Associate Dean for Research, Industrial Engagement and Applied Learning

and undergraduate research that aligns with Habib University’s next Strategic Plan 2025-2030. This includes building research capacity, facilitating faculty and fellows to access internal and external research funding, and promoting scholarly outputs to enhance the University’s global visibility in higher education.

The Associate Dean will also drive industrial engagement by collaborating with academic programs to embed practical, industry-relevant experiences into courses, while forging liaisons with industry partners to identify research opportunities that bridge academia and real-world challenges. The role provides an oversight to the Dean’s Fellowship Program, a three-year pre-doctoral initiative designed to nurture emerging scholars through immersive teaching, research, and mentorship experiences. The Associate Dean will also supervise the Academic Centers, the University Library and Information Commons, and the Institute for Design, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership (IDEAL), ensuring these units amplify faculty and student research, facilitate global scholarly dialogues, and cultivate innovation in design thinking, entrepreneurship, and leadership.

The duties and responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following functions:

Research Leadership and Capacity-Building

1. Provide strategic oversight to the Office of Research, guiding the Faculty Director in developing and implementing institutional research policies aligned with the University’s mission and vision for a high-quality undergraduate experience.
2. Establish frameworks for the operational management of internal and external grants to ensure effective oversight and compliance
3. Foster a culture of collaboration, and community engagement by supporting disciplinary and transdisciplinary faculty research, including Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
4. Develop capacity-building programs for grant proposal writing, research mentorship (including the Dean’s Fellows), and monitoring research effectiveness through data collection, analysis, and reporting.
5. Promote undergraduate research by incentivizing research-intensive courses, capstones, summer programs, and research abroad opportunities.
6. Ensure compliance with University’s policies on research quality, conduct, and University compliance (e.g., IRB), while overseeing research data management for accreditation bodies.
7. Showcase University research outputs through conferences, seminars, lectures, publications, and outreach initiatives to increase visibility and impact at relevant forums.
8. Keep the community informed of internal and external opportunities aligned with university priorities.
9. Ensure equitable participation in internal grant cycles to meet budgeted targets and mentor early-career faculty in proposal development and scholarly advancement.

Industrial Engagement and Applied Learning

1. Collaborate with academic programs and the Office of Undergraduate Education to integrate applied learning into curricula, ensuring there are sufficient courses in each academic program that provide adequate practical work experiences and industry insights to students through diverse industry engagement such as industry projects, co-taught courses, internships, and collaborative capstone projects.
2. Build and nurture strategic liaisons in collaboration with Office of Student Affairs, the University’s Industrial Advisory Boards (IABs) with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and organizations to identify and secure research opportunities, and co-creation initiatives that address real-world challenges.
3. Oversee the development of industry-sponsored grants and programs, to support applied research and pedagogical innovation.
4. Monitor and evaluate the impact of industrial engagement on student outcomes.

Oversight of Dean’s Fellowship Program

1. Provide guidance to the Dean’s Fellowship Program on refining its framework to optimize fellows’ research, teaching, professional development experiences and path to PhD.
2. Guide the Faculty Director of the Dean’s Fellowship Program in creating linkages with graduate programs in leading universities globally and identifying mentors for fellows from partner institutions.

Supervision of Academic Centers and Library

1. Offer strategic leadership to the Academic Centers (e.g., IDRAC, Tasveer o Tasavor, Arzu Center), ensuring they enrich scholarly experiences, advance faculty research, and disseminate University outputs through outreach and intellectual discourse.
2. Support Faculty Director for Academic Centers and Library to review and align Center visions, missions, and activities with University’s goals;
3. Oversee the University Library’s role in supporting research and pedagogy, ensuring resources align with faculty, student, and the larger community for discovery, preservation, and dissemination of knowledge.

Strategic Leadership to IDEAL (Institute for Design, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership)

1. Provide strategic oversight to IDEAL, aligning its strategic roadmap with Habib University’s mission and industry needs to bridge academia and real-world innovation
2. Guide IDEAL for creating programs and platforms to empower executives and professionals at various levels for leading their organizations by integrating design thinking, entrepreneurship and leadership
3. Ensure the collaboration of Director IDEAL and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education to integrate Design Thinking, Entrepreneurship and Leadership with HU curricula in diverse forms
4. Nurture partnerships with global institutions for co-certification and with industry/NGOs for funding and co-creation

Other Responsibilities

1. Assist the Vice President, Academic Affairs in drafting institutional grant proposals and leading University committees/task forces related to research and industrial engagement
2. Represent the University at national and international forums when required
3. Manage budgets for overseen units, monitoring expenditures and ensuring resource alignment with strategic priorities.

Personal Specifications

The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate evidence of the following skills, capabilities and experience:

1. an outstanding academic and research record, with an earned doctorate, and qualifications meriting appointment at the rank of associate professor or above;
2. a record of progressive leadership responsibilities and success in higher education, preferably in North America or an accredited American-style institution abroad;
3. an in-depth understanding and experience of working in an undergraduate liberal arts college environment that is student-centric, and committed to student success;
4. sensitivity to cultural differences, and diversity of thought; and
5. an awareness of the rapidly changing character of higher education globally.

Appointment Details and How to Apply

Applications should consist of a CV, accompanied by a detailed cover letter. Please email these documents to Salman Khimani, Senior Director Academic Operations and Institutional Research at Habib University at salman.khimani@habib.edu.pk. This position is based in Karachi. Extensive local and international travel may be required.

An appointment will be made subject to receipt of satisfactory references. The appointed candidate will be offered a salary that is commensurate with their experience and appropriate to the seniority of this position.