Associate Dean for Research

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

The Associate Dean for Research is a visionary, collaborative leader with enterprise-wide responsibility for shaping FCoM’s research infrastructure, culture, and strategy for students, faculty, and staff. This newly created position will establish, lead, and steward an integrated research ecosystem encompassing pre- and post-award services, compliance and human subjects protection, laboratory and clinical research capacity, mentorship and training, and external partnerships—advancing FCoM’s mission, vision, and values while expanding the school’s scholarly impact.

• Leadership & Strategy: Lead, develop, own, and execute the research strategic plan aligned with mission, vision, and values; set priorities and success metrics; assess and optimize research infrastructure, policies/SOPs, and performance; diversify, expand, and stabilize revenue sources; and act as the institutional authority and central point of contact for research-related inquiries and compliance.
• Laboratory & Facilities: Design and implement laboratory-based and clinical, translational, population health, and community-engaged research components in research and education, including facility planning, operations, safety, training, and recruitment.
• Compliance, Ethics & Risk: Assure the highest ethical standards and regulatory compliance through proactive risk assessment, audit readiness, and continuous monitoring (IRB/Human Subjects, HIPAA/data privacy, research integrity/misconduct, COI, biosafety, export controls as applicable); establish, maintain, and regularly update policies/SOPs.
• Partnerships & Community: Formalize collaborations and create networks across public health, health care, industry, foundations, philanthropy, and government agencies; support school-wide research events and scholarly activities; advance sponsored research and strategic investment opportunities.
• Centers, Institutes & Programs: Provide oversight/support to centers and institutes for strategic plans, governance, performance metrics, and resource alignment; support development/growth of graduate and combined degree programs.
• Mentorship, Faculty Development & Training: Build a culture of mentoring; lead research mentorship program for faculty and doctoral students (including external funding streams for doctoral trainees); develop and oversee training on grantsmanship, design, compliance, data stewardship, statistics, publishing, and communication via workshops/seminars and course offerings.
• Operations & Performance: Manage Research operations and budgets; implement performance dashboards/KPIs; drive continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy: Lead, develop, own, and execute the research strategic plan aligned with mission, vision, and values; set priorities and success metrics; assess and optimize research infrastructure, policies/SOPs, and performance; diversify, expand, and stabilize revenue sources; and act as the institutional authority and central point of contact for research-related inquiries and compliance.

Laboratory & Facilities: Design and implement laboratory-based and clinical, translational, population health, and community-engaged research components in research and education, including facility planning, operations, safety, training, and recruitment.

Compliance, Ethics & Risk: Assure the highest ethical standards and regulatory compliance through proactive risk assessment, audit readiness, and continuous monitoring (IRB/Human Subjects, HIPAA/data privacy, research integrity/misconduct, COI, biosafety, export controls as applicable); establish, maintain, and regularly update policies/SOPs.

Partnerships & Community: Formalize collaborations and create networks across public health, health care, industry, foundations, philanthropy, and government agencies; support school-wide research events and scholarly activities; advance sponsored research and strategic investment opportunities.

Centers, Institutes & Programs: Provide oversight/support to centers and institutes for strategic plans, governance, performance metrics, and resource alignment; support development/growth of graduate and combined degree programs.

Mentorship, Faculty Development & Training: Build a culture of mentoring; lead research mentorship program for faculty and doctoral students (including external funding streams for doctoral trainees); develop and oversee training on grantsmanship, design, compliance, data stewardship, statistics, publishing, and communication via workshops/seminars and course offerings.

Operations & Performance: Manage Research operations and budgets; implement performance dashboards/KPIs; drive continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Terminal degree (PhD, MD, or equivalent) preferred.
• Required: Eight (8) years of related experience in research administration, strategy, or leadership.
• PREFERRED: Demonstrated success leading institution-level or multi-program research enterprises; sustained record of peer-reviewed scholarship; proven, diversified grant success as PI and/or institutional leader; experience supervising research administrators and core personnel; experience aligning research with accreditation and strategic planning.