Associate Dean for Research and Innovation

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The Associate Dean will play a central role in advancing CEHD's research enterprise within the context of the University of North Dakota's R1 research mission. Working across departments, disciplines, centers, and external partnerships, the Associate Dean will help create the conditions for ambitious ideas to develop into sustained programs of research, scholarship, innovation, and impact.

This position requires a leader who can recognize opportunities across traditional academic boundaries, connect people and resources, and strengthen the systems that support research. CEHD faculty, staff, and students engage in a broad range of disciplinary, interdisciplinary, methodological, and community-engaged scholarship across education, human development, behavioral and mental health, movement and health sciences, learning and technology, and related fields. The Associate Dean will support this breadth while helping faculty and research teams pursue increasingly significant external funding, collaboration, visibility, and scholarly impact.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead development and implementation of a College-wide research and innovation strategy in partnership with the Dean, faculty, academic leaders, research staff, centers, and University partners.
• Identify and advance areas of research strength and emerging opportunity where CEHD has potential for distinctive regional, national, or international impact.
• Strengthen CEHD’s capacity to secure external funding, including large-scale, interdisciplinary, multi-investigator, training, center-level, and institutional awards.
• Foster interdisciplinary research teams and connect faculty with collaborators, funding opportunities, research infrastructure, and institutional resources.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for College-level sponsored research support, research administration, research investments, and use of research-related resources.
• Provide strategic coordination and oversight of CEHD centers, institutes, laboratories, and research initiatives, supporting their growth, sustainability, collaboration, and alignment with College priorities.
• Identify research infrastructure, staffing, technology, space, and other investments needed to strengthen CEHD’s research capacity and advise the Dean regarding strategic allocation of resources.
• Advance the translation and application of CEHD research and scholarship through partnerships with schools, healthcare organizations, communities, government, industry, tribal nations and communities, foundations, and other external partners.
• Foster a collaborative research culture that supports faculty research development, interdisciplinary scholarship, student engagement in research, and recognition and visibility of research accomplishments.
• Build relationships with funding agencies, foundations, research organizations, governmental entities, advancement partners, and other organizations that can strengthen CEHD’s research enterprise.
• Serve as a member of the Dean’s leadership team and advise the Dean on research strategy, sponsored programs, external funding, centers and institutes, innovation, infrastructure, and scholarly impact.
• Represent CEHD in University, regional, and national research initiatives, partnerships, committees, and leadership networks. 

Required Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to build productive collaborations across disciplines, units, institutions, or organizations.
• Strong strategic, communication, organizational, and relationship-building skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to supporting excellence across diverse forms of research, scholarship, and methodology.

Minimum Requirements

• Earned terminal degree in a field related to the disciplines within CEHD.
• Record of research, scholarship, and/or creative activity sufficient for appointment with tenure at the rank of Professor within an academic unit of CEHD.
• Demonstrated experience with externally funded research, sponsored projects, or significant grant development.
• Evidence of successful academic, research, or administrative leadership.
• Successful completion of criminal history background check

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the US and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. This position does not support visa sponsorship for continued employment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Significant record of externally funded research or leadership of externally funded projects.
• Experience leading interdisciplinary or multi-investigator research teams and developing complex collaborative proposals.
• Experience providing leadership or oversight for research centers, institutes, laboratories, or similar initiatives.
• Experience with research administration, sponsored programs, grant personnel, or research-support infrastructure.
• Experience strategically managing research resources, budgets, F&A, space, or related infrastructure.
• Experience developing external partnerships that advance research, innovation, translation, or impact.
• Experience mentoring researchers and developing externally funded research programs.
• Experience working within a high-research-activity or R1 university environment.

To Apply

To assure full consideration, applications must be received by 10/26/2026 and include the following materials:

• Letter of interest
• Curriculum Vitae
• Contact information for 3 references or letters of reference
• Unofficial transcripts. Please note that the selected candidate will be required to submit official transcripts upon hire.

Please note, all employment postings close at 11:55pm CST.