Vice President for Research and Innovation

 

Search for the Vice President for Research and Innovation

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia

 

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) seeks a strategic, creative, collaborative leader and scholar to serve as its Vice President for Research and Innovation (VPRI). Reporting to the President, this individual will lead the strategic growth of research and innovative activities to promote research excellence across all disciplines at the University and will oversee the management of research operations. This is an exciting opportunity to join a thriving, fast-paced institution that functions as both a hub for interdisciplinary scholarship and the central driver of the economic development of Richmond and the surrounding region. VCU is a premier research university with an enduring commitment to the positive progress of humanity through discovery and innovation. The VPRI will work to promote and foster the development of high impact, timely, interdisciplinary, cross-campus research and supporting activities utilizing the intellectual power of the university.

 

VCU is home to more than 3,000 faculty members across thirteen schools and a college, serving more than 31,000 students. The Carnegie Foundation has designated VCU with both “R1 - Highest Research Activity” and “Community Engaged” status. The University’s sponsored research has grown steadily in recent years and continues its upward trajectory: VCU received over $271 million in sponsored research funding in 2016. In combination with the $3 billion VCU Health System, VCU is the largest employer in the city and has a total economic impact of $4 billion on Richmond and the surrounding area. Ongoing partnerships with local and state government as well as key innovation hubs have allowed VCU to lead the way in facilitating new ventures that benefit the Virginia economy. As a leader in both research and innovation, the VPRI will facilitate discovery research within the University and the dissemination and commercialization of those discoveries for a broader impact.

 

As a key leader advancing the University’s research agenda, the VPRI works closely with the Vice President for Health Sciences, the Provost, and the Vice Provost for Life Sciences and Research. Other key collaborators include research deans and the directors of VCU’s 36 interdisciplinary research centers and institutes. The VPRI will lead an office of approximately 11 direct reports and approximately 130 personnel encompassing sponsored programs, research administration and compliance, research development, research infrastructure, and VCU’s Innovation Gateway and Innovation Economy, which focus on intellectual property development, technology transfer, commercialization, and strategic collaborations. The Office of Research and Innovation also house the Office of Postdoctoral Services and the VCU Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.  

 

The search committee seeks self-driven candidates with the capacity to play a major leadership role in a large, complex, public university. The successful candidate will have an earned doctorate or its equivalent, a strong personal record of funded research, thorough knowledge of the operations and practices of a comprehensive research-oriented university, and proven administrative success. The next VPRI will have demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment. This individual will display the emotional intelligence and interpersonal abilities necessary to lead and inspire diverse constituents while working across and throughout the university and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Please direct inquiries, nominations, and applications to Isaacson, Miller, a national retained executive search firm. All replies will be held in strict confidence. Correspondence and applications, which should include a curriculum vita and a letter of interest, should be submitted electronically to search consultants Denise Gaffney, Jamie Sands and Laura Mariani: 263 Summer Street, Suite 700, Boston, MA 02210 (617-262-6500) via this website: www.imsearch.com/6247. All applications must also be submitted through the VCU Jobs website: https://www.vcujobs.com/postings/64975

VCU is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. Women, minorities, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.