Director of the STEM Academy
The George Washington University
Washington, DC
Position description summary
The George Washington University (GW) invites applications for the founding Director of the STEM Academy, a tenured Full Professor position with the opportunity to lead a newly established center for STEM education and STEM education research beginning potentially as early as Fall 2015 but with a flexible start date. This is an exciting opportunity for an outstanding leader in STEM education to launch and build a new interdisciplinary center focused on post-secondary STEM education. Candidates must have demonstrated teaching excellence, a strong track record of funding and leadership in STEM education, and the capacity to form and sustain collaborations between faculty.
The STEM Academy is an interdisciplinary research and education center at GW that brings together key stakeholders from across the STEM disciplines, as well as GWs Graduate School of Education and Human Development, to use GWs own classrooms as a laboratory for data-driven research into STEM education and pedagogy, and to engage students in improving their learning in STEM areas. The Director and new faculty of the Academy will be supported by an existing group of nearly 30 faculty with STEM education interests, with active projects supported by several million dollars in STEM education grants.
GW is the largest university in the nation's capital with close access to many Federal funding agencies and research laboratories. The University offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts studies as well as degrees in engineering, law, medicine, public health, education, business, and international affairs. Thanks to a recently adopted strategic plan, GW is committed to creating several multidisciplinary research centers, one of which is the STEM Academy. As part of its growth in STEM areas, the University has just completed a new $275M Science and Engineering Hall in the heart of campus.
Duties and responsibilities
The Director of the STEM Academy will be responsible for providing overall leadership for the Academys activities, and will report to the Provosts office, while working with the Academys faculty, and its faculty advisory board. The Director will be expected to teach undergraduate courses, demonstrating the use of their classroom as a laboratory for pedagogical experimentation, and to lead initiatives that bring effective pedagogies into STEM disciplines. Just as importantly, the Director will be expected to build teams that pursue STEM education funding, and establish GW as a national player in innovative STEM education practices. The Director will also represent the universitys interests in STEM education initiatives in the DC area. One of the proposed areas of focus of the Academy is to comprehensively rethink what quantitative skills are most useful, and how best to teach them, to students with different backgrounds and career goals. These include quantitative reasoning skills for STEM majors, non-majors, as well as specialized disciplines within engineering. Thus, the ideal applicant will also have a strong record of undergraduate teaching excellence and applying innovative pedagogies in courses that impart quantitative skills.
Minimum Qualifications
Applicants must have a Ph.D. in a STEM discipline (for example: engineering, computer science, mathematics, statistics, natural sciences), or a field related to STEM Education (such as engineering education, physics education research, mathematics education, or learning sciences). Applicants must also have a strong track record in applying for and obtaining STEM education funding, managing budgets, and serving in a leadership position. In addition, applicants must have proven strong interpersonal and collaboration skills appropriate to building teams and sustaining interdisciplinary activities. While the appointment is expected to be at the Full Professor level, exceptional candidates for the Associate Professor level will also be considered. For an appointment with tenure, candidates must demonstrate a research and teaching record commensurate to a tenured position at those ranks. Employment offers are contingent on the successful outcome of a standard background screening.
Other information
Inquiries will be accorded the utmost discretion. To inquire, please email the Chair of the Search Committee at: stemsearch@gwu.edu Review of applications will begin on April 1, 2015 and will continue until the position is filled. Only complete applications will be considered.
To apply, please submit online at http://www.gwu.jobs/postings/26237 the following items: (1) a letter of application addressing qualifications for the position; (2) a curriculum vitae; (3) a statement of teaching philosophy and research interests; and (4) names, titles, and contact information of at least three professional references. Note: references will not be contacted in the early stages of the review process.
The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law. Applications from women and underrepresented minority groups are strongly encouraged.
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