Director and Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Research

Department

College International and Extracurricular Learning

About the Department

Office of Undergraduate Research

Job Summary

The Director and Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Research leads the Office of Undergraduate Research in its efforts to grow and advance undergraduate research opportunities, research-related programming, and associated initiatives in the University of Chicago College. The Director operationalizes collegiate leadership’s vision for undergraduate research. The Director strives to develop and execute sustainable undergraduate research programs indicative of the institution’s commitment to increased awareness and availability of undergraduate research opportunities across disciplines, facilitating research experiences for undergraduates, and celebrating research achievements of both students and their faculty mentors.

The Director ensures that the Office of Undergraduate Research is a strong partner to the Collegiate Divisions, departments, centers, and programs, and other university constituencies such as Career Advancement, Alumni Relations and Development, and the Library, while ensuring that the Office equitably advances opportunities across all disciplines and for all students, including those from backgrounds historically underrepresented in academic research. The Director effectively supervises and supports the staff of the Office of Undergraduate Research and coordinates with the Director of National Fellowships to capitalize on the interconnections of the offices’ work and promote students’ long-term intellectual and personal development.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic leadership and oversight of the Office of Undergraduate Research including the development and management of programming, personnel, partnerships, and finances.
• Leads unit efforts in the incubation, design, and execution of undergraduate research programs in partnership with faculty and senior leadership.
• Oversees OUR’s flagship research programs including the College Summer Institute in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CSI), the Straetz International Research Scholars program, the IJRA Program with the University of Sussex, and the annual University of Chicago Undergraduate Research Symposium.
• Chairs grant selection committees and supports committees relevant to CCRF’s fellowships operations and partner offices.
• Evaluates existing programs and policies in partnership with the University Research Administration and academic leadership; makes recommendations for improvement in line with the Dean’s strategic vision for undergraduate research.
• Partners closely with UChicago faculty across all disciplines to share information and increase student engagement in undergraduate research
• Serves as the unit authority on OUR budgets and projections, delegating day-to-day responsibilities as appropriate.
• In partnership with the Dean and College Development, works across disciplines to develop funding sources to broaden and diversify student and faculty participation in undergraduate research.
• As a member of the College leadership team, represents the OUR to internal and external audiences, including high-level presentations to students, parents, faculty, senior university leadership, and donors.
• With College Communications, provides leadership for newsletter, media, publicity events, publications, and web content to publicize and promote undergraduate research efforts and achievements.
• Oversees data management and reporting efforts for the office.
• Active with relevant professional associations including the Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR); attends and presents at national and regional conferences.
• Remains well-informed of national trends related to undergraduate research to inform undergraduate research programming and support at the University of Chicago.
• Supports other new and existing College-sponsored research programs.
• Provides leadership and management for direct reports, including performance appraisals, hiring and job position review, and professional development.
• Designs and teaches research literacy courses, including but not limited to ethical conduct of research, health and safety training, IRB processes, and other best practices; discipline-specific training (tools, systems, data collection); and their research communication skills.
• Partners with the University Library and Institutional Review Board Office (IRB) to develop and implement instructional opportunities and tools for information literacy and formal ethics training.
• Organizes and facilitates information sessions for early career students.
• Oversees an under