Vice Chancellor for Research – Lawrence Campus

Vice Chancellor for Research – Lawrence Campus

The University of Kansas (KU) is seeking candidates for the position of Vice Chancellor for Research on the Lawrence Campus. The successful candidate will bring a commitment to scholarship of the highest caliber, particularly multidisciplinary research, the vision to energize and support scholarly achievement in all its diversity, and the ability to ensure administrative excellence for the Office of Research and the KU Center for Research (KUCR). The Vice Chancellor for Research at Lawrence oversees the research portfolio primarily for the Lawrence campus, and also works closely with the Vice Chancellor for Research at the KU Medical Center Campus in Kansas City.

The University of Kansas

Founded in 1865, KU is a major public research and teaching institution of 28,447 students and 2,600 faculty on five campuses (Lawrence, Kansas City, Overland Park, Wichita, and Salina), KU is a center for learning, scholarship, and creative endeavor. Its diverse elements are united by their mission to educate leaders, build healthy communities, and make discoveries that change the world. Since 1909, KU is the only Kansas Regents university to hold membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), a select group of 62 public and private research universities that represent excellence in graduate and professional education and the highest achievements in research internationally. Its faculty and students are supported and strengthened by endowment assets of more than $1.44 billion.

KU has 13 schools, including the only schools of pharmacy and medicine in the state, and offers more than 370 degree programs. Particularly strong are special education, city management, speech-language pathology, rural medicine, clinical child psychology, nursing, occupational therapy, and social welfare. Students, split almost equally between women and men, come from all 50 states and 105 countries and are about 15 percent multicultural. The University Honors Program is nationally recognized, and KU has produced 27 Rhodes Scholars.                                  

The University of Kansas has over 60 interdisciplinary research centers and institutes bringing faculty and students together to pursue research, teaching and community outreach on a broad range of topics.  The work they do is aligned with local, national, and global needs, and provides direct benefits to individuals, groups, and the public good. Particularly notable are the Biodiversity Institute, Hall Center for the Humanities, the Institute for Bioengineering Research, the Institute for Policy & Social Research, the Life Span Institute, and the Information and Telecommunication Technology Center. These institutes and Centers all fall under the purview of the VCR for the Lawrence campus. For additional information about the wide ranging research portfolio at the University of Kansas see http://research.ku.edu/Kansas_University_Research. Additionally, the KU Medical Center campus boasts a National Cancer Institute-designated KU Cancer Center. There are only 70 such Cancer Centers distributed over 36 states.

In the last five years alone, KU Lawrence campus has experienced a tremendous new era of growth.  This includes investment in the prestigious Foundation Distinguished Professorships that has brought 12 new internationally recognized faculty researchers to the Lawrence campus (http://foundation.ku.edu).  At the same time, the Lawrence campus has seen the construction of an unprecedented number of new buildings for research and learning, including in the Earth, Energy & Environment Center (EEE&C) and the Integrated Sciences Building (ISB) in 2018 (http://places.ku.edu/buildings).

KU Office of Research

The mission of the KU Office of Research is "to facilitate innovation, creative activity, discovery, and the application and dissemination of knowledge" across all academic disciplines. The Vice Chancellor for Research leads KU in accomplishing that mission in collaboration with academic leaders, faculty, and staff, as well as with business and community partners.  The Vice Chancellor advocates for research on and off campus, implements research integrity requirements, and, through the KU Center for Research (KUCR), oversees the administration of research grants and contracts primarily for the Lawrence campus. In grants administration, the Vice Chancellor ensures that KU research staff members provide essential support for research investigators by negotiating contracts, providing proposal and post-award services, administering compliance oversight, managing and constructing research facilities, and handling financial services. The Vice Chancellor also has oversight of activities related to technology commercialization and business and industry outreach.

In addition to membership on the university’s senior administrative team, the Vice Chancellor for Research serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of the KU Center for Research, Inc. (KUCR). KUCR is a not-for-profit research foundation that operates for the benefit of the university under the administrative jurisdiction of the KU Office of Research. KUCR is the entity responsible for submitting all proposals for external support of research, instructional and service projects. In addition, KUCR manages all cash flow operations, including the investment of corporation resources.

The Vice Chancellor for Research reports to the Provost/Executive Vice Chancellor and works closely with the Chancellor and the senior leadership team at KU. In their role, the successful placement will:

  • Provide leadership, strategy, and mission to the Office of Research that aligns with the University mission and strategy;
  • Foster research collaboration among faculty at the University through oversight of research centers and by encouraging cooperative efforts among deans and research center directors;
  • Facilitate and strengthen the University’s research infrastructure and competitiveness and advise the Provost on research competitive issues;
  • Work to increase external financial support for research at the University with a focus on large multidisciplinary and collaborative research programs that build upon KU’s strengths and unique capabilities;
  • Work closely with the Vice Chancellor for Research at the KU Medical Center to coordinate the research agenda for both campuses and in directing the activities of the Kansas University Center for Technology Commercialization (KUCTC).

For a complete position profile, please visit the KU Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor website located at http://provost.ku.edu/vice-chancellor-research.

Application and Nomination Process

The Search Committee will begin reviewing applications immediately and will continue to accept applications and nominations until the position is filled. Applicants must submit a current curriculum vitae and a letter of interest describing relevant experience. Submission of materials via e-mail is strongly encouraged. Nomination letters should include the name, position, address and telephone number of the nominee. All nominations and applications will be handled in confidence. Applications will remain confidential until the selection of the finalists, whose names and application materials will be made public.

Applications and letters of nomination should be submitted to:

Alberto Pimentel, Managing Partner

Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates

6512 Painter Avenue

Whittier, CA  90601

Email:  apsearch@storbeckpimentel.com

Refer to code “KU-VCR” in subject line

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, retaliation, gender identity, gender expression and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities.