Job Description

Dean of the College of Science

Northeastern University renowned for its innovative and entrepreneurial model of education and research welcomes applications and nominations for the position of Dean of the College of Science. Northeastern's unique value proposition is grounded in several key tenets: an experiential education that prepares graduates to thrive in a technology-driven world; a global network of campuses and partners for students and faculty to leverage for learning and research; a deep investment in lifelong and experiential learning; a premium placed on pedagogical innovation; and a highly collaborative, partner-fueled research enterprise focused on high-impact solutions.

Northeastern has embarked on a new academic plan, Beyond 2025, that presents a unique vision of the future of education rooted in experience, emphasizing impact through education and research, and promoting deeply held values of service and respect. The Dean of the College of Science will lead the college's efforts to rethink the way education is delivered, with a greater focus on technology, personalization, and lifelong learning. They will build productive and creative partnerships across the whole of the university, including its global network, to leverage the strengths and experience of other academic units. As the college continues to grow, the dean will recruit and retain the best faculty and students, expanding the breadth of academic offerings and increasing the research productivity. The dean will engage outside partnersone of the hallmarks of the Northeastern modelto identify ways the college can coalesce academia and industry around greater societal challenges.

Finally, the dean will strengthen Northeastern's position as a truly global university, shaping its activities and fostering integrated education and research enterprise systems across all campuses around the world.

Northeastern has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this search. All applications, inquiries, and nominations, which will remain confidential, should be directed to the search firm as indicated at the end of this document.

Northeastern University is deeply committed to expanding global education, partnerships, and research, enabling learners to become leaders equipped to navigate and influence an interconnected world.

The College of Science integrates research, teaching, and experiential learning to provide students a dynamic and cross-disciplinary academic experience and understanding of science in society. The college offers a variety of distinguished programs in fields that are at the forefront of discovery, invention, and innovation. Academic offerings in the physical sciences, life sciences, and mathematics provide students with a deep understanding of emerging fields. The college is home to 3,865 undergraduate students, 1,685 graduate students, 193 tenure-track faculty, 125 non-tenure track faculty, and 130 staff.

The College of Science offers a range of undergraduate and graduate programs, many with an interdisciplinary focus. The college is made up of 12 departments and programs: behavioral neuroscience, biochemistry, bioinformatics, biology, biotechnology, chemistry and chemical biology, linguistics, mathematics, marine and environmental science, physics, psychology, and premed & prehealth. In addition to traditional bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees, the college also offers 15 graduate level certificate programs reinforcing Northeastern's commitment to lifelong learning and professional development.

With innovation at the forefront, the College of Science works to solve crucial global challenges facing health, security, and sustainability with groundbreaking fundamental and applied research. By harnessing powerful tools and algorithms, researchers decode scientific complexities faster and at greater scale proving that the new, data-driven frontier has emerged and that scientists are empowered to transform our understanding of the world. 15 of Northeastern's 37 interdisciplinary research centers and institutes are housed in the College of Science, positioning them to be leaders in the next era of discovery.

A hallmark of a Northeastern education, the College of Science offers a number of experiential learning opportunities for students. Founded over a century ago, Northeastern's co-op program is one of such opportunities. By alternating semesters of academic study with periods of full-time work, students are able to experience work across academic and professional contexts, explore or refine potential career paths, make valuable industry connections, broaden perspectives, and acquire the skills and knowledge needed to succeed.

The College of Science promotes a global perspective and as such encourages students to consider global learning experiences. Students study at universities abroad, work for foreign companies, perform service projects in nations around the world, and conduct research on a global scale all while being immersed in the local language and culture. Options for a global experience include traditional study abroad, global co-op opportunities, and the signature Dialogue of Civilizations faculty-led educational experiences offered in the summer semester that bring students to a different country for 30 days.

A third experiential learning opportunity available to College of Science students are service-learning opportunities. Combining academics with civic responsibility, service-learning opportunities marry the real needs of society with challenging coursework. Courses, co-ops, internships, and research assignments engage students in faculty coordinated service projects. Students gain insight through formal, structured reflection and gain practical experience while making a difference in society.

As the chief academic and executive officer of the college, the Dean of the College of Science reports to the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and serves alongside the other deans and the Chancellor as a member of Northeastern's academic leadership team. The dean holds ultimate responsibility for the college's human capital its faculty, staff, students as well as its long-term planning and material resources, both physical and fiscal. The dean operates in a hybrid responsibility center management (RCM) university-wide budgeting model, and as such is responsible for the college's revenue streams, fundraising, and overall financial health, while sharing some central services at the university level.

The dean plays a critical role in promoting the College of Science externally, with public- and private-sector partners at the local, state, national, and international levels. The dean is the primary advocate and champion for the college internally, garnering support from university leadership for large-scale initiatives and to seed collaborations that break through academic siloes. Importantly, the dean is not just the dean in Boston, but across the whole Northeastern global campus network and will advance College of Science programs, partnerships, and research across the entirety of the university ecosystem and the markets it occupies.

Reporting directly to the dean are associate deans for academic affairs, PhD programs and graduate affairs, research, professional programs and lifelong learning, equity and teaching, administration and finance, and the global university. Six academic department chairs in chemistry and chemical biology, psychology, biology, mathematics, marine and environmental sciences, and physics complete the leadership team.

Northeastern seeks a dean with exemplary strategic and operational leadership ability and an entrepreneurial spirit. The successful candidate will bring many of the following personal and professional qualities and characteristics:

• A deep appreciation for Northeastern University's mission, and for a liberal arts education that includes core technological, data, and human literacies.
• A proven record of strategic and effective leadership and project management in a complex, decentralized environment with confidence and diplomacy, preferably at a major research institution; a demonstrated ability to execute ambitious, fiscally responsible, entrepreneurial initiatives.
• A distinguished record of credentials and achievements that demonstrate scholarly and research excellence.
• Clear capacity for strategic visioning; a track record of innovation, imaginative problem-solving, and impeccable judgment.
• A commitment to the success of bold initiatives set forward in the Academic Plan, including the expansion of the global university system. An entrepreneurial spirit to realize the ambitions of the university.
• A commitment to global education and to fostering a sense of belonging among students, faculty, and staff.
• An effective change agent, with the ability to think strategically and translate ideas into action, a calculated risk-taker comfortable working with ambiguity. A self-assured problem solver who can anticipate challenges and obstacles and has the intelligence, creativity, and tenacity to provide and execute strategic and effective solutions.
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills and excellent interpersonal skills.
• Unimpeachable character and personal integrity.
• Politically adept and experienced in negotiation, with well-honed problem-solving skills and experience navigating a large organization.
• An earned terminal degree in a field represented within the college and a record of scholarly and research achievement appropriate for appointment as a tenured full professor.

Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue on a confidential basis until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website: Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged.

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