Faculty Administrator or Professor and Director, Florida Space Institute

The Opportunity

The Florida Space Institute (FSI) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) is on a mission to propel space research, innovation, and education to new heights. We are seeking a visionary leader to serve as the Director of FSI, a multidisciplinary center devoted to facilitating and conducting leading-edge applied and basic research and education programs in space-related fields. UCF is seeking applications for a 12-month, non-tenure earning faculty administrator or tenured professor, and director of the FSI.

FSI's charter is to support space research, development, and education activities within UCF and in the state of Florida, and secondarily to support the development of Florida's space economy, including civil, defense, and commercial. As Director, you’ll have the opportunity to help drive collaborations across academia, industry, and government to expand Florida’s space research.

UCF is committed to becoming a premier institution in space science, engineering, and education and is seeking a dynamic individual to implement that vision by growing FSI into a nationally recognized space research institute that supports UCF’s recognition as a top research institution for space.

The Director will work with faculty from the College of Sciences, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the College of Optics and Photonics, and others interested in space-related research at UCF to achieve these goals.

Reporting directly to UCF's Associate Vice President for Research and Scholarship, you’ll be at the forefront of a bold new era in shaping the institution’s trajectory and influencing the future of the field. 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. from an accredited institution in Space Science or Engineering or another relevant discipline, or equivalent experience is required.

• Strong spoken and written communications and interpersonal skills.

• Demonstrated leadership and managerial effectiveness.

• A record of winning competitive space funding and managing funded programs.

• To be eligible for appointment as a tenured professor upon hire, the selected candidate must have a Ph.D. from an accredited institution and demonstrated teaching, research, and service commensurate with a tenured faculty rank in a department/school related to the candidate’s area of expertise.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in creating, developing, and growing strategic partnerships with companies in the space industry from both an academic and a commercial perspective.

• A proven track record of building, motivating, mentoring, and coaching high-performance teams.

• An entrepreneurial mindset for building up an organization and experience in growing and managing a center, institute, NASA flight project, or large research group.

• A creative problem solver that can bring multiple and diverse disciplines together.

• Experience in academic programs.

• Experience within NASA or receiving and executing large NASA-funded programs.

Additional Application Materials Required:

UCF requires all applications and supporting documents be submitted electronically through the Human Resources employment opportunities website, https://www.ucf.edu/jobs/. In addition to the online application, candidates should upload a cover letter, a current curriculum vitae, and a list with contact information for three (3) professional references.

The selected candidate will be required to submit official transcripts (and, as applicable, U.S. degree equivalency evaluations) documenting the conferral of their qualifying academic credentials.

NOTE: Please have all documents ready when applying so they can be simultaneously uploaded. Once the online submission process is finalized, the system does not allow applicants to submit additional documents later.

Questions regarding this search should be directed to:  Jennifer McKay at Jennifer.Mckay@ucf.edu.

Special Instructions to the Applicants:

This is a full-time, 12-month appointment. Consideration of the position being tenured is possible with demonstrated teaching, research, and service commensurate with a tenured faculty rank in a department/school related to the candidate’s area of expertise.

Job Close Date:

Open until filled.

Note to applicants: Please keep in mind that a job posted as ‘Open until filled’ may close at any time without notice. As such, we encourage you to submit your application and all required documentation as quickly as possible to ensure consider