The Office of Academic Research is seeking a Faculty Director for Research Development and Student Research Initiatives. This role will serve as a cross-campus functional leader, advancing institutional research priorities by increasing participation, coordinating efforts, and expanding external funding, with a particular focus on undergraduate research.
This is a 9-month administrative appointment with a summer stipend beginning July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029, with possibility of renewal for one additional 3-year period. The director will retain their faculty rank and, if applicable, tenure, and serve in this administrative appointment within the Office of Academic Research reporting to the Vice President of Academic Research.
Responsibilities
This is a collaborative position focused overarchingly on expanding participation (both students and faculty) in research, scholarship, and creative activities, increasing external funding submission and success rates, building institutional infrastructure for research growth, and strengthening the research culture and visibility at UD. At its core, this position serves as a connector, catalyst, and capacity builder in the research and scholarship arena.
The following is a list of envisioned core responsibilities for this new role.
Grow Undergraduate Student Research 35%
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Serve as FYRE coordinator and teach 4 FYRE course sections/year
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Expand FYRE capacity to include additional sections, disciplines, and faculty participation. The target annual population is approximately 70 first-year students.
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Create a FYRE + Sophomore Research + Capstone/Thesis pipeline to create a scalable four-year research pathway for undergraduate students in the FYRE program.
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Relaunch a campus-wide training program for NSF GRFP applications, for which UD students are particularly competitive.
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Host career integration workshops to demonstrate how research can be a pipeline to graduate school, full-time employment, and co-op and internship opportunities.
Institutional Proposal Development 35%
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Lead the development and submission of institutional grants, including NSF REU, NSF S-STEM, NSF NRT, NIH-BRE-SPAD, Department of Defense, Department of Education, and private foundations.
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Identify strategic themes and build comprehensive teams to support large-scale proposals across interdisciplinary domains.
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Coordinate with UD faculty and key strategic and business partners on community-based opportunities.
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Work independently with faculty to assist with grant identification, development, and submission in their specialization.
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Reduce barriers to proposal submission, e.g., through developing standard University boilerplate language and related documents to remove barriers to proposal submission.
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Develop standardized timelines, templates, and checklists for common external grants to streamline the proposal process.
Design Faculty Development and Training Pathways 20%
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Create a tiered “Grant Writing Academy” training model to include 1) an early-career faculty proposal writing program, 2) a mid-career funding and research expansion program, and 3) a senior faculty program for PIs seeking to target larger proposals.
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Run annual small-scale workshops on target areas of need, such as budget development, data management, cost-share, and bio sketch development.
Strengthen Industry, Government, and Community Partnerships 5%
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Expand collaborations with in-place partners, such as UDRI, AFRL, IBM, GE, and Premier Health, to offer industry-sponsored research opportunities for students and faculty.
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Identify and forge partnerships with external entities that are a natural fit with UD's expertise and location, such as the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
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Develop community-engaged research initiatives in collaboration with internal partners to support scholarship and creative activities in coordination with surrounding communities.
Expand UD’s Research Culture and Visibility 5%
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Expand faculty and student participation in campus-wide research showcases. Collaborate with internal and external partners in the Dayton community, including K-12 education systems, to raise the visibility of UD’s research showcases.
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Develop a means for students to create digital research profiles/portfolios that are shareable with collaborators, potential employers, and graduate programs.
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Utilize research as a strategic communication mechanism for both advancement and recruitment efforts.
Minimum Qualifications:
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Faculty at the rank of associate or professor or professional clinical faculty or professor of practice at the level of associate or professor at the University of Dayton
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Significant record of scholarly achievement with externally funded research.
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Experience mentoring undergraduate research students
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Comprehensive understanding of the teacher-scholar model
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Familiarity with institutional grant mechanisms
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Ability to mentor junior faculty or facilitating professional development
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Commitment to UD’s Marianist mission and strategic priorities
Preferred Qualifications:
While not everyone may meet all preferred qualifications, the ideal candidate will bring many of the following:
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Successful experience in:
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collaborating across departments and disciplines
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designing, implementing, and assessing academic or co-curricular programs
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working with students, staff, faculty or community members from socially and culturally diverse populations
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mentoring junior faculty and facilitating professional development
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Effective interpersonal communication skills
Special Instructions to Applicants:
Interested applicants should submit
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a current CV and
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letter of interest detailing experiences that address the minimum and any preferred qualifications met and how these experiences are aligned with the responsibilities for the position.
Posting closes at 11:55 PM
Closing Statement:
Informed by its Catholic and Marianist mission, the University is committed to the dignity of every human being. Informed by this commitment, we seek to increase diversity in all of its forms, achieve fair outcomes, and model inclusion across our campus community. The University is committed to policies of affirmative action designed to increase the employment opportunities of individuals with disabilities and protected veterans in compliance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1973.