Director of Computing Innovation

Description

The Director of Computing Innovation is a key technical leadership role within Colby College’s newly established McVey Center for Computational and Data Sciences. The McVey Center serves as an integrated academic initiative focused on advancing computational thinking, data science, and high-level research across the liberal arts, leveraging the College’s investments in High Performance Computing (HPC) within Academic Technology Services (ATS) and the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence (DAI).

 

The Director of Computing Innovation plays a central role in advancing the Center’s mission by enabling advanced computational research and instructional solutions that support faculty and students across disciplines. Working collaboratively across the College, this position ensures that computational resources, tools, and services are welcoming, accessible, and scalable, supporting inclusive excellence in teaching, learning, and research.

 

The Director of Computing Innovation reports to the Faculty Director of the McVey Center and works closely with the Center’s Technical Director (consultant) and the ATS HPC team.

 

Essential Functions and Key Responsibilities

 

The successful candidate must be able to perform essential duties satisfactorily and possess the necessary education/experience and skills, as well as apply the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed in a representative manner. Colby College actively supports the Americans with Disabilities Act and will consider reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.  This listing of essential duties is not all-inclusive, but representative; other duties may be assigned. 

 

Technical Computing Enablement and Infrastructure Integration

• Facilitate advanced computational solutions that support the research and pedagogical needs of faculty and students.
• Collaborate with ATS HPC and Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence teams to integrate campus computing resources efficiently and strategically.
• Partner with Colby’s HPC services to develop flexible, secure, reproducible, and scalable computing environments for teaching and research.
• Analyze and optimize software applications and HPC systems, identifying and addressing performance bottlenecks and technical challenges.
• Provide technical support and troubleshooting assistance for software and computational issues encountered by faculty and students.

Curricular and Instructional Innovation

• Enable and support McVey Center activities that advance faculty research and teaching initiatives.
• Design and deliver training sessions, workshops, and bootcamps utilizing advanced computational tools and environments, including Unix-based systems and programming languages such as Python and R.
• Support curricular integration efforts to embed computational thinking and data-driven approaches into courses across academic disciplines.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation, including user guides, technical specifications, and online resources, to support users in completing advanced computational tasks.

Research Support and Student Engagement

• Provide computational research support for new and existing faculty, including consultation on software tools, workflows, and data management strategies.
• Actively promote inclusive computational excellence, ensuring programs, services, and resources are accessible and supportive for all students.
• Support student engagement initiatives such as research grants, internships, the McVey Fellows Program, and summer research experiences.
• Contribute technical expertise to collaborative research projects requiring advanced computational resources.

Center Operations and Strategic Collaboration

• Work closely with the Faculty Director and Technical Director to advance the strategic goals, programming, and impact of the McVey Center.
• Coordinate with academic departments and administrative partners, including Career Services, Advancement, and Alumni Relations, to integrate the Center’s mission into broader institutional initiatives.
• Participate in the ongoing assessment and continuous improvement of computational services and support processes in collaboration with ATS HPC.

Qualifications

Position Qualifications

Education and/or experience

 

• Ph.D. in a science or social science discipline, with demonstrated experience using computation as a critical research tool.
• Sufficient knowledge of hardware and software systems to facilitate advanced computational solutions supporting faculty and students.
• Proficiency in programming and scripting languages commonly used in researc