Posting Number: F-1058
College/Unit: College of Medicine
Home Department: Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine at Central Michigan University
Employee Group: Medical Faculty
Employment Status: Full-Time
Position Type: 12 month
Position Classification: Medical Faculty
Position Begin Date:
Position End Date:
Position Summary
As a member of the Dean's Executive Leadership Team, the Associate Dean for Research serves as the Dean's principal advisor and accountable leader for advancing Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine's (CMED) research strategy, strengthening faculty and trainee research capacity, supporting growth in extramural funding, and integrating the research mission with the school's clinical, educational, and service missions.
This role is designed to complement, not duplicate, the broader Central Michigan University research administration structure. Serves as a strategic liaison and advocate for CMED investigators by fostering transparency, facilitating cross-functional collaboration, and promoting alignment among administrative units throughout the grant lifecycle. The position collaborates closely with Central Michigan University (CMU) research administration leaders to ensure alignment with enterprise research strategy, sponsored programs processes, compliance requirements, research infrastructure, and cross-institutional opportunities.
The Associate Dean for Research will provide leadership across the continuum of medical school research, including basic science, translational research, clinical research, population health, community-engaged research, clinical trials, and student and trainee scholarship. The role will also support a disciplined governance structure for setting research priorities, monitoring key performance indicators, identifying barriers to research growth, and advising the Dean on resource needs and strategic investments.
The position will collaborate on oversight of research, research facilities, research administration, legal and risk management programs as they relate to research, and information technology programs as they relate to research. Assure alignment with the university's mission, assure responsiveness to the needs of the state, and assure a program of superior quality meeting the standards of the LCME, ACGME, HLC and other accrediting bodies.
Required Qualifications
- MD-DO, PhD, PharmD, DVM or other terminal degree.
- Understanding of both basic sciences and translational research.
- Meets criteria for Associate Professor or Professor rank at CMU College of Medicine.
- Five years' experience in a university-based medical or public health school or research institution overseeing and conducting research.
- Five years of leadership experience overseeing university-based medical or public health or research institutional research.
- Demonstrated experience of securing extramural funding.
- Demonstrated understanding of clinical, translational, and basic science research.
- Experience in building/growing new research programs, ideally multi- disciplinary and/or multi-organizational research collaborations.
- Demonstrated creativity in building research partnerships and identifying research funding opportunities within their own.
- Positive interpersonal, written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to work effectively with multiple and diverse stakeholders.
- Demonstrated commitment to ensuring that members of the university community can thrive.
- Experience in mentoring junior faculty to help them obtain research funding to pursue meaningful lines or inquiry.
- Ability to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in building/growing new research programs in partnership with public and private community entities, corporate partners, foundations, and state/federal agencies.
- Demonstrated administrative and research management skills with experience in compliance with research regulations and accreditation.
- Demonstrated experience leading, developing, and coordinating strategic research plans that are consistent with an organizational mission.
- Experience serving as an externally facing representative of the institution to key partners and stakeholders in the community and beyond.
Message to Applicants
Central Michigan University is dedicated to fostering an environment that is reflective of the communities we serve. We are especially interested in highly qualified candidates who will advance and promote CMU's mission, vision, and leadership standards.
You must submit an online application in order to be considered as an applicant for this position. Letters of interest may be addressed to the Hiring Committee.
To review Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine at Central Michigan University rank criteria please review the Faculty Appointment Manual.
About the Department
The Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine at Central Michigan University educates diverse students and trains culturally competent physicians to provide comprehensive health care and services to underserved populations in Michigan and beyond. Our faculty, staff and graduates advance health and wellness through exceptional education, innovative research, quality patient care and strategic collaborations to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities.
Since its foundation in 2010, the Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine at Central Michigan University strives to be a national leader in the pursuit of basic, translational, clinical, medical education and population health research. We aim to develop programs to advance medical and scientific knowledge and improve patient care and community wellness. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the health of the public, the practice of medicine and the education of health professionals; all while promoting the development of academically oriented physicians.
Research is an important mission of the Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine at Central Michigan University. We have nationally recognized investigators advancing the understanding of health sciences across a broad continuum of research types.
- Basic – Investigative research that advances our scientific understanding of issues affecting health.
- Translational – Research that applies the discoveries made by basic research investigators to studies with patients or to best practices in the field of medicine.
- Clinical – Medical research directly or indirectly involving patients that seeks to better understand and manage human illnesses.
- Population Health/Health Services – Research that examines the health care system and access to care, and the effect that care has on patients.
- Medical Education – The systematic study and investigation of various aspects related to the education and training of health care professionals, particularly those in the field of medicine. This type of research aims to enhance the quality, effectiveness, and outcomes of medical education programs, curricula, teaching methodologies, and assessment methods.
Posting Begins: 10/08/2026
Posting Ends:
Open Until Filled: Yes
About CMU
Central Michigan University has a more than 125-year legacy of preparing students to become leaders and changemakers in their communities and in their personal and professional lives.
We serve nearly 15,500 students on our Mount Pleasant campus, in satellite locations around the state and throughout the country, and through flexible online programs. Many of our approximately 300 undergraduate, master's, specialist and doctoral programs in the arts, media, business, education, human services, health professions, liberal arts, social sciences, medicine, science and engineering are nationally ranked for excellence.
CMU leads the nation in leadership development programming through our Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, and we are proud to be among only 5% of U.S. universities in the top two Carnegie research classifications. Our faculty work with graduate and undergraduate students in areas such as Great Lakes research, medical innovation, engineering technology and more.
Central is home to 17 men's and women's Division 1 sports including football, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, wrestling and more. Our student-athletes achieve great success in competition and in the classroom, capturing Mid-American Conference championships and maintaining an average cumulative GPA of 3.17.
CMU is located in Mount Pleasant, a community that blends the best of small-town living with big-city amenities. It's part of the culturally varied and vibrant Great Lakes Bay Region that also includes Saginaw, Bay City, Midland and the state's largest Native American community, centered on the Saginaw Chippewa Isabella Reservation in Mount Pleasant.
Area residents enjoy the mix of outdoor activities, cultural events, shopping and dining options, and family attractions. Other major Michigan destinations and attractions — Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Traverse City, wineries, beaches, golf and ski resorts, and many more — are within easy reach of the city's central location in Michigan's Lower Peninsula.
CMU employees enjoy access to a nationally recognized wellness program along with health care and benefits that exceed regional, state and national norms.
To apply, visit https://www.jobs.cmich.edu/postings/45362
CMU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and institution. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex-based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight.
