Deputy Director of Undergraduate Research and Assistant Dean

The College Center for Research and Fellowships (CCRF) at the University of Chicago invites applications for the position of Deputy Director of Undergraduate Research and Assistant Dean. The position is responsible for leading the CCRF's efforts in growing and advancing undergraduate research opportunities, research-related programming, and initiatives at the University of Chicago. The Deputy Director will serve as the unit and collegiate lead for all undergraduate research activities supported by the University and other units, as appropriate. The Deputy Director will lead the development and maintenance of sustainable undergraduate research programs indicative of the institution's commitment to raising awareness about undergraduate research across disciplines, facilitating research experiences for undergraduates, and celebrating research achievements of both students and their faculty mentors. The Deputy Director must have an innovative vision for undergraduate research, including advancing opportunities for underrepresented student populations. They must also possess exceptional higher education administrative acumen with demonstrable experience in undergraduate research. The Deputy Director will report to Executive Director of the CCRF and supervise a full-time assistant director for undergraduate research, as well as share in the supervision responsibilities of the CCRF Program Manager. They will also contribute to the strategic advancement of the entire unit as a member of its senior leadership team, helping to advance the growth, reach, and impact of the College Center for Research and Fellowships and its role in the academic and scholarly life of the College and University.

A complete position description and application instructions are available online: https://uchicago.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/External/job/Hyde-Park-Campus/Deputy-Director-of-Undergraduate-Research-and-Assistant-Dean_JR12475

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic leadership and oversight of the research operations of the CCRF including managing research staff, their professional development, and all research activities and budgets.
• Leads unit efforts in the design and execution of new undergraduate research programs, including summer research programs, EIP programs, and other research opportunities responsive to the unique research culture at the University of Chicago. Manages and refines academic year and summer undergraduate research opportunities and programs; international research programs; enrichment programming; comprehensive research grant program and conference travel grants program.
• Partners with faculty and departments to promote and recruit for existing research opportunities and aid in the development of new opportunities; works across disciplines to develop funding sources to broaden and diversify student and faculty participation in undergraduate research and creative inquiry.
• Partners closely with UChicago faculty across all disciplines to increase student engagement in undergraduate research with emphasis on traditionally underrepresented students.
• Serves as the unit liaison to the Social Sciences Division, which has seen a rapid growth in demand for undergraduate research; works closely with the appointed Deputy Dean of the Social Sciences Collegiate Division to support and advance their undergraduate research priorities; provides additional leadership and support for STEM initiatives.
• Manages CCRF research staff in their efforts to support research programming, particularly in STEM disciplines and supports their work with the Deputy Deans of the Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences Collegiate Divisions.
• Develops and supports research opportunities focused on engagement and retention of underrepresented populations in undergraduate research across all divisions; partners with UChicago's Leadership Alliance program, the Odyssey Scholars program team, and the College Center for Student Success to increase participation in research activities.
• Collaborates with the Executive Director in providing key administrative leadership for CCRF's flagship research programs including the College Summer Institute in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CSI), the Straetz International Research Scholars program, the IJRA Program with the University of Sussex, and serves as the principal unit lead for the annual University of Chicago Undergraduate Research Symposium.
• Collaborates with College Communications, the University News Office, and departments to develop suitable newsletter, media, publicity events, publications, and web content to publicize and promote undergraduate research efforts and achievements.
• Designs and teaches research literacy courses, including but not limited to ethical conduct of research, health and safety training, IRB processes, and other best practices; discipline-specific training (tools, systems, data collection); and their research communication skills.
• Partners with the University Library and Institutional Review Board Office (IRB) to develop and implement instructional opportunities and tools for information literacy and formal ethics training.
• Organizes and facilitates information sessions for early career students to increase a) their awareness of undergraduate research opportunities on/off campus and b) grants programs to fund their research.
• Develops a formal undergraduate research mentor training program for faculty and graduate student mentors.
• Administers high-impact, developmental advising to undergraduates across all disciplines interested in pursuing research in the individual advising context and in instructional environments; provides writing and editorial support for grant applications and research abstracts.
• Provides unit oversight for its comprehensive undergraduate research grant program: academic year grants for students and faculty; summer grants for students; and its international research opportunities grants.
• Works closely with faculty, students, administrators, and senior leadership to promote, facilitate, monitor, document, and/or evaluate undergraduate research across the University; maintains and updates current inventory of undergraduate research on a regular basis; tracks student engagement in research to determine lasting influence of undergraduate research engagement; and uses assessment data tools to improve UGR programming. Develops new policies as relevant in partnership with the University Research Administration and divisional deans. Effectively assesses CCRF programs for quality enhancement purposes.
• Maintains a professional identity and highly visible presence for the CCRF undergraduate research enterprise and actively promotes undergraduate research among faculty, staff, and students; this includes public speaking to a variety of constituents including students, parents, faculty, senior university leadership, and donors.
• Chairs a variety of CCRF research grant selection committees. Serves on committees relevant to the CCRF's fellowships operations and those relevant to the University's research infrastructure; works with the University's Office of Research to establish policies and best practices for undergraduate research.
• Active engagement with the Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR); attends and presents at national and regional conferences; remains well-informed of national trends related to undergraduate research to inform undergraduate research programming and support at the University of Chicago.
• Seeks, applies, and secures national grants to support undergraduate research activities at the University; collaborates with faculty and administration to seek internal and external funding to support undergraduate research.
• Explores and develops techniques for continued collaboration across the CCRF's functional areas (national fellowships, scholars' programming, and undergraduate research).
• Embraces and appreciates the diversity of UChicago undergraduates.
• Leads and participates in all aspects of program/services development and implementation.
• Forms collaborative relationships with campus partners including faculty, lecturers, postdocs, and graduate

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• PhD.

Experience:

• Prior experience in research mentoring, developmental advising, and teaching.
• Prior full-time experience in undergraduate research program administration.
• Demonstrable experience in technical writing, professional or technical communication or editing and/or a position that included proposal/grant writing and/or appropriate undergraduate degree or emphasis area (e.g., English, Scientific or Technical Writing, etc.).
• Progressively responsible administrative experience.
• Background with program design, implementation, and management; organizing large symposia and research events.
• Expertise providing instruction on undergraduate research skills building, as well as creating, facilitating, and delivering information sessions and workshops about various research grant programs, summer research opportunities, and research communication skills.
• Strong leadership and managerial skills.
• Skilled in developing undergraduate research best practices and policies.
• Adept at utilizing current educational assessment tools to survey research experiences and use to propose quality enhancement plans.
• Research and publication record commensurate with discipline/experience.

The Chronicle of Higher Education. Keywords: Director of Research, Location: Chicago, IL - 60637