The Associate Dean for Research (ADR) in the School of Data Science (SDS) will provide strategic leadership and vision for the research mission of the school. This role involves defining research directions, fostering interdisciplinary research, managing research administration, developing new research initiatives, and supporting faculty and students in achieving high-impact scholarly outcomes. The ADR reports directly to the Dean, is part of the Dean's Cabinet, and collaborates with other academic and administrative leaders within and across schools as well as the Office for the Vice President for Research (VPR) to enhance the school's research enterprise.

Primary responsibilities include overseeing the sponsored and internal research portfolio of grants and contracts for the School of Data Science, providing visionary and strategic leadership to further enhance the diversity and extent of the research portfolio, advancing the SDS Strategic Plan, directing development of policies, procedures, and communications for the SDS research enterprise, developing strategies to foster research collaborations within SDS, across UVA, and outside UVA with existing and new research partners, both public and private, identifying, securing, and helping to develop new resources, including infrastructure, to facilitate / elevate faculty-led research programs and strategies, sustaining growth of sponsored research and innovation in a time of uncertain funding, overseeing the Assistant Dean for Research to develop, coordinate, and assess strategies to maximize faculty success in securing externally sponsored contracts and grants for research, facilitating faculty research mentorship within SDS and contributing to professional development, developing and coordinating specific strategies to successfully compete for large, multi-investigator and multi-institutional contracts and grants, working with the UVA VPR Office, UVA Advancement, the Dean, and other stakeholders to maintain effective links with government agencies, industry organizations, and foundations relevant to the SDS research activities, representing SDS research interests with the broader community and promoting faculty research activities to external stakeholders, and identifying opportunities to enhance educational research opportunities and programming for students.

Administrative responsibilities include providing direct supervision of the Assistant Dean for Research, providing administrative leadership to the SDS Office of Research Administration, developing metrics to assess the outcomes of research efforts and evaluate faculty and research administration team effectiveness, and overseeing the SDS research budget.

Minimum qualifications include the ability to qualify for an appointment at the tenured full professor rank in the School of Data Science and an established record of accomplishment of sustained sponsored research. Preferred qualifications include experience with research collaboration across interdisciplinary boundaries, experience with implementing strategies to develop and expand external research partnerships, significant knowledge on current federal funding agency strategic initiatives and focus areas, significant knowledge of funding agencies available to the broad interests of the SDS community, experience with budgeting for research projects and initiatives, including approaches for optimizing existing resources, ability to work with members of the leadership team to ensure research project staffing, contracts, and best practices, a record of strong teamwork, ethical behavior, and collaboration with faculty, administrators, and staff, administrative experience, a clear vision for research development, optimizing resource utilization, and securing new resources, experience with building interdisciplinary partnerships and research teams, and ability to provide leadership with research program development.

To apply for this position, please submit the following items as individual files : cover letter, curriculum vitae, research statement, teaching statement, and contact information for three professional references. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. For questions about the application process please contact Jennifer Kirkham, Manager for Faculty Affairs at the School of Data Science, at sdsfacultyaffairs@virginia.edu.