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POSITION SPECIFICS

Director, Material Research Institute

Penn State is a research powerhouse. A critical component is the Materials Research Institute (MRI), an internationally renowned catalyst for material science. The new Director will build on a legacy of excellence and guide Penn State materials research to the next level.

MRI is one of Penn State’s larger research institutes. It has the goal of advancing interdisciplinary excellence and education, facilitating a university-wide culture of collaborative research, and supporting the development and application of innovative materials. With annual expenditure of more than $18M, the institute has a portfolio of over 260 faculty, 50 of which are cofunded. It has superb core facilities for advanced nanofabrication, materials characterization, and materials synthesis. MRI works with researchers from nearly all of Penn State’s academic colleges and campuses to facilitate new collaborations, fund new areas of research, and build a research community focused on inclusive excellence. MRI continuously seeks to recruit the best researchers to Penn State and to equip them with the resources and the latest tools to drive their science to new levels.  

The Director of MRI reports directly to the Senior Vice President for Research, who oversees university-wide research activity that exceeded $1.44 billion in FY25. Working with Deans and other university leaders to help achieve the University’s strategic research priorities, the Director must (1) provide vision and university-wide leadership to advance excellence in research; (2) build bridges and collaborations among the core colleges by developing policies and incentives for faculty participation in innovative, high-impact interdisciplinary research; (3) facilitate an atmosphere of inclusion and excellence drawing on diverse expertise and perspectives; (4) identify new funding opportunities and facilitate the development of large interdisciplinary research programs; (5) facilitate research through seminars, workshops, and symposia; (6) serve as liaison between the University’s research and state, national, and international organizations; (7) set strategy for the institute’s core facilities to deliver quality resources; and (8) ensure operation excellence and cost efficiency of day-to-day op