Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies
College of Engineering
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach

About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University:

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is an independent, culturally diverse institution providing quality education and research in aviation, aerospace, engineering and other related fields with residential campuses located in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona. The University's Worldwide campus provides educational opportunities online and at approximately 130 locations throughout the United States, Asia, Europe, and Central/South America.

As the largest and most comprehensive aviation and aerospace-focused university in the world, Embry-Riddle is a unique institution. Over the past 90 years, the University has evolved with the industry to break new ground and produce top-level graduates who serve the ever-changing needs of aviation and aerospace and other STEM-related disciplines. Embry-Riddle offers programs in seven primary fields of study including: Applied Science; Aviation; Business; Computers and Technology; Engineering; Safety, Security and Intelligence; and Space.

For Academic Year 2020-21, there were over 10,700 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students that attended the University's residential campuses and approximately 32,700 students in total enrolled with the University around the world.

The Opportunity:

This position is critical for advancing the research mission and graduate programs of the College of Engineering. The faculty member in this role will be responsible for cultivating an environment of research excellence, mentoring faculty at all stages for enhanced scholarly productivity (with a special emphasis on supporting early career faculty), connecting faculty with research funding opportunities and collaborators, supporting technology commercialization, and otherwise advance the research output of the College. This role is also critical for growing graduate education programs in the College, shepherding the programs towards the highest standards of excellence.

Job Duties:

Research Growth and Strategy

• Provide leadership in developing and implementing the college mission and strategic plan on research.
• Serve as a visionary leader, inspiring and guiding faculty, staff, and students towards ambitious growth in research excellence.
• Foster a culture of intentional growth in which research goals are specified, strategies articulated, and results against goals are reported. Develop and implement initiatives, incentives, and processes that promote research productivity and excellence among faculty and staff across the units of the college.
• Facilitate research connections between faculty and collaborators (internal to the college, within ERAU, and externally). Promote interdepartmental, cross-college and cross-campus interdisciplinary research collaborations.
• Lead efforts to grow extramural funding and further develop relationships between the college and federal, state, and private funding agencies.
• Facilitate connections between faculty and federal government program managers.
• Foster faculty engagement in industry research, including technology transfer, new intellectual property, and start-up companies.
• Cultivate new funding avenues through foundations and other private funding mechanisms.
• Provide specific, directed connections between faculty researchers and emerging research opportunities and priorities.
• Catalyze and provide support for large-scale research efforts, convening faculty to develop strategies for winning large, externally-funded research centers.
• Represent the College's research strengths to external stakeholders, including at research forums, with industry partners (current and prospective), and funding agencies.
• Represent the College as needed for industry visits, making strategic prioritization and matching of faculty interests with external partners.
• Organize seminars, colloquia, research and grantsmanship workshops
• Provide support and mentorship to early career faculty in research grant proposal development, specifically for prestigious early career awards.
• Develop initiatives to inspire and enable faculty to grow their research efforts, particularly faculty who have underdeveloped research activity.
• Maintain familiarity with cutting-edge trends in research and innovation, particularly in (but not limited to) domains with relevance to the University's focus on aviation and aerospace.
• Recognize faculty and student excellence in research, provide oversight for the College research awards process
• Track extramural funding from all sources and create programs that will incrementally increase this funding.
• Create and manage an annual budget for COE research support.
• Track and support research progress of research centers within the College.
• Coordinate with ADR's at peer and aspirational peer institutions.

Research Operations

• Serve as first point of contact for review and approval of research pre-proposals and proposals.
• Work with the Senior Associate Dean to coordinate budgetary approval for cost share when budgetary resources are needed
• Represent the College in SIT-4
• Liaise with the Office of Sponsored Research Administration and provide mentorship and guidance for pre and post funding compliance
• Liaise, coordinate and collaborate with the office of Associate Provost for Research
• Coordinate with the Senior Associate Dean and the Executive Director of Tech Transfer & Research Park Initiatives on the allocation of laboratory space in the Micaplex
• Supervise college-level center directors and hold responsibility over center activities
• Supervise technical / research support staff at the Micaplex
• Work with the Dean on the distribution of funds in support of faculty research, with the goal of catalyzing research growth
• Ensure that the College's research activities comply with University policies, as well as federal and state policies and procedures related to research. Promote responsible conduct of research and integrity. Relevant compliance areas include export control, research misconduct, foreign influence, national security matters, and secure research activities.
• Liaise with the Office of Undergraduate Research

Graduate Education

• Lead the development of graduate education policies and procedures, including recruitment, admission, and retention of graduate students
• Coordinate with University-level leadership on the development and revision of University policies for graduate education
• Develop and oversee recruiting strategies for bringing top MS and PhD students to the College
• Review and provide final College approval for thesis documents, on behalf of the dean

The anticipated start date for this position is August 2023, but an early start date of January 2023 is available.

Desired Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Outstanding track record of research excellence, as demonstrated through scholarly impact, technical innovation, publications, and research funding.
• Highest levels of excellence in graduate student advising.
• Service-oriented, promoting the needs and interests of the faculty and the College (service before self).
• Innovative and creative
• Academic leadership experience is desired
• Team player
• Commitment to collaboration and shared governance

Application Instructions:

To be considered, please apply online at requisition R303721.